NEWSVIEWS 2 • STUDENTS CLUSTER

NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES EREN BUTLER — TURKEY

Knock, knock, knock!

Evaluating my role as a designer through references to psychology.

I was brought up with an understanding that the boundaries of work and life are blurred.

Work was a part of everyday life, and life was a part of everyday work for my architect parents.

That being said, it was no surprise that growing up I would often lose my dad followed my mom to the walls and corners of interior and exteriors anywhere we went. They would knock away with curiosity in an investigative manner in order to understand, through the delicate balance of sight, touch and sound, the mysterious matter tucked delicately within the building. As a 10 year old, I would naturally get embarrassed. I remember once strongly vocalizing my embarrassment by uttering ‘no more working!’ while we were on vacation as they were momentarily knocking on the hotel lobby wall. I always thought knocking was a part of work. Only later did I realize it was not work, but a way of life. Today, at age 25 years old, I realize how my parents have trickled in to me. I have also started knocking, just not literally.

I realize that much of my knocking is evident in almost everything I do, from simple things to life defining tasks: Is that carrot or butternut squash in my soup? Is dust really mostly dead human skin? To where does that street lead? I wonder what language they are speaking? Where is my next destination? Should I become a psychologist or designer?

What is the purpose of my design? Should I ask for more bread with my soup? In the short run, the questions you ask out of curiosity may slow you down, divert you from the path

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you have already taken and lead to a mildly confused you. In the long run, most cases than others, I have found out that a curious and confused you can open alternative life paths and keep you awake and in-check. Art was one of my favorite subjects in school, nevertheless at university I decided to study psychology because was intrigued and inspired by human nature. I thought I would become a psychologist.

After graduating, I realized I missed the visual and tactile sense of creativity that came with the Arts and decided to take a drastic U-turn towards design. In my mind, I justified my choice by saying that psychology would be an inseparable part of what I would continue to do. Not as work, but as a way of life. And as a way of life, I relentlessly ask myself ‘what is the purpose of my design?’ In essence, I am knocking on my ideas, my design and its outcome to find substance. Truthfully, I am fearful that I may hear a hallow sound and so I am hanging on tightly to my curiosity to keep me in check to make sure that I have not abandoned the element that drew me to psychology in the first place; people.

To answer the question, I believe my purpose is to design for the people. Similar to the role of psychologist, I see design as a platform that can dissect information, re-present itself with an outlook perhaps never considered before and by doing so, encourage re-evaluation and bring constructive change for the betterment. Knock, knock, knock! As long as I do not hear a hallow sound, I think I am good to go…

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES SILVIA CAPURRO – ITALY

A route to search, a message to convey Graphic design as a global language that has the power to cause change.

I came from the “good-taste-design” country.

Italy has always been and still is considered one of the most well known countries for design.

It is a place where you can confidently put the word “good” next to anything: food, vehicles, landscapes, culture, art, architecture, products, fashion, and graphics. It seems as though Italians are accustomed to eating bread and beauty everyday as a consumer of design. Yet, surprising to most, I found it difficult to pursue design as a professional orientation because in reality there is no real awareness of and appreciation for the design discipline in Italy. When I was a child, I always felt happy and comfortable communicating through my drawings.

The images I produced represented the most simple and effective form of communication I had at the time. Even though wordless, it was a powerful language that illustrated a desire to express and understand myself. In hindsight, it was probably from that moment on that I start searching for a language that was as fast as the light, as objective as personal interpretation and as fascinating as a dreamed experience. Growing up, my search became all about the word. Many words, both spoken and written. From the study of words came the comprehension that word and image, together, give birth to a more complex, rich and articulated language. After studying classical studies in high school, I wanted to continue to fill my eyes and mind with content but I was willing to follow a more contemporary route: bringing the knowledge of the past in to the present. Even though at that time in

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Italy many interesting events were taking place; from the Venice Biennale to the Milan furniture showroom, it was difficult to communicate to my family and friends what I wanted to study.

For them, studying first product design then graphic design, would eventually make me become somewhat of an architect.

As a university student I was sure I would soon learnmethodologies and systems to drive my creativity through a real discipline. Rather, I learned how to fake a good idea and present it well. My dissatisfaction and disappointment urged me to study in the Finnish Lapland for one semester. There, I finally found a purely essential approach to design; a recycled, beautifully sustainable and fully-aware-of-its -materials design which recharged my enthusiasm batteries until the end of my university studies.

It was immediately clear to me how important it was to move out of my comfort zone, learn different realities and exchange multi-cultural ideas, which I felt I could not fully do in my country. This realization urged me further.

I moved to London, in search of mastering the language of image and word. Of the many things I discovered here, I learned that, since there is no one strong culture or language, there is a continuous interchange of styles and ideas that act as an incentive for design to become universal. Studying graphic design is to study all the languages of the world by continuously learning how to convey a message through filling in the existing gaps between different groups of people, cultures, thoughts and

media. It is a language that needs to be reinvented according to its sender, audience and context.

One day, I hope I will be able to explain to my family and friends in Italy that I am the architect of image and word and that graphic design is the most contemporary language that exists.

I also hope I could explain to the ones who study and teach design, stimulated only by a fashionable frivolous rather than a deep awareness for design; how a static shape can be dynamic, how a printed paper, an image or a typographic font could catch life’s moments, how a fixed vehicle can convey a strong message, how it can inform us, move and excite us, and how it can eventually bring us to think deeper, perhaps even change our lives for the better. Finally, I hope that I will be able to encourage the child who is drawing to continue to find new ways of communicating because filling in the gaps is our everlasting purpose for being.

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES Marcio Fabio - BRASIL

I Design It, You Design It, We All Design It!

Since my graduation from a university in Brazil, I have been intrigued by the dichotomy between visual arts and design practice. I was never able to understand how to separate the artistic perception/expression of the world from the visual technique practices used in design.

It was very difficult for me to detach art from thetechnical understanding of colors, forms and meanings employed in design practice.

The question I continuously asked myself was: Is it possible for design to be strictly technical, stripped from any emotion, even when designing a detergent box? In my perspective, there is no difference between a sponsored art piece and a visual identity project because both approaches demand a semiotical construction as well as an emotional and critical point of view.

The lastcentury dichotomy between art and design is finally taking a new shape as it is being incorporated into our contemporary society as a way of life and culture. It is possible to assume that, in the last decade, our contemporary postindustrial society has been immersed in drastically increasing number of new digital tools and mass media culture that it has been influencing and changing the way we produce and consume Design. Essentially, we are living in a “design society” where design is no longer an important process of production but something largely advertised as an important “accessory” of a long list of products on the market shelves. Design is exceeding its original function and becoming a powerful marketing tool that sells cars, furniture, toys, and any other commodity.

Demonstrating why the methods of teaching design must be updated as fast as the changing habits and practices of our society.

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As much as design is influencing society, society is influencing design. I had a long conversation with a good friend who is part of a new generation of tutors in Brazil and director of the Design department of a countryside university in a very specific demographic area, and we strongly agreed that society, perhaps more than ever, is shaping design, design education and its comprehension as a profession. In the industrial city where my friend teaches, there is an increasing demand for Graphic Designers. However, the local economy has very specific needs. This means that the market requests more technical skilled professionals rather than critical or analytical professionals. This poses the question: how can a university create a curricula that respects and appreciates the critical and analytical aspect of Design education when the market is asking for something else? Professional designer is gradually gaining a new meaning. For specific markets focussed only on the technical practitioner, this means that any humanistic approach in education might seem as an unnecessary appendage. However, these markets lack an understanding of the value of some essential competences which are extremely relevant on Design practices, especially in the present days. The issue today is no longer about visual arts versus technical practice, but the future of Design education in a society that is now able to produce its own bespoke design solutions.

The new professional of today’s era must not only be proficient in managing new “creative

suitcase” software or have a deep typographic understanding, but most importantly must also be deeply immersed in the exploratory of visual codes of particular micro-society groups. In other words, methods of teaching Design must be updated as fast as the changing habits and practices of our society as well as continue to attend to the demands of specific societies and design economies. In response to my first question: to design even the most ordinary detergent box the professional must be prepared in order to be able to understand who the audience is in its essence from socio cultural perspective. This professional must be able to contextualize and place the socio-human factor in the centre of his work, more than make a beautiful trendy artwork. That it is how the audience will better understand the message and incorporate the object into their life.

In our “design society”, it is incontestable that anyone can attempt to design. However, the new professional is who knows in true how to place the appropriated design in the right place.

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES NATALIE JONES - BRITAIN

Chinese Whispers. Why do we do what we do all day, every day, for the entirety of our lives?

The past year has been epic in terms of my tiny world. Out of 64 students on the ma, I was one of four with British origin. I have spent the last year playing with ideas, discussing theories and designing with people from around the globe.

At first this was daunting. I felt a stranger in my own country and congregated with my own kind.

Likewise, the class would also be divided up into small cliques typecast by nationality. The defining difference between them and me was that they all had a connection with each other. They had all come to Britain with the expectation of experiencing the renowned reputation and education it has to offer. Over the months I embraced my colleagues and their cultures anddeveloped valuable friendships. Heated conversations and debates would evolve discussing our personal history with design and comparing our backgrounds. I was born in New York and grew up in Hong Kong and Japan until the age of 7 so it was natural and inspiring to connect with my fellow students. I was conversing with an array of histories; a political designer from Serbia, a scholar from Singapore, a designer in advertising from Brazil, a print designer from Iran…. I was utterly overwhelmed and at first intimidated. It was these circumstances however that encouraged my enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. A sense of despondency amongst my peers was developing, however. The initial idea of British superiority seemed to be diminishing in their thoughts. Their dreams seemed to be turning into frustration. I felt almost patriotic shame for the lack of inspiration they were

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receiving. Then New Views happened and we had something to get energized by.

The symposium provided us with a snapshot of design debate and the world that was out there for the taking. We were forced to think about our critical position in design and suddenly my opinion seemed to hold value.

We began contemplating our futures.

The expectation for my future which I had when embarking on the Masters course was very different to its reality but it’s easy to look back with hindsight when times are different, especially when the difference is negative.

Circumstances are constantly changing so one cannot predetermine the transformation from past to present. The ability to adapt to one’s current environment is the key goal. I am a designer: a term I have often struggled with due to lack of confidence but also because it pigeon holes me. My education over the last year, in particular the New Views Symposium, has discussed the importance of the ‘interdisciplinary’, a field I believe in fundamentally.

Is it not time for us to look at a person’s broad and connecting skills in an effort to contribute to a more achieving, exploratory, observational and confident future? My 12-year education in art and design has been extremely varied from fine art and interior design to graphic design.

One area could not exist without the other.

My methodology has always relied on the theories and discussions from each discipline and I obtain great satisfaction and inspiration from amalgamating concepts. For me, as

‘a creative’, the economic crisis has pushed me to think, observe and create, explore new ventures and start something new. Employment has declined but opportunities are always out there in the ether. This is not a great time to come out of education but perhaps it is a chance for re-evaluation and a time to create something new and exciting. As a recent Masters graduate, I sense a desire for change, a feeling of itchy feet and the inkling that something great is about to happen. Huddles of thinkers are gathering to grapple with new ways of thinking in the hope of innovation. Just as we are told to keep spending, we should also keep designing, keep thinking, keep giving, keep talking and most of all keep observing. We should look to the time ahead as thinkers and innovators with an energy to use our imaginations, reasoning and judgement.

Perhaps this will be the making of a pioneering future. Education is critical. Observation is education. A ‘Chinese whispers’ effect could be caused by continued observational discourse which, in turn, could lead to new and exciting ideas being born. Design to me is observing, talking and then creating. If we don’t carry on looking for new ways of tackling obstacles, we might as well say ‘Check Mate’.

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES MARIANA LANCASTRE - PORTUGAL

Secret be told. Does the place where you live define you as a graphic designer?

My degree would soon be finished, I would start looking for my first job in Lisbon, and my life would be built up on the boundaries of Portugal.

Even though everything seemed good-to-go, I felt as though something was missing. A desire to find this missing link would eventually lead me to leave my comfortable life for an unfamiliar place where I would have to fight for my own achievements. I knew that, leaving what I already had for something entirely new and unknown would give me the chance to re-evaluate myself as a graphic designer before stepping into the “real world.” I was looking for that great jump…

My great jump began with the decision of wanting to do a masters degree in graphic design outside of Portugal. My toughest decision was where to go and why? I knew that, it had to be a city where graphic design was exceptional but it also had to be a city that would be able to embrace and openly welcome me. I had a few destinations in my mind, but London easily seemed to satisfy both my requirements; a welcoming city that lived and breathed with graphic design. Down deep I knew that by moving away, I would not only be redefining my path as a designer, but I would also be redefining myself as a person. Hence, with a smile on my face, I packed my bags and jumped.

During the year I spent in London, I have realized many different reasons for why designers, like me, continuously flock to London. Many people proclaim how bad they think design is in their own country, and how much better they think it is in London. Clearly, there is a fascination for London and a lack of satisfaction for people’s

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place of origin. I keep asking myself: What is the reason for this? Is design truly unsatisfactory in those countries, or is there an excessive obsession around London? How can the place where we live define ourselves as professionals?

And, is there any one place that can be considered to have “better design” than in another? I have met many different people and many different designers from different nationalities. Curious enough, I have found something extremely interesting. Despite the fact that everyone is from a different background and culture, I sense that there is a graphic design community that is beyond geographical boundaries and somehow, we can all speak the same language. Even though we have different interests and we come from different methods of learning design, design is still considered by many in the same way; a passion and a form of communicative engagement. This suggests that, regardless of where you are and where you come from, there will always be some designers who simply want to be a “technician” in front of the computer and nothing more, and other designers who want to push the boundaries and think outside the box. Regardless of the different ways designers define themselves, there will always be designers who are passionate about their work and it is precisely through this human drive that brings design to life. In my point of view, passion does not necessarily depend on the place you live, but on the background and dreams you have as an individual. Nevertheless, there is still something special about London. If passion is driven

by individual dreams and not where we live, why is it that living in London is still desired?

In my opinion what makes London a “Mecca” for designers is no doubt its multicultural quality.

There are very few examples of cities that have the privilege to invest in high quality work as well as manage to bring people from all around the world into one place. London not only welcomes and embraces people from all over the world, but it is also continuously in contact with the world trademarks. Hence, living in London not only means that you are in contact with the entire world, but it also means that you are guaranteed to be surrounded by the most passionate designers out there trying to find the missing link, just like yourself. Working and living alongside such multi -cultural and passionate people encourages you to push your boundaries, often even beyond your own cultural boundaries. Therefore, if design is beyond geographical and cultural boundaries and passion is what brings design to life, designers must first strive to grow their passion regardless of wherever they are… London is special city, but secret be told, it is the individual passions that keep it alive.

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

West Is Best?

A look at importing foreign design from a Singapore perspective.

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES DAVID LEE - SINGAPORE

Singapore has a fondness of importing quick remedies for instant success — the city-state has recently attempted to replicate Monaco’s success by importing the Formula One Grand Prix as well as opening up two casinos this year, in an attempt to boost the nation’s economy. When an icon is needed for its Marina Bay development, she duplicates the success of the London Eye by having a giant Ferris wheel as its next tourist attraction. The same ethos is applied when it comes to design. When looking for a new design for their new Supreme Court building in 2000, the government opted for the British Architectural firm Fosters and Partners, the same team responsible for the design of City Hall in London. When Foster’s chosen design was unveiled, it alienated the local community as it bears little reference to its surroundings, with its unorthodox design elements such as a flying saucer-like extension on its rooftop. It leads Singaporeans to question: it is necessary to invite a foreign team of architects to design their public building? Are there no local (or South East Asian -based) architects suitable for the job? Singapore is envisioning herself as a global arts, design and media city by introducing events such as the Singapore Design Festival in 2005, loosely modelled after the London Design Festival.

In the same year, they also invited the German -based Red Dot Design Museum to make Singapore its second home. As Singapore is jumping onto the cultural bandwagon with countries like Abu Dhabi (with its Saadiyat Island boosting the next Guggenheim and

Louvre), it all just seems to be an overambitious attempt by the government to create the next Milan Furniture Fair, the Venice Biennale, the Art Basel Miami or the Frieze Art Fair. Are such attempts at replicating or importing festivals and museums beneficial to the longevity of its design landscape in the long run? Is the West really the Best? The set-up of such staple events in a country like Singapore might be beneficial, as it exposes its nation of young designers to the works of international design practitioners like Marcel Wonders and Simon Waterfall. But the invites of such international personalities is not a sure-fire way of putting the Singaporean event on the world design map. Such blind imports will prove futile if the festivals are not anchored by key events significant to, representative of, and most importantly, engaged with its local design community. But all is not lost. In Singapore’s bid to host the icsid* & ifi** World Congresses in 2009, they finally high-lighted their issues of an ageing population, sustainable housing, global competition and the need to transform its economy, and how they can employ the use of design to tackle some of these issues. It is through engaging with such real-life problems that design can thoroughly benefit its community, and not the wholesale import of western design festivals as design solutions. Singapore has successfully won the bid to host both congresses, and it is with much anticipation to see if the congresses really live up to its promises by engaging with the local community.

*International Council of Scieties of Industrial Design (ICSID) **International Federation of Interior Designers/Architects (IFI)

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES T.N. - IRAN

The red line, the red circle.

How the restriction imposed by the Iranian government affects my design practice inside and outside the country.

I was watching a documentary about life in Iran

by Rageh Omaar the other day in my flat in London. It is interesting how everything starts looking different when you are watching from the outside. At some point he mentions how people have lost faith in the printed world due to the restrictions imposed by the government.

He is referring to the Iranian press when sayingso but it applies to any form of public communication, graphic design included.

I personally believe, regardless of where you are, there is always a red line, crossing which will always have consequences. In certain countries, this red line is only one step away, only enough to allow graphic designers to invite people to save the environment by recycling and using less water. Therefore, unless you are promoting current social and political conditions, you don’t talk about, write about or visualize them in any way. Neither do you promote anything against them. How would you cause change in such circumstances? It’s simple. You wouldn’t. You are not supposed to want change after all. For the abovementioned reason, it is no surprise that there is no such thing as design for social change or political graphic design where I come from unless it addresses the need for change in other societies.

Instead there exist a rich tradition of cultural and religious design, promoting Islam and the rich history and literature of the country. I studied and worked as a graphic designer under such circumstances for five years and I ended up selling products and services for the whole period of my professional activity. The irony

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is that I only began to feel the frustration caused by such restrictions after leaving Iran and joining the international graphic design community of London. As a student in Iran, you are never made aware of the power you hold as a graphic designer to cause social and political impacts.

As a young citizen, you are being distracted constantly in many different ways not to get the chance to pause and think about what does really require your attention. And once you are not conscious of what you are capable of, you would not feel the force that stops you from doing it. So when I moved to London to do my ma in Graphic Design last year, I was not even sure about what to expect to get out of it. Better design skills? Learning to make better use of the computer? Learning how to enter the professional design world of London?

Maybe. But what I got the most was what I expected the least. I was taught to think, and not only about design, but about everything in life and how to relate them to design. I became aware of the power I hold as a graphic designer and was encouraged to believe that making the world a better place is my most important mission, not selling products. Meeting several design communities involved in social activities and political design, the movement proved to be so strong that I sometimes would feel embarrassed not to have ever been involved in it although I knew I had never had the chance. Now seems to be the time to take part in the movement. Being far away from where the red lines are drawn, you start to think you

are given the freedom to disagree and express your dissatisfaction in many different ways.

Unfortunately, that is not the case; and I learned that through the processes which led to writing this story. Through our several meetings with Teal and the rest of the group, I did enjoy the freedom of talking about what I do not approve in my country, what I believe needs to be changed and how graphic designers or anyone else do not have the right to mention them. However, when it came to writing it down and having it published under my name, I started to feel the fear of facing possible consequences when I visit my country in the future. Although the red line does get one step away (you wouldn’t be reading this text in a publication in Iran), it turns into a red circle drawn around you, which follows you wherever you go. It is frustrating to discover that unless I am willing to sacrifice almost everything, I cannot in anyway step out of this circle.

Therefore until I find the courage to do so and am convinced that by doing so I am not selling a false hope or an unreachable dream, I might as well keep on selling products and services.

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES PIERO ZAGAMI - ITALY

They’re all out there! A journey in the creative networks.

My journey as a designer didn’t start in great art schools, but in my bedroom in Rome, when I wasstill a student in politics. While I was realizing that I wasn’t fit to become a politician, I started approaching the worlds of photography and illustration. At first my need to make visual things, colourful things, brought me to engage with visual arts. I started producing artworks and illustrations, but I didn’t know where/who to show them. My friends and colleagues were not properly the creative people I wanted to be surrounded by at that moment and I felt a bit lonely in that little colourful world of mine, confined to my bedroom and my computer.

I always believed that the best way to learn anything is to share meaningful experiences with people. Stuck in my loneliness I couldn’t confront myself with anyone. But the solution was right in front of my eyes. I started looking around on the net and found networks crowded with people willing to help each other to discuss and to grow as designers, illustrators or photographers.

I had the first contact with visual arts online communities at an early stage of my growth as a graphic designer, in 2005. I subscribed to a network called Deviantart, where visual artists from every field of study and nationality meet online to share works, comments and stories.

I spent about a year there, and my only “design time” was dedicated to create an output to share with the people from this community. Their contribution to my work, in terms of feedbacks and critiques helped me to improve my style, and many of the talents I met on that platforms still

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inspire my work nowadays. I dedicated some time to cultivate my network there, and by browsing the web I found out that the most interesting pieces of works where the ones done by multiple hands. I remember how fascinated I was by the simplicity of people meeting each other on the network and starting collaborations. They are all out there waiting for a friendly message, a suggestion, a critical view, or a project to start together. Recently I haven’t joined the networks as much as I used to do before, also because since I moved to London I discovered real design communities everywhere around me, at various levels. The international environment that urrounded me during my studies at the London College of Communications turned to be the closest community of friends and peers I could have ever hoped to meet; also the various lectures, exhibitions and events held in London contributed to extend my network and experience as a designer. Day by day I started to feel surrounded by the creative environment I had been looking for so long; I felt I was in the right place. The discovery of London brought temporary change in my relationship with the online network. All the inputs found in my new life in London prevented me from going online everyday to get in touch with people from the online networks. But nowadays I keep looking at design communities, and I am an active user on a few of them. I noticed the variety of visual arts communities is increasing every year, allowing users to choose which ones to join, depending on what design field they are passionate about.

Just to mention a few examples, typographers cangather online on Typophile; designers interested in social design can become part of the Design 21 community, a network established by the unesco, to make the world a better place through design; for the ones who look for a platform to question and analyze contemporary design, underconsideration. com offers several platforms to comment the most discussed brand strategies of the day. If you are looking for a network where to put yourself under the designer’s spotlights and showcase your work Computerlove is a network that allows you to build in-depth profiles. And the list goes on and on... Every year new design communities spread on the internet and in my opinion this is a growing phenomenon to be looked at; for the visual artists. In crisis times like these, where designers have to struggle to keep their old jobs, the creative networks can represent a chance not to miss, to discover new opportunities and new resources.

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NEW VIEWS 2: Conversations and Dialogues in Graphic Design

10 DESIGNERS, 10 STORIES, 10 PAGES TERESA DIAZ - CHILE

A fantastic view: How to become a designer in times of economic crisis.

When I arrived to London last year to study MA in graphic design, I never imagined that a few months later I would be standing in the epicentre of an economic crisis. One year ago I was fully optimistic about my possibilities to acquire some working experiences after completing my studies and once and for all apply my gained knowledge in a glamorous studio with a fantastic view over the Thames.

Things evolved differently and in this timesof recession I have witnessed how the working environment related to graphic design is getting drastically reduced. The supply-demand ratio is absurdly uneven and clients are shifting to web platforms, thereby choosing a more economical graphic solution than printing. I was shocked when applying for a job vacancy in a rather small studio, they replied to me informing that the review process was going to take longer due to the huge amount of applications (270 for only one position!). While studying my degree in design in Chile ten years ago in one of the three most important design schools of the country, tutors taught me that before starting designing anything one should be clearly briefed by the client. The consequence of this mindset is that the designer’s participation starts when the formulation of the problem is already defined.

In moments of crisis traditional clients suddenly disappear, and so do their briefs. Does this mean that if the traditional client fades out the designer is bound to become extinct as well? I will argue that in order to find opportunities in crisis time, the creative effort needs to be focused in a self

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initiated search, identification and formulation of problems outside the discipline rather than in finding briefed commissions. In this may lay the possibility of opening up areas where ones knowledge may be needed and welcomed, engaging with potential clients or even better, partners. Professionals of the future should be taught to constantly extend their knowledge about different disciplines and realities, becoming capable of creatively link topics that may seem unrelated or not have anything in common. This act of linking, understanding the inner tensions and formulating the right questions to the discipline are on the whole the kind of creativity that could succeed in times of scarcity. It is in front of predicaments like this these when one feels compelled to come out of the traditional working fields and start exploring new alternatives for developing professional interests in new, original ways. What can my design skills could be useful for? Who can be benefited of these gained skills? Where can I contribute as a graphic designer? The first idea that came up to my mind was that I should start acting locally over small communities in which I could use design to improve service experiences in their local organizations with community collaboration. I wanted to bring some design ‘sophistication’ to places where usually there is none (hence, likely to provide raw, new ideas and material). With these ideas in mind I had begun volunteering in a Cultural Corporation in Hackney, London, which offers opportunities for exchange, leisure and food growing to a wide

cross-section of the community. After less than a month volunteering I started designing for the place and their multiple activities. The originality of the place and experiences is allowing me to identify lots of areas where design could make a contribution. Besides of being an opportunity to generate a new graphic language, my role as designer is becoming part of the organizational culture of the place. I come from a prosperous developing country where graphic design is very young and still with a generous room for expansion. I am convinced that this shift of attitude from traditional briefed practice to a proactive, enterprising professional aimed to smaller, more local problems could be key for achieving real and sustainable local development not only for the discipline but, more relevant, to society as a whole. So, this is my new fantastic view…

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