Good design produces cultural artifacts.
The best designs rise to the status of cultural artifacts — in that they are useful and make our lives better but also the impact they leave on the world gives them a distinct cultural significance. It could be they empower movements. It could be the culture they create. It could simply be the broad appeal and ubiquity they achieve. The impact of the best products is measured beyond their specific ‘jobs to be done’.
Nike and the Jordan brand built a sneaker empire that’s about way more than just shoes. Cars culture is about more than just transportation. Apple’s computers, tablets and phones are about more than running software. Vignelli’s NYC MTA design system, which it helped to define the aesthetic of the city, was about more than just wayfinding.
We produce products and identities to solve a problem, but when done right, they transcend into something bigger and become part of our collective material culture. These artifacts play an emotional role in our lives, and I’ve always thought this is what makes design special. When product and brand are designed harmoniously, they can deliver the type of products we might see as cultural artifacts – something worth preserving for future generations. It is this type of design I’d like to explore with this blog.
This won’t be the exclusive purview of the blog. In addition, I’d like to share insights on managing a design studio, the design process, making a career as designer and create the resources I wish I had when I was coming up. It’ll also serve as a space for experimental projects – those projects that don’t quite fit in the main portfolio but are worth putting out in the world. Part sketchbook. Part journal. I hope this to be a place to experiment with ideas (and become a better writer along the way).
This is something I’ve wanted to start for (admittedly) way too long, so I’m just happy to have made it here. I hope you enjoy.
