Week 1 - What is Design?

Design is a tool for storytelling, in every aspect of life.

I used to think that design is created for grand purposes. To help the rich, market high fashion, and sell famous brands. But that definition changed over time as I entered the world of design.

"Design is in everything we make, but it's also between those things. It is a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy."

- Erik Adigard

I believe that in everything we do, we tell a story.

Using visual storytelling

Upon my three year journey of becoming a designer, I have come to a realization of which we as designers, we constantly use the element of storytelling for everything we create. Whether it's for movies, posters, service design, product design, zines. We always need to understand people, explore their daily problems, create a persona to represent them for our product, and present the outcome in a storytelling manner.

Maybe it's because of the fact we are living in a world filled with entertainment. We crave them, so we created and expanded them to the point where it exists in how we live everyday. The thing about storytelling in design, it makes it easier to catch people's attention and sympathy. Because they feel like, for once, they are heard.

I think that a good design is those that can make people feel things. A design that can deliver a story, that can resonate with the people. A lot of aspects can help achieve that, whether it's from the typography, color scheme, concept, physical placements.

That leads to the second purpose of design, which is to give voice to the voiceless. To help. I find myself one of the many people who are helped by design. It allowed me not just to help others, but myself. I constantly challenge myself to come out of my comfort bubble, and I took the path of design to do that. It provides me a platform to use my critical thinking skills, learn from people from different departments, create design solutions collaboratively, and ultimately, to be engaged to the world I am living in. So in a way, design is both a challenge and inspiration for me.

Design starts by seeing and observing the little things in life. To empathize, to understand and to be engaged by the people and environment. It gave me the opportunity to be grateful over the little things in life.

What is the role of design in society?

The role of design in society can be seen everyday. We use transportations that are designed by people. We eat at restaurants which architecture and interiors are designed by people. We live and breathe design. It is created and used for diverse purposes, whether it be giving a voice to the voiceless, telling stories of the unheard, promoting start-up brands and companies. Fundamentally, design itself is an act of help. I’ve been part of a design project that involved restructuring a community’s economic state and life quality. There are many under-developed districts in Indonesia and one of the projects that I was part of, we gave the opportunity for the people there in Surabaya, specifically at DOLLY community, to live a better life. We designed new cycling routes, new museums. We planned new art workshops for people to use their creativity to create something and make money out of it. We designed a whole entrepreneurship workshop for the women there. What was once a red-light district, now a safe, creative district. It is still crazy for me to think about cause I have never pictured myself to be part of something that helps people’s lives. So in any shape or form, design is and will always be there to help. And it will forever adapt to ever-changing situations.

The other design role would be creating trends. I have seen how in every popular and trending brands or events, design plays a big role in it. Whether it be a catchy and simple logo like McDonald’s, or Google. The comprehensive and visually good UI/UX Design of Spotify. Or the use of cultural elements in fashion products in high fashion brands. I think that many people don’t see it but it directly affects our subconscious impressions towards their brands.