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Meaning in Design: Contribution & Accessibility

As a creative, one of my biggest challenges is to find meaning in what I do. I was the only one concerned with this, I thought. I realize now most people will be faced with this existential question during their lifetime, whether they work in a creative field or not.

According to psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl, humankind is not in pursuit of happiness but of meaning (1). He understood this fundamental truth during his time spent in concentration camps. He saw his fellow inmates succumb not only due to malnutrition or epidemic typhus but because they gave up on the idea of hope itself. After reaching the limit of what they could endure, they ceased to believe something greater was waiting for them on the other side of suffering. They gave up on the visions and dreams they wanted for their future and ultimately, they forgot the meaning of their own existence. This is a very drastic example, but I wanted to understand this reality so I won't fall into the same pit.

That is why I discovered I want to design for a purpose and play a role in my community and use design thinking as a tool for the enhancement of even a single life. Humans have six primary needs says life coach, entrepreneur, and author Tony Robbins (2). They are certainty, contribution, variety, growth, significance, and connection. That is why every part of life including someone’s career should incorporate some or all these essential needs for a healthy and balanced life. Yet, how can designers of this generation find meaning in what they do? What positive impact can we have on our own communities and on the human race as a whole? Finding meaning in design is much simpler than I thought. In fact, a contribution that enhances the accessibility of better lifestyle choices and tools could be the answer. To help enlighten this perspective and uncover even briefly the vast subject, I have collected examples from international designers and interviewed a graphic designer and art director from Montreal, as well as a design teacher.

Better Shelter

TIME magazine makes a selection of the 25 best inventions every year. For 2016, a special project named the Better Shelter (3) captured my attention. It is a temporary house that can be built in only four hours with no tools. It is specifically designed as a temporary home for war escapees and refugees. This endeavour was initiated in collaboration with the United Nations by a foundation of one of the most renowned Swedish furniture design companies: the IKEA Foundation. It provides its beneficiaries a physical place to call their home in a foreign country. It is also accessible thanks to its simplicity and affordability. And these are things designers can bring to the table when problem-solving. Design thinking should not only be suitable when trying to cut the cost of a business card, but for projects affecting populations in outermost parts of the earth. There are now more than 16,000 of these shelters erected all over the globe.

Participatory Design

Modern urban planning is equally as fascinating and can affect its population regarding accessibility to places like parks, waterfronts, parking and communal spaces for neighbourhood members. Studies have shown that a discussion concerning a city’s plan and budget joining members of the community to city planners and the government will benefit greatly in creating a greater sense of community. This concept is called participatory design. Now, an article written in the Kinfolk magazine’s Design issue defined participatory design as “a diplomatically driven method of development that listens to both stakeholders and local voices to create a neighbourhood where stories and streetscapes are shared […] in the hope that involving the community affected by a project would yield stronger design” (4).

They have also found that including locals in city planning creates this refreshing and pleasant atmosphere: neighbours feel more comfortable asking for a cup of sugar or simply interacting once in a while. On the opposite side of the spectrum, contemporary cities involving no participatory design effort may fail to connect its inhabitants. When these neighbourhood members have a chance to communicate with both the city and other residents, it makes them feel included and heard, which allows them to open up a little more than usual. The next part includes two interviews.

Interview - Part 1

I have asked two experienced designers their point of view on matters relating to design and the community. Starting with Jonathan Lefrançois. He studied Multimedia Techniques at Lasalle College and has been a full-time designer and art director for five years. His fields of specialty are print and packaging design.

What meaning do you want associated to your work?  I like things which are not complicated and that can reach a broad audience. I am more and more interested in accessibility in design. I think as designers we often prioritize aesthetic over function. There has to be a good balance of both but ultimately if we’re excluding a portion of society with our designs, we’re not doing our job. 

That is very true and unfortunately, I have been guilty of this myself. But this is the reason why design is not as easy as people think. It is a demanding career because it constantly pushes us to reach for our audience and ask for their needs and opinions on matters that affect them. How do you think your design can contribute to a greater sense of inclusiveness? 

I always reserve time to take on pro-bono projects. There are a handful of groups and organizations I have been working with since the beginning and I don’t see that changing. If I can lend my skills to causes I care about, I will definitely do so. […] I work with a lot of HIV/AIDS organizations and community groups who deal with all sorts of social issues. Often the challenge is to present these themes in a compelling way while breaking stereotypes and stigma […] Every time we design a toolkit or report that is used in community groups, education, or health care, we have a huge impact on how the information is received and retained. 

Yes, exactly. Ultimately, our job as designers is to make sure we communicate the message like it was intended by our clients. If we think about it, we have a lot of power in our hands to build-up or destroy a reputation. Whether we are designing for a big corporation or for a small organization seeking to take even the shortest step forward.

Interview - Part 2

My second guest is Sybil Israelian. She has 34 years of experience and has graduated from both Concordia and Rhode Island School of Design in addition to obtaining a diploma in education from McGill University. On the same matter she responds: 

Design shapes much of our world, how we perceive it, how we get around in it. A symbol can be created to unify people. One only has to think of the peace symbol which symbolized a generation of change in the sixties. Or the swastika, which continues to be used to instill and propagate fear.

For you, what is an example of good design? Good (or bad) design can have far-reaching consequences. A good example is the 2008 election when an error on the printed ballot confused the voting public, which some think led to an upset in the results.

Journalistic Photography

Another approach for reaching or having access to is through journalistic photography. In 2016, I attended the World Press Photo exposition in Montreal where my eyes were opened to major world issues such war escapees fleeing their country, riots in France after the Charlie Hebdo incident, families illegally crossing borders to save their lives, and much more. It is an opportunity to recognize great photography, but more importantly, opens doors to seek for change concerning current world affairs the modern North American cannot comprehend solely through words. This could be the occasion for peace seekers to organize campaigns to bring awareness on what is affecting millions in war zones, impoverished cities, and human rights denying societies such as North Korea. Through photographs, we have a chance to advance humankind.

These few examples support the idea that I want to create work that matters. The reality is that it might take me years before I gain the freedom and experience to reach the level of creative freedom needed. I want to create work that will not only reach the public on street billboards and bus stops, but that will resonate with my fellow humans. This is where I want to find joy and fulfillment: by contributing even a little for the small amount of time given to me. And just like Lefrançois pointed it out: ‘when you get involved with even the smallest organizations locally, you can have a huge impact on the world.’

Frankl, V. E. E. (1997). Man’s search for meaning. New York: Washington Square Press.

Tony, T. (2015, August 4). Do you need to feel significant? Retrieved March 5, 2017, from Mind & Meaning, https://www.tonyrobbins.com/mind-meaning/do-you-need-to-feel-significant/

The 25 best inventions of 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2017, from http://time.com/4572079/best-inventions-2016/

2015, Kinfolk Magazine - Issue 18. “Connecting the Lots.” Design 24 Nov. 2015: 80–89. Web. 5 Mar. 2017.