When something seemingly reaches an end, it can Begin Again

Contemporary Design Culture: Week 11

Hearing a new design perspective is always interesting as everyone has a different take on what design means to them. Personally my view of design has metamorphosed, more times than I can count, with every new design philosophy I’ve heard. I really do value other people’s input into the design process as it is so unique for everyone. Today I got to hear from Irish designers who had different backstories and went through different routes in the industry. Something about hearing an Irish designer’s story makes it feel more real and that if they could do it, so can I.

Dr. Norman Stevenson challenged us with the thought provoking task: What are your design principles and with that in mind what product do you wish you had designed? Safe to say, I was not prepared for a question like that on a Tuesday afternoon. This wasn’t something where I was looking for a cop-out, I didn’t want to say “iPhone cause then I’d be rich.” No, this required some real thinking, design has to mean something more than monetary gain. Recently I’ve been acquainting myself more with eco-design as it is the future and something I’m passionate about. I remember in Transition Year we were tasked with a personal project, that could be on anything we wanted. At the time I was reading a lot about sustainable

architecture and decided to do mine on Eco-Housing, I designed and built a scale model and created a whole presentation on how to better integrate with our environment. I remember enjoying the whole experience from the research to the design element, its such a feel-good area of design, knowing that you’re contributing in some way to a cleaner and greener future. Unfortunately I didn’t win best project, that went to someone who bought a flat-pack model and loosely followed the instructions, regardless this proved to my young self that you have to fight if you want greener future. It wasn’t until I started this course that I realised I could use design to help shape this future we so desperately need.

So with this newfound Eco-mindset I’ve decided the product I wish I had designed is…*drum-roll*… The Sprout Plantable Pencil. The reason I chose this product is that it's just so simple and was born out of love for our environment, it also ties in perfectly with our line of work. It works just like a normal pencil but once it gets too stubby to write with you can plant it and seeds will be released from the cap. It gives this age-old design tool a new lease of life. It’s such an beautiful solution for a common worldwide problem, it may be a relatively small solution but it stems from a desire to make the world a better place. It just goes to show that when something seemingly reaches its end, it can begin again.