Reflections on Design
In the last article, “Non-Linear Thinking,” I wrote about how non-linear thinking is the catalyst for my love of designing.
When I am problem solving, I read about something exhaustively, think about it, then write about it and put it into practice in my work to test it. That is the creative-curiosity process that is at the heart of my sense of well being and quest to realise my full potential. I jump in and look at many topics of interest from various perspectives and entry points.
At heart, I am driven to learn. I am known as a person becoming all I am capable of becoming. That happens in the context of a variety of interactions with many different people. The common denominator of all these social connections is each are on a mission to get something done. I use the wide spectrum of knowledge and experience that my life journey has so generously provided, into leading people, mainly in business, but also other organisations, to come into unity to accomplish their mission.
Reflections on Design: Asymetrical Designs
Mads Soegaard, at the Interaction Design Foundation, says: “Whenever we distribute compositional elements evenly around a central point or axis, we’ll make a symmetrical design. A good example of symmetry in nature is the butterfly; its right and left sides are highly similar to each other (although not identical).
Conversely, asymmetry is the absence of symmetry of any kind. Whenever we make a design that consists of elements that we’ve distributed unevenly around a central point or axis, we’ll consequently have an asymmetrical design. We can exploit asymmetry, using it to draw attention to areas in the design or to convey dynamism or movement.
In the bread packaging graphic I have shared with this article, you will see how we tilted the company logo to catch the shopper’s eye at the point of purchase on the grocery store shelf–asymmetry.
I design more “unevenly” in my life most of the time. Of course, I have learned how to design symmetrically to fit into traditional command and control organisations, through the years, to make money. As Maslow taught, we also have to survive. We have to make money, put food on the table, pay bills, and have a roof over our heads, and a place to sleep before we can move on to safety needs, love and belonging, esteem and recognition, and self actualisation.
I know I was designing as a child playing outside building in the snow and the dirt in an around my yard. I once burnt down the field between our house and the neighbour because I did not think I could easily mow it. I prepared contingencies to put the fire out in case it got out of control, and figured out the time when the least people would be apt to see what I was doing–2.45 pm.
Reflections on Design: Formal Design Learning
In the 1980s, I had some trained graphics designers teach me. I was working in our family printing business where I learned all about graphic layout and design, vertical cameras and negative making for plates to be used on presses. In those teen years, I was also an aspiring musician and writer. From 1989-1992 it was my quest for meaning (anthropology and theology), purpose, knowing (epistemology), reality (metaphysics), and living a good life (ethics and well being) that drove my intellectual pursuits. From 1993-2000, while founding a faith-based non-profit and working in middle management in the wholesale auto auction industry for ADESA, my hobby was building computers, websites, and coding simple programmes (all self taught). I had no idea I had stumbled into the tech revolution of our times.
My friend Randy Johnson ran the IT at the District Court in Buffalo, and gave me a 386 computer with modem, got me on the internet, and a Buffalo Freenet email. For the next five years, I became a tech geek. I often look back at why I didn’t do that full time or want to get a degree in IT. I was designing websites. I was designing business and community development plans. Looking back, I see I was doing both linear designs (like this business blog and website), and non-linear designs. Later, when Stanford developed their Design School, I knew about it, and took their design thinking course after reading an article about design being the new MBA.
Reflections on Design: Food and Package Design
Fast forward to 2007-2016. I got a linear thinking degree–an MBA. As President of a food manufacturing company, I was blessed to work with a team of creative, innovative product designers as we launched new pan breads, energy bars, a biscotti line, and more.
In food, I knew people often say they eat healthy foods, but secretly practice indulgence. I also knew that quantitative market surveys used to measure attitude and behaviour were the source of predictive errors in product development, and many other business decisions. Harvard Business Review has a great article, “Linear Thinking in a Non-Linear World.” This is a great introduction to non-linear thinking in consumer, workplace performance, and business in general for executives and managers.
I love what Whitney Hess says, because it resonates so well in my heart:
Design is a process of inquiry, innovation, and iteration. We apply the philosophy, principles, and methods of product design to designing careers and culture. This gives us an effective and reliable framework to make informed decisions and create new realities.
________________________________________
I have dedicated my life work to seeking leaders who want to realise their full potential, starting with themselves, then their organisations, to be our clients. My experience as General Manager, CFO, and CEO in the USA and now Australia, aims at providing trusted resources and advisory generating better decisions, and designing thriving organisations better serve their customers, their companies, their communities and themselves. My life’s mission is lead business leaders and their teams on the journey of growth, reinvention, and sustained exponential growth. We would call you to have a chat, but we don’t know your number! We look forward to meeting you soon.