Designing the Future

The art of design can be anything that we want or need it to be. It is a construct of imagination, exploration and innovation. It inspires, educates, and transcends time. As we grow and evolve, so does our need to design. Whether it be for material artifacts, infrastructure and architecture, information systems, fashion or visual art. There are countless reasons why the world continues to design and innovate. For change, for convenience, for competition, for comfort. For growth, for greed or for gratitude. To be a designer should be seen as a privilege that allows us to share and contribute to a collective vision, whilst making our personal impact on the world.

The most important responsibility we have as designers is to act to preserve the future of the world that we live in. We must evaluate the methods and potential consequences of our designs and look toward our natural environment for inspiration. To not repeat mistakes of the past, it is imperative to use biophilic design thinking and methods like biomimicry to work towards achieving sustainability for future generations. Although many designers and scientists are already dedicated to finding new ways to achieve this through research and studying organic design in nature, we all need to do our part to really think about potential environmental consequences that certain design processes produce and reevaluate innovative ways to design through and for nature.

To be a designer, is to put yourself in the shoes of the user. It is important to design with empathy, with compassion and with consideration. To be a successful designer is to think bigger than oneself and prioritize the needs and values of others. This is what is means to use human-centred design. The problem with certain design processes is that for businesses and corporations, the economy rules the world. Cutting costs and making profit to push their own agendas and products often determines the use of unethical processes in which designs are manufactured and distributed. With this in mind, we must think from a pluriversal design perspective and act as a collective, whose shared thoughts, knowledge and vision can cultivate a better, more sustainable future. It is our responsibility to work together during all stages of the design process and think critically about how it may affect people’s lives, in the present and in the future.

History has taught us that unethical design practices and manufacturing processes are the primary causation to an abundance of environmental consequences. The freedom to design without any sort of ethical code or universal law has certainly made it difficult to impose such values or concern on all designers, particularly when they are at risk of losing their jobs. We must set a new standard and evaluate all potential courses of action and create a universal code of ethics for all designers to follow to enable us all to achieve a brighter, more ecocentric future.