What is the Job of a Designer?
May 27, 2018 Newsletter
Asking Why
I started at Mule two years ago. Working at Mule was the first time writing code wasn’t in my job description. This was a welcome shift. But it took me at least six months to really identify what changed at a high level. In my journals from that time I wrote:
The start of my career began with how. How to make software for hardware. How to design user interfaces. How to ship software. How to deliver on a user experience. The job of a designer is to answer the why.
This season on our new podcast, Voice of Design, we’re asking the question “What is the job of a designer?” For me, a designer is tasked not just with invention or ideation, but most importantly, a designer must have a high enough level view to answer the why. Because if you start with what, you cannot figure out why. The Greeks called it kairos — the opportune moment. Understanding the why is at the core of what we do because only then can we meet users where they are. The answer to the why is necessarily context dependent. And while there may be certain helpful principles or best practices to use along the way, the point of our work as designers is not to abstract and generalize, but to fulfill a need at a particular time, in a particular context, and most importantly in a way that doesn’t do harm.
Listen to the first episode of VOD here.
— Larisa Berger (@berglar)
Out of the Blue
I’ve started venturing into making my own ceramic glazes and while doing some research, I came across this article about the first new blue pigment created in over 200 years.
I first read about YInMn blue a couple of years ago on NPR and remember it being a really BFD. Very few blue pigments exist naturally and it’s difficult to create synthetic versions. Not only is this new blue extremely vibrant and beautiful, but it is also non-toxic (rare), it is lightfast (rarer), it can deflect heat (rarest!), aaand it was made by accident.
I’ve sadly not been able to find any of the YInMn pigment available for artist’s use, but it was encouraging to read about it again while diving into my experimentation. It was a gentle reminder of how unpredictable these chemicals can be and that I have to be patient with the process.
Until I find my own magic formula (or until YInMn becomes commercially available 🙏), I will continue to drool over all the pigments at Pigment in Japan and hope I can create something even half as good as the signature blue glaze of ceramic artist, Sophie Alda.
— Amanda Durbin (@fannyburping)
