Professional Practice vs Capstone, Then and Now
When I wrote and designed my manifesto in July last year, I believed that design was instinctive, emotive and meant to be touched. That belief hasn’t changed, but over the past year, my understanding of how, why and for whom I design has deepened.
“Who Is It Really For?” questioned my creative self on who I am doing things for, and what values am I holding on to which revolves my approach around. They were rooted deeply through my extensive ancestry, which also influenced design choices through the publication.
Now, having experienced life-changing memories with my peers throughout Melbourne and having picked up so many new valuable lessons, both good and bad, I create differently. I designed Uprooting with a fresh, vulnerable approach, renewing my creative intentions.
I tore down walls which were put up a year ago with a mask, to conceal who I was back then. I was not only designing creations, but I was sheepishly redesigning myself to be able to be a top, true blue creative.
Improper Intentions
Chasing extrinsic materials for intrinsic motivation and purpose drove me crazy up a wall. Nights were spent rushing work as each new imperfection came up. My favourite boy cat, Mocha, was a witness too to my breakdowns and stressful times (maybe a little unwillingly, but we still love him very much). I was designing for people to see me and recognise what I can do and how hard I can work. I was designing to make my parents proud of me and for them to show up, as much as they continuously did when my older siblings grew up. Little did I know that with these intentions at heart, I was only running even further away from the true purpose and meaning of design.
To design is to speak to who matters to you, no matter how small of a subset it may be. To design is to do what is right to you, however form they may take, whichever colour palette is being used and whatever typeface you have gone with. To design is not to cure, but to help ignite the conversation. To design is to spark that first touchpoint, where non-creative parties partake in different meaningful interactions with you, the designer, as the middle man. To design is to speak visually, and that right there is the beauty of design.
Seasons of Growth and Evolution
Uprooting displays the changes throughout the times. From anxious, uncertain times a year ago when we started, to a high in Melbourne, to a mellow end to our time as I pick up the pieces after a tumultuous era. Roots go away, colours come into play and kernings become proper.
However one thing remained a constant, my love for film photography. I display my progress through my film photographs as a mosaic of my growth. From spoiled rolls to colourful flowers, my film cameras have seen it all.
At times when I talk to other older photographers, where I ask them for tips and tricks or how to fix a certain analogue issue, the glimmer in their eye when they impart their knowledge and share their experiences is the exact same reason I continue to do all that I do. No matter how hard things might get, no matter how expensive the fix is, no matter how so little people see your work, you continue to do what you do and know best because you are you, and that is completely and perfectly fine. Your experiences shape who you are and the values and principles you live by. You have survived thus far and you will continue to do expertly.
Design by Design and by Heart
Over the year, my technical abilities has evolved. From primarily analogue, handmade processes to exploring more hybrid methods, including digital layout work, zine production and UI/UX principles. My strength lies not in being the flashiest designer, but in shaping design experiences that speak clearly and empathetically to users.
I see myself contributing to a community of practice through quiet, persistent acts of storytelling, whether photographing the overlooked, hosting difficult conversations or lending my voice to heavy narratives in my own community. I don’t aim to be the loudest designer, but I do aim to be one that listens and speaks back through care.
For myself and my friends, we need to remember that even if our design or work is only being seen by one person, we have impacted and changed that person’s life. They are now going to live their long lives having seen what you can do and how well you did it, and that’s what design truly means.
