Pushing Creativity, with Intent

Weekly Dose of Design: Karisa

Karisa Tzeng

Heyo, I’m Karisa! ✨🎉

I’m a 4th-year Computer Science and Design major. I’m currently the Creative Producer on Scout’s new Production Team, leading a few exciting projects to push the studio’s creative boundaries beyond traditional design. This is my second semester on Scout; previously, in 2018, I was on the first Conference Team (building Interventions: Narrative 2019).

I adore and am inspired by fellow creatives, aficionados, and good people. They influence me as a creative thinker who thinks big about possibilities as well as a critical thinker who thinks carefully about meaningful impact.

Here are some of my favourite websites, which showcase their work — good resources and sources of inspo for all makers and doers.

“As designers, we play a key role in the creation of such technology, and it’s time we take responsibility for the impact that these products and services we build are having on people it should serve.”

💭 Humane By Design 💭

While that popular Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma” (2020) raised some necessary points on humane tech and design, I found it dramatic, unrealistic, and primarily fear-mongering, which can lead to dangerous misunderstanding from those unfamiliar with how tech actually works.

I recommend this resource by Jon Yablonski, which offers a more practical and mindful approach to the topic as it has guidelines for designers to design with user well-being in mind. Tech can be for good!

“[Storytelling is] uniquely human… Emotional connections are the one thing computers can never replace”

📖 storytelling.design 📖

Another goodie by Jon Yablonski. Having worked on Interventions: Narrative, I’m always thinking about the power of a strong narrative.

This website has resources on storytelling for designers, as well as a collection of “the web’s best digital stories”, or sites that tell stories through creative multimedia formats. From interactive short films to long form texts, each project keeps you engrossed by design.

Jump right in with Junko’s Story, Nomadic Tribe, Endless Stories, and Millennials Are Screwed.

💡 Activation Ideas 💡

Experience design goes beyond a website or app. Think bigger!

I’ve thought about a career in experiential marketing, which led me to discover this site over the summer. Experiential marketing and experience design has its intersections. Check out Suppertime Stories, The Tampon Book, Hungry Puffs, and DO Black!

🎞️ Short of the Week 🎞️

Film is about storytelling and I support these filmmakers who tell their stories!

For anyone who thinks films are too long to sit through despite the time it takes to binge a show, check out this site for amazing curated short films. I read somewhere that a “short film” can last up to 40 minutes max — that’s shorter than a Black Mirror episode.

I watched one of my first short films through this site in 2016, and since then have fallen in love with short films enough to have even hosted short film festivals (once upon a time). There’s a genre for everyone; my favourite introductory films are Rabbit and Deer, Bear, Let’s Go, and Paperman.

There’s plenty of links here, which I hope you’ll explore on your own. I hope they will inspire you. If you don’t have time now, save this WDD for some winter break fun!

Stay safe and well. Thanks for tuning in! 👏

- Karisa

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