Natural Born Designers

It occurred to me this morning that we are all designers.

Take getting dressed, for example. There’s function (let’s hope) and form. We have to wear clothes because society – and our natural tendency to cover up – says so. But what we wear depends on our taste. We design our bodies with clothes to say something about ourselves. How we comb our hair. Make breakfast. The way we drive. Some of us take great care while others don’t even bother. It just is. Which leads to my point: we are all designers.

Design is an inevitable by-product of our daily routine; some of us – including me – help it emerge as beautifully + as efficiently as possible.  

Respect the Architects

If you ever wanted to know what goes into designing a shoe at NIKE, this is a must see.

This a story about Tinker Hadfield, the man who designed shoes like the Air Max. Originally trained as an architect, he was hired by NIKE in 1981 to design their corporate headquarters.

Four and a half years later he was designing shoes.

From the inspiration to the criticism he faced as a designer, this video inspired me as an information designer to push the limits. I hope it does the same for you.