My design philosophy
I’m often asked questions such as “why do you design?” or “what do you like most about design?” and my favorite — “what inspires you?”
If you haven’t afforded yourself time to reflect on yourself as a designer (or whatever profession you may be in), questions like these might catch you off guard — you might think that if you haven’t got a good answer on the spot, that you’re in the wrong profession, that design isn’t meant for you, or that you’re a fraud (cue the imposter syndrome 😳).
Ultimately I want my job to be an extension of myself… it’s not for everyone, but I thrive when I can be my authentic self at work — there’s no more hiding behind a corporate mask and this harmonious balance allows me to end my days feeling satisfied with who I am as well as the work I put out.
And with that — I want to share with you the 3 main pillars in which I draw inspiration and drive from — my design philosophy.
People
I believe we are designed for community and we need to care for our community. When we work in healthy, collaborative environments, we’re able to expand our ideas and reach our goals. And in the midst of that, we need to remember to care for the health of our team. After all, how are we to care for our end-users if we cannot even care for those we are immediately working alongside?
Purpose
To design is to create, to create is to make meaning. Design should be impactful whether it is reducing one’s workload or just bringing someone a bit of joy. It can be easy to get lost in the daunting projects that get thrown at us, but when we are able to navigate to the purpose — to connect with that larger goal — asking questions like — why am I designing this?, who is this for?, and what kind of impact am I making? — we can produce great work.
Process
Designing through a process ensures that I am always working with a critical eye. Without process, we might become stagnant. Forcing ourselves to work through a process helps us structure our thinking such that we are able to better evolve the design, prove the design, and analyze the design in hopes to make it better with each iteration.
I recently wrapped up a job search and summarizing these thoughts helped me better navigate what I wanted for myself while also serving as a tool to hold myself accountable as I continue to grow in my career. I am now able to better offer a cohesive story as to who I am and what I would be bringing to a company. (I also got a lot of positive feedback on this 😄)
Even if you aren’t actively looking for a new job, I do believe that having a set of principles that you design by can help continuously inspire your work while also preventing burnout.
