Asia Pacific Design Library (APDL) Lecture Series

Design and Thinking - Side Project

I attended the first in a series of design lectures at the State Library of Queensland on Wednesday night.  The Australian premier of a design documentary ‘Design and Thinking’ was the main item on the agenda followed by a panel discussion with three of Brisbane’s notable design thinkers.

Fellow designers expecting to gain revolutionary ideas or insights from ‘Design and Thinking’ would have been disappointed.  It is a collection of interviews with designers discussing what ‘design thinking’ is in their opinion.  Apparently the term ‘design thinking’ is commonly used in the design world, some even criticizing its overuse.  I must be out of the loop as the term has managed to evade me thus far, although I always figured that design and thinking should go together somehow.   

For me the film served as a reminder of design lessons taught to me as a student, three of which I explain below.   

1)      If you want a good idea... have lots of ideas.

I strongly believe this statement.  The more options you have the better chance that one will be right.  This is when I get a storm in my brain.  I find the biggest piece of paper I can and try to write, or draw, it all down.  Brain storming in a group can be really fun as you feed off one another’s ideas.  The best part of this process is that no idea is wrong or bad at this point in the design process.  

2)      Why?

My design tutor at Otago told me that a truly good designer understands what their client wants (which can be difficult at times to say the least), and then exceeds their expectations by producing an even better solution than they thought could exist.  Sometimes a problem can be solved by what is initially an obscure solution but later proves to be quite obvious. 

Excerpt from film

“I ask you to build me a bridge.  What ideas do you come up with?  A suspension bridge, a cantilever bridge... whatever.  And then you ask me, ’why?’  I say ‘because I need to get across the river.’  What ideas do you come up with now?  Boat, airplane, swim etc.  And then you ask ‘why?’ again.  I tell you ‘because I need to get a message to the other side.’   What ideas do you come with now?”

3)      Failure!

The first attempt at a new design doesn’t usually succeed.  People who are afraid to fail won’t be successful because they never try new things, experiment and push themselves to the limits of their abilities.     

The panel discussion made up of Tanja Hall (President of AGDA Queensland), Lindy Johnson (creative agent) and Yen Trinh (urban designer) was... unusual.  With the topic ‘Side Projects’, I expected the conversation to focus on projects the designers do in addition to their main work.  I’m not sure if I was the only one, but Lindy Johnson had me confused about her side project.  She spoke about her business and daughter, I’m not sure which one was the side project and thought it rather humours that a child can be considered a project at all.  Perhaps Lindy was at the wrong venue, she was meant to attend the ‘How Professional Mum’s Coupe’ seminar.  Don’t get me wrong, it has to be hard juggling work and being a mother.  This wasn’t the forum to discuss it though.  When asked what motivates them to take on side projects Tanja Hall said it was to prevent boredom in her life.  Yen Trinh answered questions with intelligent and direct answers responding to the question of motivation with, “I think I take more risks in my side projects, and feel it is part of my moral responsibility as a designer to try and engage people.”       

In a fortnights time Peter Rich, a well known architect from Johannesburg, will be lecturing.  I’m looking forward to a session more closing related to my own design field of interiors.