POR - A tribute to the COVID 19 warriors

Design cannot bring about permanent change.  In a very simple manner it, adds a sense of relief to the current need and makes it enjoyable, while you are experiencing it.

Soon a new design replaces the old one and so on as long as the function is in play.

Without a proper functional grounding, design becomes placid, irrelevant and won't even make much impact in the long run.

Luck and creative thinking

There's always a time when, ideas don't turn up the way you want it for a certain requirement. This could be a design, a campaign or something very important.
It feels like none of the ideas seem promising or make the cut and time plays truant. So, then as though by luck, a great idea pops up and you decide to go with it. Surprisingly, the idea is well received and the go ahead is given for developing this ' lucky ' idea.
It's quite funny to be in these situations and attribute the sudden change of events to a very ethereal idea.
Well then, is this a spur of the moment thing, a lucky break or actually a response to what you were going to do anyway!

It's an interesting question that makes you wonder? Because luck defies an established logic. That state must be at the creative level of our minds. More spontaneous...

The power of design

Design is a powerful process that adds a lot of value to anything it works upon. But then the best design is invisible to the eye or even the senses. It is silent when it works best and perfectly. Therein lies the problem of its value. When one cannot sense its value addition, it becomes very difficult to quantify the addition. In a business or a scenario that uses design to add value, efforts need to be taken to document the way design has been applied to achieve a greater benefit or a solution to the problem it addresses.
Working on a number of projects over a period of time, gives you insight into the exact benefits brought about by design, resultant of a successful design process. That process needs to be both mapped and sequenced by an analytical procedure to evolve a plan of action that can be demonstrated to decision makers before applying it on a product, service and environments besides other situations.
When that plan of action is demonstrated properly, it makes decision making easier, the design more valuable and the outcome more visible, without being seen or felt. The power of design lies in the knowing of it and it's absorption. 

Culture and Design

We've had a long association with culture, while working with a culture related organisation. The way  it has transformed me and our work, during the process is a very humbling aspect. Rather than tackling the various issues related to culture based design ideation, it would be more gainful to understand the why, the what, and also the who's. It's a very abstract space to be in. Moreover, when  you combine two ancient cultures and try to connect their energies, it becomes so dynamic, that you have to become invisible to the ongoing change. My many encounters in designing for culture are full of mysterious suggestions, closely guarded values yet beautifully balanced by a joy of living in the present along with the past, tremendous mutual respect and a serious desire to establish a strong relationship.
Discovery was the first part of the journey, followed by engagement with many like minded and conversely interested groups as well. Then comes a connecting phase and then the magic starts to happen. When this triangular structure is completed, it sets off many such similar initiatives that gain strength from the earlier experiences. Simply amazing.
Culture is more than a soft centered sweet that is consumed during certain periods, infact it lies at the very core of our beliefs and practices. It dances to the winds of change so beautifully that you can enjoy the experience when you tune in. 

The design dialogue 

Can we talk to design and get a response back from it. I think it's a yes. But not in a crazy way, where you imagine some on talking to you, but in a more subtle form of exchange. Over the years of being in this field, some of the best interactions have been during the process of designing. It teaches you to be responsive to the problem and helps you understand the level of aesthetics needed for application.

Using this experience, one can share ideas with co-designers and interested people with great enthusiasm. Some of my clients have benefitted to a great extent on the basis of these design dialogues. It becomes a successful transfer, when the key inferences from such a conversation become the guidelines, for future design endeavors.

Next time, listening to the design will be fun and meaningful.

Evolution of the idea

We encounter many things on a daily basis. Our efforts to solve what might seem improper at that moment, usually takes up a lot of our productive time. It adds frustration to our mindset, when the solutions seem unviable in the immediate context due to various factors.
Strangely this becomes a list of pending ideas and things that must have been done to make things better. It can solidify into a mental barrier due to inaction or lack of attention. Maybe a periodic review of things that really matter over time, can be made and a more open ended ideation process be followed to implement the realistic possibilities, so there is a constructive methodology of building, ones own capability model.
Sounds like fun...