Design, what is it good for? by Good For Design

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

ne Logo / Layout

EXHIBITION CATALOUGE

Wordmark Variations

DENHOEK

T (DESIGN)

/ CDI_Wordmark_CMYK.eps

/ CDI_Wordmark_Short_CMYK.eps

/ CDI_Wordmark_CMYK.png

/ CDI_Wordmark_Short_CMYK.png

/ CDI_Wordmark_RGB.png

/ CDI_Wordmark_Short_RGB.png

DESIGN WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR ? An exhibition about the role of designers in the real world and the differences that design can make. This poster exhibition explores the role of emergent designers as change agents and the difference design makes. Hosted by Swinburne University of Technology, in partnership with The University of Newcastle and RMIT University, the competition brief invites submissions from students enrolled in design courses across Australia. Their job as future creative professionals was to create an informed opinion of where they stand within the design industry. This catalogue represents the coming together of their individual creative responses and views. The poster designs and accompanying manifestos stimulate debate by exploring issues of social responsibility and personal accountability in the design discipline. It also provides students an opportunity to collaborate nationally, on an international stage, and serves as a conduit between industry, education and the general public to nurture and sustain future communities of practice.

EMMA KHAW Design is something that gives us a new perception. It has the power to awe and inspire as well as to influence and drive change. So what if we used design responsibly to better our future? The world we live in is being eaten away. Climate change is on the rise and the earth’s resources are depleting. Do we not care about the place we live in or do we not understand what is happening. We understand how to look after the things that we love, so how much harder can it be to use that same care to look after the world? As designers, we have the choice to use materials, systems and methods that help prevent the depletion of the world’s resources. When we design, we can focus on the production, use, disposal and possible reuse of a product. Whatever you are designing, just think for a second, is there any other way I can reduce the environmental impact of what I am creating. Every choice you make adds up, everything is connected. If we all start thinking differently, together we influence change and push towards a sustainable attitude and future.

“If we all start thinking differently, together we influence change and push towards a sustainable attitude and future.”

It All Adds Up Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design

REMI PICHETA I, the undersigned, am a graphic designer, artist and student who has never felt the need to write a manifesto or subscribe to any given set of standards to give myself worth or validate my beliefs. I give design no special treatment over other practices in its ability to affect change for good. However, I love design and it is the field I have chosen to make my mark in, so it is with design that I will endeavour to do good (as subjective as that is). So what is the difference design makes? There is good design and bad design. For me, good design can create social change for the world, for country, for community and for the individual. It can help distil information in a cluttered environment. It is considered and thoughtful, so that it might be lasting. It can create profit but more importantly, create change and provide representation to those without a voice. It can share ideas and create worth. I, the undersigned, advocate my ideas of design through the people I work with and the work I produce.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Quote Me On This RMIT University Bachelor of Communication Design

YIKE LIU Ants are eusocial insects; their society is one of the highest organised animal societies. They cooperate and follow the nature of their social labour divisions. We, designers, are not different from other professions. We work to survive just like other people in the world. BUT what we do for a living is not something minimal, dispensable, or insignificant. WE ARENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T meaningless. Design is a job full of passion, imagination and creation, and design should be for good. It not only means to design something that is interesting or beautiful, but also means it should be meaningful to our society and ourselves. Designers should be proud or themselves. This is what WE WANT.

We Arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t / We Want RMIT University Masters of Communication Design

JARRYD HOOD As the western world continues to flourish, there are fundamental deficiencies emerging in the developing world. When considering design in the developed world and its objectives, it can be argued that designers’ work is somewhat wasteful and without lasting purpose, especially when you consider that a significant portion of designers’ works eventually end up in landfill. It is unarguable that commercial work will continue to constitute the ‘bread and butter’ of designers’ work. This should not be perceived in a negative light. However, as we move into the future, the opportunity and necessity for designers to ‘design for the other 90%’ is growing rapidly.

“Designing for commercial pursuits and designing for ‘the other 90%’ do not need to be mutually exclusive concepts.”

Designing for the Developing World Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

ZHANG SHANZHAO The design process is the integration of various types of information, to build a basic framework and functionality of the product at the same time, thinking and doing more refined this is my design; my design is an attitude towards life.

My Design Attitude RMIT University Masters of Communication Design

JESSICA CONBOY Design makes a world of difference. It has in fact changed the world. It is problem solving and a tool for change, beginning with a brief and often ending in innovation. What about when there is no brief? What if there is no problem to solve? What difference does design make then? The act of creation, stretching ones imagination, or making simply something beautiful can still make a difference. The continuous use of our creativity is integral to our future. Designing doesn’t need to end in innovation, but instead generate inspiration.

“Designing doesn’t need to end in innovation, but instead generate inspiration. ”

Simply Something Beautiful Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

MINHUA ZHU In this fast paced world, most people rush through life with no extra time for reading, listening and appreciating. For the most part, design is required to be done at a fast pace and is intended to attract mass attention in minimal time. I would like to emphasis that good design takes time. Even if sometimes it feels like it arises from a sudden impulse. It is based on the accumulation of practice and experience. I hope the world will learn to slow down and appreciate the effort and time in every design work.

Good Design Takes Time Arizona State University Masters of Visual Communication Design

ANDREW WEBB A designs form is often the difference that will convince the viewer to engage in the design and to see or experience its function. This first step can heavily influence the viewers overall feeling towards the item but can also be the pivotal factor to them deciding if they will look past this form and see the function for what it really is. Whether the design is being used to represent a product, brand, service, person, scent, sound, emotion or message there can be a subconscious wall a person will put up that heavily influences their perception of the function based on their interpretation of the form in relation to what they were expecting.

“Every day we use design techniques that favour the contrasting ideals of this argument and as a designer it is important to understand the dramatic effect that form or function can have on each other.”

Can you get to the function if you can’t get past the form? Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

SHARON LIEU Design is turning a bad idea into a good idea. Finding solutions and ways to make products or designs better for the world to see visually and help them understand better.

Design is how we perceive things RMIT University Bachelor of Communication Design

SHANGNING WANG Design for animals is a public poster, in which the sketches and its patterns is ironic. The intent is to display the animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; miserable conditions, and even the mood of the person. The poster shows normal peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s misconception, in order to remind people to protect animals.

Design for animals Arizona State University Masters of Visual Communication Design

CHRISYA FRIEDA I realise that how I execute a brief or project is very important. Whether it is in my freelance work as a photographer, my school assessments or my own personal art project, I have to aim on bringing my values into it all. Just like how cheerful and joyful I am, I want people to smile or laugh when they see my work, and at the same time give them food for thought on things that matter and to see positive things in life and be grateful for it. I want to deliver copy with positive messages, exhibit safe and pleasing imagery. I think that is what design is good for. And I think designers are responsible into bringing that to society.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a designer, I realise that I am responsible for creating work that will be able to send positive messages, to encourage and not discourage, to inform and educate.â&#x20AC;?

Joy, Gratefulness & Responsibility RMIT University Masters of Communication Design

HUGH PASCOE Design is all about taking risks. Whether they be small, calculated and safe, or blind leaps of faith into the gaping void of the unknown, we need risks to propel us forward. Every single risk, however small can lead to something big.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every single risk, however small can lead to something big.â&#x20AC;?

DESIGN IS RISK University of Newcastle Bachelor of Visual Communication Design

NATALIE SMITH Often tempted to manipulate the form and function of products, ideas or subjects to make them more desirable to consumers, designers are guilty of creating appealing, impractical and ‘sugar-coated’ communications as a means of pleasing their clients. Design should seek to showcase functional, truthful communications, not manipulate audiences with creative tools of design elements and language. This manifesto aims to encourage designers to question what they’re creating and shed light on the growing power of design within our society. How we positively influence consumer perceptions by thinking of new methods to sell and design can ultimately change the future.

Design for Truth Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

design to communicate truth, not sugar-coat function

ANGELA BRADLEY Design is the entire thought process behind an image. As designers, we seek to inform audiences not through words but instead through engaging visual material and interactive experiences. The thought process behind this is often overlooked by other professions and the job of a graphic designer is often thought of as someone who makes pretty pictures. This influenced the concept of how open and rich a designers mind is.

“Designers absorb inspiration from various aspects of life and nature to create images that resonate with people. ”

It’s a Thought Process University of Newcastle Bachelor of Visual Communication Design

CLARA YAP Design needs to be a tool used to raise awareness and importance on issues that should matter. As designers, it is our responsibility in the real world to create design solutions that fulfil the needs of a person, community and the environment. It is not just about the aesthetics of a design but it’s about creating meaningful solutions that answers problems. It’s not just about the colour or the shape, it’s goes beyond that. It’s about making a statement in what we believe is ethically right for the society and the environment. Design has the power to turn something or someone into an important matter and it begins with issues that can change the future.

Design is Making a Point. Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

STEPHANIE JONES When it comes to graphic design, I observe that this discipline is often misunderstood; some understand the need for it, but rarely the worth. The profession is not often thought beyond the aesthetic. This frequent assumption fuels the significance of the design values that are injected into ones journey, work and most importantly, oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process. The process is the core of any design; ethics and principles cannot subsist without understanding this. To keep the integrity of ones work ethic, one has to continuously be inspired and involved. Be aware of the quality of others, but do not be envious. Designers are all diverse and at different stages. Generating individual work whilst not obsessing over the originality of it helps in staying true to you and not staying true to being different this will come naturally. Having strong awareness of the relationship between design and social change will generate importance and constructive reasoning in what is designed.

The Process RMIT University Masters of Communication Design

good_for_you_poster.pdf

CMY

23/04/2015

2:05 pm

DANIEL HOUGH Social media allows us to be whoever, or appear however we want - often resulting in somebody society encourages and moulds us to be. I fear that we are at risk of becoming slaves to our devices and to societies systems. How much do ‘likes’, ‘shares’ and ‘follows’ influence and control the way we act? Is our technology distracting us and distorting reality as we flying through our days in auto pilot? Design is a powerful tool for communication, visually and intellectually. As designers we share a responsibility to use our abilities and opportunities to be able to direct, influence or inspire the behaviour of others for the better. But, have we helped shape a society and culture that’s driven by image and status?

“With personal and human interaction occurring less and less I wanted to take this opportunity to interact with you and ask... “Who’s in control?” Is it you? Why not!”

It All Adds Up Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

INDIA ARMSTRONG In this world consisting of 196 countries, there is one universal language: the language of design. It is the unwritten language that has the ability to illustrate a story understood by all. As an emerging creative, I have come to understand design as the destroyer of anarchy. In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society, individuals suffer from information overload. From the moment we wake in the morning, to the point we go to sleep, we are faced with millions of examples of design, good and bad. Using the example of the toilet pictograms, the written language would make this simple task of selecting the appropriate room to enter, based on sex, almost impossible. The utilisation of pictograms have allowed any member of the human race to simply use the facilities without conscious consideration. It is the responsibility of any designer to eliminate the need for mental strain to perform day-to-day tasks. Good design need not be expressive and impressive works of art; it should be unambiguous. Ironically, the business of good design, in this case, is to simply help us â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spend a pennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Design: Good Luck Without It. Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

Design:

Good luck without it.

NATHAN LAGOS Design helps to make the impossible, possible whether that be solving a problem that the brief describes or creating something that is physically impossible to create in the our world. Along with science and engineering, design is on the forefront in regards to the creation of amazing new technologies, which are paving the way of the future of mankind. We’re constantly receiving new products and/ or updated products at the fastest rate we’ve ever experienced. New products are only created and improved from idea’s we previously thought were impossible or not within our grasp. Design also helps us think outside of the box which is the reason for the creation of these new and exiting objects, images and advertisements that keep our world interesting and amazing.

Impossible is Possible Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

DESIGN, MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE, POSSIBLE

CAOL ROBINSON Today we see industrialisation as a common dystopia theme, as seen in Fritz Lang’s silent film Metropolis (1927), where the issues of machines plays too large a role in humanity. Today many places in China are seen to be following that same polluted industrial scene, but if this much change can come from an unethical source of design, the same is also true of positive social and ethical change.

“Design if used right is a powerful tool, capable of mass social change for better or worse.”

Utopia / Dystopia Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

WILL NEIL As a privileged person, living a comfortable life in a comfortable country, I know how easy it can be to design for the products, brands and people I know and have grown up with. These clients need designers and designers know all too well that they need them too, even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just to pay the bills. This is simply the reality, but there must be more to being a designer than helping sell comfortable products to comfortable people and of course, as we all know, there is. We are problem solvers and there is a world of real, important issues out there urgently needing to be solved. They need us but we need them equally. As designers we need them to sustain a healthy career and fulfil a meaningful existence. I call for every designer to balance their career with an ongoing commitment to an issue they believe in. Show your passion, get angry and get excited. You have the skills and you have the power to design for change.

Design for Change Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

China 10260

USA 6135

India 2358

Russia 2217

Indonesia 2053

Brazil 1419

Japan 1170

Canada 847

Germany 806

Mexico 723

Iran 712

South Korea 656

Australia 595

UK 541

Saudi Arabia 533

Nigeria 496

France 463

Italy 458

South Africa 457

Malaysia 441

Argentina 435

Venezuela 381

Turkey 375

Ukraine 372

Thailand 353

Spain 336

Pakistan 330

Poland 330

Congo 318

Kazakhstan 303

Egypt 286

Angola 263

Vietnam 260

Myanmar 239

Iraq 236

Uzbekistan 225

Colombia 223

ARE 211

Netherlands 208

Cameroon 199

Kuwait 196

Sudan 186

Algeria 173

Tanzania 172

Bangladesh 160

Peru 154

Ethiopia 150

Bolivia 150

Philippines 148

Ecuador 136

Design for change.

50 highest polluting nations by tCOâ&#x201A;&#x201A;e GHG emissions including land-use change and forestry - 2011. Sourced from: www.cait2.wri.org

KATE CROSS ENTER // EXIT encourages the viewer to challenge conventional ideals of design and role creativity plays in the design paradigm.

ENTER//EXIT University of Newcastle Bachelor of Visual Communication Design (honours)

enter

CREATIVITY IS THE DRUG. tixe

Infograph me

OLIVIA JAMES The concept behind my design is based around the sentence â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Design can bring the simplest things to lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I believe that design is a way of changing the world one step at a time, no matter how small that step is. There are many issues within society today that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spoken about publicly and design is a way to visualise and get people talking about these ideas. It creates a point of difference, which gets people to think about the true meaning behind issues, which is a key factor of socially responsible design. Therefore relating back to my design nothing is too small of an issue to be faced because everything deserves a voice and design is a way that can make that happen.

The Simple Things Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

SAHRA MARTIN Good design helps people make sense of our information heavy world through the process of distillation 足finding the essence of the matter. It highlights, promotes or informs with simplicity, clarity and symbolism. It is engaging and targeted. Good design can help clients say what they want to say, to the people they want to say it to. It can also give a voice to the voiceless and a form to an idea. Most importantly, good design communicates without over cluttering the visual landscape. It is sustainable and thoughtful and cuts through the noise with purpose and relevance.

Design: The Art of Distillation Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

MOON NGUYEN By using colour, a designer can send a positive or negative message, encourage people, calm one’s mind, or even make one’s heart beat faster. Colour can change the way we see and feel the world, creating a happier or more sombre perspective. My design world is full of colour that is bright and deep. I love colours that are muted but still strong. I love colours that tell a good story and I believe that through colour the world around us shares its noble soul.

“Colour is such an important part of everything we visualize in this world. Colour can affect our feelings, our behaviour and our thinking.”

Design for the Colourful World Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

JEMIMAH IRVIN You might not realise it, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re co-creators of something I no longer control. This manifesto is already something that exists within both your mind and mine. This. This shared space right here is the difference design makes. Universities teach theories of principles, elements and visual hierarchies. But these alone will never be design that makes a difference. Alone, they cannot alter the heart of your experience. The visual appearance is merely wrapping paper on a bottle of Passion Pop. As a designer I revel in the fact that we are creating this together, as it is only in this space between you and I that change is possible. In this space, design allows me to transfuse ideas through the lens of your experience. Your perception, however, might be influenced by how much you need a coffee or a glass of good wine right about now. Feel free to go get one. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be here when you return

Transfuse University of Newcastle Bachelor of Visual Communication Design

PERSEPHONE THACKER I want to focus on one significant difference that design can make. That difference is the quality of a life. There is a large range of disabilities and health issues that vary in severity and can make life for a person incredibly difficult. In many cases, living with either can negatively impact one’s day-to-day life and can often result in the person being unable to engage in everyday activities that able bodied people enjoy without a second thought. This is where design comes in. Auditory, visual, physical, and biological aids have been designed and created to help restore health, comfort and ultimately the quality of one’s life, in some cases, people rely on these designs to exist.

“The difference design makes is truly life changing.”

Design: Not Just a Pretty Package. Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

TAHNEE PHIN Design challenges perception. The validity of design is based on this perception, as well as personal understanding and belief. The difference design makes is a difference of opinion, giving the audience the ability to choose their own view. There is no definitive good or bad design.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design is a sociological experiment. It gives birth to questions and raises answers. Did I do well? Did I fuck this up? Only you, or perhaps you, can decide.â&#x20AC;?

Did I f*ck this up? Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done everything right though, yeah? Only you can decide.

RACHEL SMITH Design has its own powerful visual language enabling it to easily communicate a concept or an idea.. It has the ability to make comments and express opinions. I have been infuriated by the unfolding of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fair trade agreement with China. I disagree with this contract for many reasons, as I am sure many others do. Directly after Australia had signed this agreement: images, videos and reports of Tony Abbott eating a raw onion (skin and all) went viral across media platforms. It was such important news that it managed to make international headlines. It made me so angry that such an emphasis was being placed on the eating of an onion, allowing the fair trade agreement to fade in to the background. I created this poster to point out that we have not been fooled by any onion-eating circus tricks and to raise the question for those who might not be aware: In all this onion hype, have we missed something?â&#x20AC;?

A Distraction Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design

NOAH DAU To make the world a kinder place, I want to build ‘bridges between minds’ through visual communication. As I believed in Diversity, we are different, so different that our communication (in a normal way) would not be able to reach each other. Misunderstanding, ignorance and indifference brings conflicts as one trying to enforce the ideology onto one another. Through my own small way, I would like to use my ability to illustrate and graphic design to articulate the message. Without misunderstanding, though, we may still have conflicts, but having empathy to the other’s action, we may be able to become kinder.

River & Bridge Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design

bridges

TO MAKE THE WORLD A KINDER PL ACE, I WANT TO BUILD ‘BRIDGES BETWEEN MINDS’ THROUGH VISUAL COMMUNICATION.

TIARNE POLLOCK Design is a powerful tool, it can be used to influence society to challenge their thoughts and behaviour. Designers should design consciously, they should think about the message their work portrays, the materials used and how it will be consumed by society. Designers should also think about what impact their work will have on the environment. Designers should create works that are more environmentally friendly and sustainable, promoting sustainability to the rest of society.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design if used right is a powerful tool, capable of mass social change for better or worse â&#x20AC;?

Design Consciously Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design (Honours)

KATERINA GERRITSEN Design is not singular in itself, and isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a combination of various aspects or pieces. Design is impossible to attain if you follow textbook definitions. Designers know that their designs and the choices they make are influenced by more than the obvious. Design encompasses all. Design is everything.

Design is everything University of Newcastle Bachelor of Visual Communication Design

KIRK CETINIC Sustainability allows the open space, much like negative space on a page. To ensure the survival of our fragile planet, commercialisation and industrialisation must be reduced to a minimum in order to protect the natural environment, which after all is not replaceable by design. If the community can embrace the cultural aesthetics and all designers put sustainability into practice, humanity will aspire to conserve and understand that extracting the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural resources is unsustainable. Humanity will forever be the guardian of the natural world.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design should not mean to expand and urbanise, but allow free and open space.â&#x20AC;?

Design For Open Space Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

ANDREW RAHMAN A creative reflective peer into the mold, An apathetic perspective on societies hold, Scared of the question knows the answer in truth, Ocular voices, absent choices, Platforms denied, the supplier contradicts, A voice he resurrects, Threads and concepts interject, Transparent prospects, For the perception elected, Ability becomes acceptance.

Ocular Voices Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

SARAH CHAPMAN Through my research about design ethics and social responsibility I encountered a number of important factors that affect design but one factor stood out to me as a defining influence in design. Utilising the article ‘Community Consensus: Design Beyond Participation ‘ (Design Issues, 2012, Vol. 28: 3, p. 12) I found that the essence of design is encapsulated in society’s ability to share ideas, knowledge and attitudes. Design has the ability to connect many different vocations and fields across the globe and bring together alternate people with commonalities. The wide spread connectivity creates a design community that is influential in the society we live in today. A community that is not only graphic designers, but also architects, engineers, city planners, innovators, entrepreneurs and more. These “designers’ will be the ones that shape the new world but without there interaction with the world and there enthusiasm for togetherness it would not work. This community is influential in how I advance myself as a designer in this society. Therefore I think that design makes a difference to community and community makes a difference to the world.

Community Governs Design

University of Newcastle Bachelor of Visual Communication Design

sig

ner

bee

LUKE GRIFFITHS Growing up my father would preach to me the difference between needs and wants. What do we need in our lives to survive and live comfortably, and how much is a want? Do I want that new pair of shoes? Hells yes! Do I need them? Not really. We as designers can change the way people think. We can move together to tame the ever growing beast that is consumerism, using our abilities, skills & knowledge to influence and leverage those around us. Design products that have a lifetime of more than six months! We are in the best position to enact change. Most importantly we have a social responsibility to design for those that do not even have the basics to survive.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design to fulfil the real needsâ&#x20AC;?

Needs and Wants

Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Design, Communication Design