Welcome back curious reader
This week was hands-on and fast-paced (which I love), delving into soft goods design. Building a foundation in both shoe design and bag design with learnings that spread across disciplines.
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The highlight was an immersive rapid innovation class on footwear led by Caoimhe Kelly, which unexpectedly focused on design entrepreneurship (YAY!).
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Venturing beyond our usual university setting to the city campus added a new dimension to our learning being prompted to go out and look for inspiration. Also Caoimhe gave the lecture from London, highlighting the global connectivity of education and the oppourtunity to learn from anyone anywhere. Learning on the 4 pillars of design in the real world below (by Caoimhe):
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What intrigued me most about Caoimhe was her personal brand, extending from her portfolio work and teaching to her involvement with startups. I couldn’t help but draw parallels to my own journey and envision being apart of these discussions going from the design studio to board room. Internally and externally you can see this is going to be fun.
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I had questions for Caoimhe about her startup consultancy, particularly regarding her work with shoe design startups and her experience with product design FYP students. Exploring the intricacies of freelance shoe design, I wondered about her approach to collaborating with companies.
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The intense 2-hour window to design a new shoe reinforced the idea that pressure creates design. The discomfort of an inevitable deadline, pushing us to embrace chaos and uncertainty. This pressure-cooker environment sparked creativity, reminding me of business hackathons.
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Through focused teamwork you can create a whole lot in a short while, what we made is not important its how we did it. It was out of necessity we needed to have it done, this creates pressure and pressure evokes creativity and directed creativity is my definition of design. This is seen in 2 other modules we are doing in PDT at the moment. Design visualisation with 3 weeks to learn affinity and present a storytelling poster of a product and also a 4 week project to design and make a bag from scratch while learning how at the same time!
(I just thought that I can’t wait for a lifetime filled with creating, I just need to not let it fly by me)
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Delving into the psychology, I found out what’s behind this. Its called Parkinson’s Law and its in product design. which emphasizes how effort towards project completion seems linked to the deadline. Understanding this concept prompted reflection on setting realistic deadlines for optimal productivity.
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Beyond our class resources this week, I revisited Nikes former C.M.O, Greg Hoffman’s “Emotion by Design,” book emphasizing the power of rapid prototyping in fostering innovation. This book mentions that rushing to refine designs prematurely, stifles good design however rapid ideation promotes creativity. Lessons from Nike’s journey are highlighted in various resources in class this week.
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We must embrace the chaos of ideation, trusting that clarity emerges from the design process. This was seen though out the whole Nike story which I got from all angles this week in the Air movie and of course Abstract The Art of Design: Tinker Hatfield. My favourite resource from this week was about Pensole Academy who also run Pensole Studio. I loved the idea of this business model of the education ‘Academy’ side and the product development ‘Studio’ business side.
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Exploring renowned brands like Nike revealed that the best designs often emerge from experiences outside the studio, emphasizing the importance of immersion and exploration. Such as factory visits, talking with customers, inspiration trips and material sourcing expeditions, this was exemplified by Caoimhe’s diverse experiences such as that she traveled all around the world and lived in Italy. She has been to New York on inspiration trips etc. Speaking of New York Parsons New School Behance projects were brought up by Caoimhe!
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I learned at the end of Caoimhe’s lecture that I will be put forward to go to study abroad in this college, Parsons, in 2025. I am so excited! Touching on why I am so excited: its out of comfort zone, surrounded by world leading design, multi disciplinary design studio, in the centre of New York, fast paced and meeting new people.
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In this intricate dance of design and business, immersion in the design process with emphasis on communication and collaboration is paramount. Internally, we navigate hierarchies and collaborate across disciplines. Externally, we cultivate networks that amplify our impact. The path to clarity is uncertain, yet through commitment, networking and collaboration, we inch closer to our vision, enriching our journey doing what we love and shaping our identities as designers and in some cases entrepreneurs.
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As I navigate this dynamic landscape, I’m constantly reminded that my journey in design transcends mere mastery of techniques and acquisition of knowledge. It’s a profound voyage of self-discovery and personal growth, where I embrace the intricacy of my multifaceted identity. This journey is about charting my own path in the world of design, an opportunity for profound self-expression and being able to leave a ZD stamp on the world.
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Until next time,
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