The Value of Design is More Than You Think

And so ends, another great design conference (and my 'fast' from social media).

Many topics were covered by the roster of talented speakers, who spent their time infusing us with insight and perspective. From the architectural wonders of Peter Busby to the romantically illustrative works of Marian Bantjes, there was an abundance of awe-inspiring work (and words) to absorb.

Design Is Feeling
The theme of Design Week 2010 was "the value of design" aka Design Currency. Much discussion was had about spec work and how we could bring value to our work. More importantly what does 'design with value' mean to each of us? How could we design value, in order for others to value design?

Dave Mason (the MC) coined it perfectly by saying the value of design is determined by whether or not you feel something because of it or even in spite of it. A great example was when a recap video of the 2010 Olympics was presented to us by Ali Gardener and Ben Hulse. A standing ovation soon followed and I don't believe there was a dry eye in the house after that.

After it was all said and done, I couldn't help but feel like I had been challenged to pull myself apart and put myself back together again in a different way; To find my niche, find my passion, differentiate, and refine myself as a designer, for the better.

Design Is Connection
I had some eye-opening dialogue with my table mates on the first day (Nancy Wu, Christina Peressini, Carol Avery, and Jen LeMercier) in which we spoke about the value of design and what it meant to us. Some buzz words like longevity, inspiration, action, change, reinvention, jealousy, motivation were passed around.

Jealousy? When the word was originally put out there we all seem to relate to seeing another designer's work and wished we had done it, or thought of it, ourselves. We noted, however, that this feeling of envy quickly transformed into motivation for us so we felt it was positive addition to our list. Without envy, maybe none of us would push the envelope?

Up until that point, I thought it was just me to have such a perspective and originally felt it was a negative feeling to have but having this dialogue made me feel human and it was nice to hear I was in the same boat as others. (Especially designers who's work I LOVE)

Design Is Passionate Risk
When it comes to the real world, it's easy to forget the passion that led us into this profession in the first place. This conference was a great reminder to keep our passion close to our hearts making sure to ask the question of whether you want to do something or whether you need to.

Quite a few of the speakers talked about the risks they had taken in their career and it all started from a place of passion. One cannot exist without the other. It left me questioning whether or not I was acting from a place of passion and whether I took enough risks in my career.

Design Is What You Make It
You would think going to such an event would leave you with all the answers but it always seems to do the opposite for me, which I feel is the best part. Nothing would be discovered if there wasn't a question to be answered or a problem to be solved. I feel challenged to now think of myself in a different way, refine myself as a designer in my own way as that is how I feel I will bring more value to my work. Because I believe the value of design is relative and it is what you make of it.

Et tu?