So far many of the articles that have been posted for the course are new to me. I particularly enjoyed reading Hugh Dubberly’s essay, “Design in the age of biology: Shifting from a mechanincal-object ethos to an organic-systems ethos.”
My undergraduate degree is in Environmental Design, a program that had recently changed from the Interior Design program at the Maryland Institute College of Art to a program that was designed to help challenge designers in thinking more about sustainable systems and life-cycles of design.
Dubberly mentions Principles of Organization and a comparison of the Mechanical-Object and the Organic System. (Figure below) The ideology behind an organic-system is interesting to think about in terms of the design process and how hard it is to fully achieve. As a consumer driven country, we tend to think about the end result rather than the system in which the result took place and the “aftermath” of the design. Organic systems instill a conversation based relationship where the so called client and designer work together to embrace challenges and work through difficulties to create a product that will make both the designer and client happy, with the ability to improve as time and products change and evolve.
I reflected throughout this article based on the role I play as an in-house designer within the company I work for. I work with a programer, SEO company, print ad and marketing managers as well as social media outlets. When I first came to the company I was the person who just ‘did’ things. They told me to create it and I did, not second guessing the longevity or evolution of a project. Now I find myself asking all of my other resources for suggestions, design collaboration and creating conversations to not only better my company and marketing plan but the overall product and user friendly ability.
I feel as a designer we constantly have to ask the ‘What if…”, “If not, then what…”, “What could be…”, “What else…” and create goals through conversations and not rely so heavily on the end product but the result that will follow from the work that is to be done. I also think we need to keep thinking sustainably and strive for design that will not just be thrown away but up-cycled. As a graphic designer, I don’t just create products and end goals, I create a service that is evolving as I grow as a designer and learn new technology and techniques to create.