4 things a week: Design is more relevant than ever
1. World
I wasn’t going to write about this. In fact I was determined I wasn’t, because so much of LinkedIn is click bait. But here I am.
Design isn’t dead.
I get it, whenever the economy trembles, companies kill the design teams. And the economy has been shaking like a leaf for a while now. You want to create a new product or service… you start with design. Once that service is up and running, well you don’t need that design team any more, right? So when there is a global pandemic, or a war in Ukraine, a global recession or Trump imposing massive tariffs; companies decide that all new product development can wait until things calm down. And after a while the design teams feel pretty obsolete. And I’ve not even touched on AI.
It’s crap. I run a design team, it’s been a tough few years. Businesses are closing all over the place. Graphic design, UI/UX, industrial, there has been casualties across the industry. Some blame AI, some the economy. But to just throw our hands up and say ‘design is dead’ is only going to suggest that that perhaps design wasn’t particularly valuable in the first place. Because let’s be honest, if ‘design is dead’ and the world is still turning, then well maybe it wasn’t.
For a time, designers were revered as masters of styling and user experience. We knew how to whip up ideas like magic that users loved. Then IDEO came along and convinced people that ‘everyone can be a designer’ and spent decades teaching design thinking. But if everyone is a designer, then no one is. And that’s part of the problem.
Fundamentally we have a communication issue. Somewhere along the line we forgot how to communicate our worth. We are all guilty of it. Elusive ‘sexy renders’ and ‘abstract art direction’ on websites with excruciatingly little explanation and zero relation to the real reason why a company ever ultimately engages a design team: Money.
Until we clearly link design to business, we will always be perceived as this intangible nice-to-have in an economic landscape that is increasingly taking away the luxury of nice-to-haves. Until we clearly demonstrate that we are vital in understanding what’s next and not just reacting to cultural shifts but defining them, then we are not going to be valuable enough.
To do this, we (designers) must have a better understanding, not just of business, but of the context of business. Because if our work genuinely doesn’t provide any economic value, and help define what is new and next, then it’s no wonder companies will look to replace us with an AI.
So let’s stop moaning about design being dead and start bragging about the value we bring.
2. Innovation
I’m going through a bit of a 3D print obsession phase at the moment, so the news of the first Starbucks 3D printed store that opened in Texas this week really excited me. Not only does it result in a pretty cool aesthetic, but it has the potential to be a more sustainable way of creating commercial constructions. The downside at the moment is that the primary material is concrete; the most destructive material on earth.
However, teamed up with the likes of Material Evolution that are pioneering a proprietary cement that has up to 85% lower carbon emissions than traditional cement it could be super exciting. The chemistry is slightly above me, but Material Evolution use an alkali fusion process to reduce the energy and emissions in the production process which account for 80% of concrete emissions. Pretty cool right.
They definitely need to speak to each other.
3. Morrama
I’m going to be speaking at a few events over the next couple of months, so if you want to come and hear me, meet up, hang out, you can find me at:
Festival of Circular Economy:
I’m joining Mark Shayler and Bert van Son on a panel titled Retrofit or Rethink? Circularity in a Linear World. May 20th, 3.30pm, online
I’ll also be joining Amy Elliott Peace, Loïc Le Fouest & Wayne Hubbard FCIWM on a panel discussing how we can Unlock the Circular Economy for All. May 22nd, 9.45am, Second Home Spitalfields, London
Tickets for the festival are here
Design Declares Manchester: Join myself, Emmi Salonen, James Chudley and Ian Hunter for a discussion on how designers can do more with less as we create solutions that are better for both people and planet. The event will be chaired by Alexie Sommer and there will be a great interactive workshop as well.
May 23rd 2-6pm, Sustainable Ventures, Manchester. Tickets here
New Designers. I’ll be joining @Max Fraser to discuss something to do with sustainability. More details coming soon...!
June 11th 11am, Business Design Centre, London. Tickets here
MakeUp in Paris. I’ll be discuss the Vibrant and Creative British Beauty scene and how brands can leverage design to unleash market potential.
June 18th, 1pm (local time) Carrousel du Louvre, Paris. Register here
4. Inspiration
Just a simple one today. One of the team shared this with me this week and I love it - the Outlast Toaster. A toaster designed to last a lifetime.
Like many products like this, it's unlikely to solve the real problem. Those who buy cheap toasters that only last a year do it not because they don't care, they do it because that's all they can afford at the time they need a toaster.
But it's still important to show that products can and should be made like this. So I hope this makes it to market, and I hope it does well.
