Michael Bierut, partner designer at Pentagram, once wrote, “Not everything is design, but design is about everything. So do yourself a favor: Be ready for anything.” Today more than ever this statement rings true. As design evolved throughout the 20th century there have been many iterations of its practice and theory. Connections with science, fine arts, engineering, the humanities and sociology have led to a discipline that is so intertwined with everything in our world that it escapes definition.
Like never before in modern history, design is being called upon to step into a leadership position and asked to address myriad dilemmas, both social and environmental, that challenge not only the way that we interact but also our very existence. Tough times have always called for creative problem solving and individual innovative genius to change seemingly futile situations, but what our present situation requires is not the work of a few brilliant men/women behind closed doors but instead, the movement of our entire culture toward an incorporation and an understanding of the importance of a more holistic and creative approach.
There is no better place to begin this than with the designers themselves. Much has been written on the need to integrate creative “design thinking” within the business community but no action has been realized. Business leaders are not going to be effective in implementing any change in their business model unless they inspire a level of curiosity, excitement and potency amongst the design community to achieve more and be equally involved.
To designers today, the concept of becoming an integral partner in the business world is just another problem that the community must face. Sustainability, integrating deeper scientific approaches, gaining respect in the broader community, or integrating business thinking into their process – all of these issues are seen as equal. The design community also needs to understand that in order to move forward in any of these directions they need to be equipped and educated to collaborate beyond interactions between designers. (Such collaboration was a focus of Brown and RISD’s recent student-led A Better World by Design conference.)
The business, scientific, student, entrepreneurial and public sector communities have made it abundantly clear that they are collectively eager to integrate “design thinking” more widely into their practice. The next step in this process is to affect a systemic shift in the way designer-oriented thinking and processes are integrated in the way business, academia and the public sectors take on current and future challenges. Many students, designers and artists are often alienated by the concept of business-as-usual thinking. There may, however, be a way to spark a higher level of interest on the topic of business, organically, within the design community, with the root lying in education and civic engagement. For leaders within higher education, business and the public sector, this is a call for them to engage the talent that resides within their respective community to creatively solve problems. Providence is a city blessed with that type of talent and opportunity, but those in leadership positions (as well as students) need to find ways to connect these dots.
The solution begins when we step beyond our limited views of what “design” and “business” are and begin to understand that we no longer live in a world that can afford to compartmentalize solutions by such anachronistic standards.