Intentional and Honest Design
A Personal Design Philosophy
by Vanessa Dominguez
This presentation was given at Senior Symposia 2023 in the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University (SC) on November 30, 2023.
Presentation Transcription
Well everyone I’m Vanessa Dominguez and this is Intentional and Honest Design.
So when I got to AU, I wasn’t really sure what it meant to design or to be a designer. I knew I was creative and that I couldn’t draw. Not knowing how to draw felt like the biggest obstacle, especially when I would tell people that I’m pursuing graphic design and they’d be like, oh, so you can draw? And I’d say, No. And I would receive some questioning looks and probably some extra prayers because of it.
I thought drawing was just as important as they did. I mean, it felt relevant, because design means sketching and making logos, right? I thought design was about making pretty things for everyone to see and hopefully find it just as meaningful or important as I did. And I thought that not knowing how to draw would hinder me in this pursuit. But I’ve learned that it isn’t just about drawing or making pretty things.
Instead, I’ve defined design as the externalization of an idea that is intentional and honest.
In the start of the semester, we did a series of explorations according to our topic of personal interest. It was the first time I seriously thought about anything that wasn’t design — that wasn’t related to a design project. Inevitably, I began to explore my personal dreams, and in this process I thought, What are our dreams? Where do they come from and why do they matter?
I found that dreaming is to contemplate the possibilities. These dreams are often personal, vulnerable, and hold much of who we are.
But, I found that as personal as they are, I cannot dream alone because it’s important for me to dream with God. Nothing existed and so he himself thought about it. He dreamt up potential and brought it into reality. He is the most intentional creator because he followed and continues to follow his original good intent and design.
Similarly, I also dream and think about potential possibilities, and that’s how every project starts with this kid-like excitement of what can this become? What does it need to become? What should it become? That’s even how I am in my personal life. I’m constantly in this state of dreaming with possibilities and I hope these possibilities can do good and have impact.
It is necessary for me to create with the one who cares most, who is the most intentional and who dreams the most. So for me, design is the opportunity to invite him to reflect his goodness into these dreams. Now, that doesn’t mean that I only do religious-related work, but instead it is a mindset and a practice that influences my work.
Because I choose to recognize that every act of design is a collaborative act of dreaming with God.
This isn’t always as romantic as it sounds, and sometimes it’s a difficult process to include and to remember, but it can practically look like making lists, writing down thoughts, making sketches even, reading a verse, or going for a walk. As a designer, this means I am working on a blank canvas that does not get filled, does not have meaning or even purpose unless I dream with the creator.
In one of the [design] sprints this semester I created this “why” account because, like a toddler, one of my favorite words is “why.” I did this tally count for a week of the amount of times I heard, saw or said the word “why.”
The first day I did this, I was sitting in the big windows here in Chiquola eating my lunch and I looked out the window and there’s a man walking with a gray shirt with the word WHY in all caps. It was really big on his chest. And this was funny at the time, too, because I was challenging myself to explore materials that I felt did not have inherent meaning.
Nonetheless, I found this question of why leads me to a rabbit trail of responses and findings for myself, and in design.
For me, design is a way to be curious.
Curiosity in design is the ability to explore, interact, and to be inspired by. I’ve noticed that this curiosity guides me when I may not really understand, or even when I’m ignorant of a topic. As shown before, this curiosity looks like question-asking. So I may start with why, but it leads me to many more questions. Question-asking is my path to discovering importance. When I understand that at least one person cares for a certain thing, needs a certain thing, or even has dreamed of a certain thing, it motivates me to keep asking questions.
After asking so many questions and researching, I end up gathering many responses, feedback, results, inspiration, research, which I then try to make sense of and draw connections. This is often the exciting part. It’s almost as if I’m creating a space for all of these ideas to meet and get to know each other and interact. These connections then lead me to finding solutions, whether they’re visual or practical. But design to me is about finding solutions.
So after I’ve gathered responses, research, and found some common threads, I was even surprised by some of the responses I received from this dream exploration. I compiled it into a journal, prototype and form of a mini zine.
In this stage, sensemaking works as a mode of translating, which helps bridge all of these thoughts, statements, and history. But it does not stop at finding a solution. It can turn into facilitating an experience, awareness, or highlighting a point that can foster inclusivity and understanding for everyone.
Because I believe the essence of design is not to exclude, but to connect and communicate.
This curious question-asking and sensemaking becomes a constant state cycle as I begin to find new ideas, new fascinations, and new connections and arrive at new conclusions — whatever that may look like.
But this process is not solitary. It thrives on collaboration.
Design has led me to self-discovery, especially during my times collaborating with other people for things. I’ve been able to understand more about myself and I’ve been reminded of my limitations and gaps. It humbles me constantly as I understand my own biases and self-imposed expectations.
Design has allowed me to reflect and very-forgivingly change and grow. I find that understanding myself in turn allows me to understand others and be a resource for others.
I’m not only fascinated by the people I meet and have around me, but by the world around me. I find that including architecture, history, materials, books, music, craft, photography creates honest and intentional design. I thoroughly enjoy uncovering and learning new things, and there’s such richness to discover when you truly seek and find value in everything. It’s been lovely to discover that design simultaneously serves others and the designer as well.
So, it turns out it was never just about drawing or making pretty things. But all these things can work together. Design can accomplish change, it can take risks, it can be ethical, messy, sustainable, meaningful; design exists in my life to find solutions and form and empower others.
Design, to me, is the externalization of an idea, a dream, a question, response, collaboration, internal reasoning that is intentional and honest.
Thank you.
Senior Symposia
Senior Symposia is an annual event for the Department of Art+Design in the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University (SC) where BFA Graphic Design Seniors present personal Design Philosophies, synthesizing and summarizing their experiences and perspectives over the course the program. These presentations act as markers in their developmental journey, bringing to light what they believe to be true about design, what design can do, and what they hope to do through design.
