Lucien Freud, a contemporary British painter was quoted as saying "persistence is far greater important than talent." At the time I read that I didn't write it down or try to remember, but it stayed with me. It is something I've learned has a great deal of truth.
I am passionate.
I am curious.
I investigate-intensely. It makes me a good designer.
My wife needed a bicycle repair. Fairly recently I set out to take my wife's bicycle in for what I thought was a simple repair. When I learned of the costs, I decided I'd repair it-not knowing anything about bicycle maintenance. I ended up repairing her bike successfully. Since then, I have also rebuilt my own bike, sandblasting the frame, giving it a complete restoration from bare aluminum to decal work. Among the many thing I learned and appreciated, my favorite is that a properly tensioned spoke will produce musical "E" when tapped with a finger. There's poetry in bicycle maintenance.
I needed an easel. I enjoy oil painting and as my paintings were growing to a larger scale, I realized the need for something to accommodate them. I couldn't afford the price tags of the easels I wanted, so I looked online thinking I'd buid a simple frame to support the stretchers. I looked up some design plans online of fellow easel builders and I was not quite satisfied. I drew up some plans, invested in some nice oak from the hardware store and got to work. I searched hardware stores for various components and discovered a treasure trove ... a threaded hole, a long door hinge, aisles of rubber widgets, fasteners and connectors-possibilities limited only by my imagination. I simply couldn't abandon this potential-with just a little thoughtfulness to the details (no added expense) I could dramatically increase its value to me. Every step invited the possibility of a better more elegant solution. The completed project was finished with oil, the most suitable and beautiful natural oil-one that I learned was used since ancient China as a sealant on the underside of boats. The easel is completely adjustable, folds to store, and accommodates a can of soda on it's shelf. It is a beautiful object.
My dad needed a sign. My parents opened a new business not long ago-a winery. My father having been an acountant his entire life decided to do something drastically different-and it's working. Along I came to offer branding, design, labels, and and whatever else I could think to contribute. With a mac laptop and my wife's brilliant contributions, we've supplied their business with a voice; a reflection of the charm and character their brand promise is delivering. With limited funds, I decided to create the signage. It was entirely new, but I knew with a little research I could give them what they needed. Sandblasting is intense and exciting, at the same time technical, not to mention messy. With help from a our friend Thad, who supplied a suitable and beautifully fabricated surface, I created the signage from graphic design to painted detailing.
Design is problem-solving. I enjoy thinking about the desired state-then removing the struggle and chaos. As a designer I seek insight into the problem-I take it apart and I uncover all of its layers and detail. I have the interests and needs of my client in mind-empathy is my most valuable companion. I look back to the problem with designer's eyes-solutions often present themselves.
Good design is polite.
Design is thoughtfulness. Good design is polite. In interactive design we deal with exchanges between a customer and brand. The quality of that experience has to do with planning and anticipation.
If you were having house guests over you would likely do a bit of preparation-perhaps some cleaning, maybe some grocery shopping. Is the restroom stocked? Is the garbage emptied? A few simple snacks on hand could be welcoming. Knowing your guests preferences could make them feel at home.
Who are your guests? Is it just the guys, or are the ladies coming too? Ensure that toilet seat is down. Honestly, being a good designer has a lot to do with asking the right questions and then knowing how to respond.
Technology is possibility. There's mystery and excitement in potential. Sometimes that possibility is life-changing. Most often, new advances come before we have placed a need or before we know how it may trickle into our lives. I've had mixed feelings over the years about the role technology has played, but I am re-affirmed when I think back to a few instances where I've seen life-changing affects. I have seen technology enable a friend with cerebral paulsy to audibly speak using a keypad. With a shutter release, he was able to enroll in a photography class and be amongst his peers. He could operate his wheelchair with an input device and that gave him independence. I learned it's what technology affords us that makes it seductive. It posseses undetermined potential. Designers have the pleasure of appropriating it-putting it to good use, solving problems and enabling people.
I'm not tied to any set of technologies-
However, I am inseparable from good practice.
Technologies often come with a steep learning curve. However, designers become empowered problem-solvers when they choose to tackle that curve. A fastenating dilema is played out between logic (technology) and reason (humanity). Sometimes the quickest distance between two point is irrelevant when a human need is presented. It's in this critical space, where we have to reign in all of the possibilities and consider the human side of things. Will this be practical? Will people be better off because of this? No matter the solution, technology-need must come from and serve the human component.
(inspired mobile phone uploads)