Do you know that we all need to teach ourselves a lesson, not only professionals, but colleges and universities, from the school to vocational training to career developments:
Students and designers must be equipped with the right skills to meet design and business needs.
Can you identify skills gaps?
Obviously, Amman has more than its fair share of design skills! Isn't it?
If that is true, what about the country?
Improving designers' skills is a huge task, it is like creating a new era in which the right mix of design skills can be found in the right places.
Note that design is a way of thinking, not a way of making things look pretty.
Sunday 27 July 2008
Friday 25 July 2008
A whisper in the ears Jordanian Designers !
Never mind, and no matter what type of classification we have,
Why do we consider ourselves and others designers?
How do we perceive our task, culture, identity and our future?
Where we are? What do we innovate, alter and create?
We are what we are! Designers.
We are the designers of Jordan. We came here to make a practical and substantial difference to our Country, people and ourselves.
Let each one of you ask him/her self these questions:
Have you ever thought of taking part in the development and well- being of Jordan, of course by using the design?
Have you been up to the challenges that face you in developing and promoting sustainable design solutions in all fields serving our country?
It is not an easy task! But it could be easy if we design and import our own ideas and styles, and at the same time, we preserve our identity and character and shy away from imitation.
I should be genuine. To be so, I should answer these questions to identify and define my objectives:
- What is a designer, who is he, and what is his\her role?
- What are the characteristics that should mark the Design?
- What should our design academics plan and how they embark on teaching Design?
- What public services that need Designs?
- What type of design business should exist in Jordan?
Amman, as many other Arab cities, is proud of its design status\identity.
But, does Amman promote design in other cities of Jordan?
Does Jordan raise the awareness of design among the public?
Do Jordanians demand products and services that meet their needs?
These questions need an answer, for the future!
Why do we consider ourselves and others designers?
How do we perceive our task, culture, identity and our future?
Where we are? What do we innovate, alter and create?
We are what we are! Designers.
We are the designers of Jordan. We came here to make a practical and substantial difference to our Country, people and ourselves.
Let each one of you ask him/her self these questions:
Have you ever thought of taking part in the development and well- being of Jordan, of course by using the design?
Have you been up to the challenges that face you in developing and promoting sustainable design solutions in all fields serving our country?
It is not an easy task! But it could be easy if we design and import our own ideas and styles, and at the same time, we preserve our identity and character and shy away from imitation.
I should be genuine. To be so, I should answer these questions to identify and define my objectives:
- What is a designer, who is he, and what is his\her role?
- What are the characteristics that should mark the Design?
- What should our design academics plan and how they embark on teaching Design?
- What public services that need Designs?
- What type of design business should exist in Jordan?
Amman, as many other Arab cities, is proud of its design status\identity.
But, does Amman promote design in other cities of Jordan?
Does Jordan raise the awareness of design among the public?
Do Jordanians demand products and services that meet their needs?
These questions need an answer, for the future!
Saturday 12 July 2008
Design characteristics for the Future
Is it possible for us to perceive the future? Is it possible for us to understand the design characteristics of the future?
Of course we can!
We can do that if we change the way in which we perceive the present and future. To do this, we will need to transform ourselves from being mere observers to being initiators who fully use our creative potential to anticipate future needs and to develop solutions.
We may already know that the answer lies within ourselves, specifically, within our way of thinking about and evaluating the world. But theoretically, bridging the gap between theory and practice is difficult since our thinking is affected by traditionalism, dependency and waiting to adopt the results of others' experiments, rather than developing our own.
The real situation in professional design is quite different, for example in the fields of visual communication, multimedia, architecture, interior and industrial design. Similarly, all academic and professional institutions are responsible for their own production.
Any designer will be unable to produce adequate work if he/she is not essentially a creative being. A designer's productivity is also related to the environment in which they are working which must support the creative process at all stages of the product's design and manufacture. It is so important that the designer works within an environment that supports their vision, allowing them to anticipate and design for future needs on projects which are also supported with financial input and the necessary craftsmanship.
Politicians observe and analyse the world and then produce strategies to solve the problems they find. In design, we employ observation, analysis and strategic problem-solving as well. Our present, past and future are interconnected. Transformation of our present involves both observation of our current situation and extending our eyes towards the future and towards the vision we wish to achieve. Even if no-one has succeeded with these ideas before, we may still aim towards them. It is also necessary to be well-prepared, to have the correct tools, knowledge and learning in order to work towards our goals.
Confusion is caused by the amount of information that we deal with when observing the future and its constant changes: geographical information, economics, environmental issues, etc. For example, worldwide differences in climate, global warming, CO2 pollution, overcrowded cities, increased motor-traffic, air pollution, the increasing growth of the human population and it's needs. Life itself involves constant development in all fields! Yet, it seems that we ourselves are the source of these crises! Yes indeed we are and this is primarily because of our carelessness in failing to think positively about our future needs. So often we deal only with our immediate daily responsibilities and requirements, without anticipating the need to provide for the future.
The question is then: what type of role must the designer adopt to face these changes in our lives and our future requirements? The answer is simply: that the designer must allow his creative potential to interact with the environment to anticipate product needs and to create the best design for the future. The designer should not overload himself and his concepts with concern for the near past and the present. If we think about it, the distance between ourselves and source of our creative inspiration, our history and the present environment, is very small.
We should permit ourselves to positively create, understand and learn about the future language. This will be achieved through developing ourselves, our potential and expanding our knowledge. As designers, we need to be able to be innovative and creative, to think deeply about the present issues and relate these endeavours to the future. Creativity is not the place for fear, and we should not allow the fear to stop us being innovative and creative. Further, the aim of our design must be to produce a product that is useful with relation to it's intended function.
What we need is called Optimistic Futurism, it is the way towards confidence, transformation and creativity, Optimistic futurism will enable us to develop our technical potentials, skills, and enable us to deal with digital softwares and new technologies.
Optimistic Futurism is an attitude that will serve our creativity, as it is a logical solution and will not affect our ability to create and innovate. Indeed, a designer equipped with knowledge and experience will be a source of power, having the ability to control his production in a positive and useful way.
As much as our task is to deal with the future, we will be able to increase our creatively and innovation to achieve this end by adding self-belief and a desire to be forward-looking to the mix.
Of course we can!
We can do that if we change the way in which we perceive the present and future. To do this, we will need to transform ourselves from being mere observers to being initiators who fully use our creative potential to anticipate future needs and to develop solutions.
We may already know that the answer lies within ourselves, specifically, within our way of thinking about and evaluating the world. But theoretically, bridging the gap between theory and practice is difficult since our thinking is affected by traditionalism, dependency and waiting to adopt the results of others' experiments, rather than developing our own.
The real situation in professional design is quite different, for example in the fields of visual communication, multimedia, architecture, interior and industrial design. Similarly, all academic and professional institutions are responsible for their own production.
Any designer will be unable to produce adequate work if he/she is not essentially a creative being. A designer's productivity is also related to the environment in which they are working which must support the creative process at all stages of the product's design and manufacture. It is so important that the designer works within an environment that supports their vision, allowing them to anticipate and design for future needs on projects which are also supported with financial input and the necessary craftsmanship.
Politicians observe and analyse the world and then produce strategies to solve the problems they find. In design, we employ observation, analysis and strategic problem-solving as well. Our present, past and future are interconnected. Transformation of our present involves both observation of our current situation and extending our eyes towards the future and towards the vision we wish to achieve. Even if no-one has succeeded with these ideas before, we may still aim towards them. It is also necessary to be well-prepared, to have the correct tools, knowledge and learning in order to work towards our goals.
Confusion is caused by the amount of information that we deal with when observing the future and its constant changes: geographical information, economics, environmental issues, etc. For example, worldwide differences in climate, global warming, CO2 pollution, overcrowded cities, increased motor-traffic, air pollution, the increasing growth of the human population and it's needs. Life itself involves constant development in all fields! Yet, it seems that we ourselves are the source of these crises! Yes indeed we are and this is primarily because of our carelessness in failing to think positively about our future needs. So often we deal only with our immediate daily responsibilities and requirements, without anticipating the need to provide for the future.
The question is then: what type of role must the designer adopt to face these changes in our lives and our future requirements? The answer is simply: that the designer must allow his creative potential to interact with the environment to anticipate product needs and to create the best design for the future. The designer should not overload himself and his concepts with concern for the near past and the present. If we think about it, the distance between ourselves and source of our creative inspiration, our history and the present environment, is very small.
We should permit ourselves to positively create, understand and learn about the future language. This will be achieved through developing ourselves, our potential and expanding our knowledge. As designers, we need to be able to be innovative and creative, to think deeply about the present issues and relate these endeavours to the future. Creativity is not the place for fear, and we should not allow the fear to stop us being innovative and creative. Further, the aim of our design must be to produce a product that is useful with relation to it's intended function.
What we need is called Optimistic Futurism, it is the way towards confidence, transformation and creativity, Optimistic futurism will enable us to develop our technical potentials, skills, and enable us to deal with digital softwares and new technologies.
Optimistic Futurism is an attitude that will serve our creativity, as it is a logical solution and will not affect our ability to create and innovate. Indeed, a designer equipped with knowledge and experience will be a source of power, having the ability to control his production in a positive and useful way.
As much as our task is to deal with the future, we will be able to increase our creatively and innovation to achieve this end by adding self-belief and a desire to be forward-looking to the mix.
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