No object, no matter how small, is designed in a vacuum.
Design is in close conversation with other complex forces like labor,
the environment, our planet’s resources, technology,
communities on a local + global scale,
and future generations as well.
All of the decisions a designer makes
have an ecosystem of impact
that reverberates far beyond the acts of ideation + creation.
Historically, design has centered the human experience.
The value of a product has come from its beauty
and/or its ability to make life ‘better.’
But when we design solely with humans in mind,
it is all too easy to forget
that humans are not the only ones affected by what we make.
Can something be truly good design
if it’s bad for the planet, wildlife, local communities + workers?
The truly beautiful is one + the same with the truly good.
~Kalon
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