Micène Fontaine, August 23, 2022
What does your work add up to? What does it mean or say about you, your design practice, your values, your priorities, and your purpose? For many of us, our identity is closely linked to our work, title, and what we put "out there." Yet, the most common response we get to what we do: Crickets.
So when design blog swissmiss shared an excerpt from Seth Godin's post "Crickets," it resonated with me. As humans, we tend to seek a sense of purpose. Even though it's arguably the wrong place to look for purpose and meaning, work is where we often look for it. At least I do, and that is probably why I felt drawn to the work of Needlab's founder Sameera Chukkapalli Holmes whose words linger:
"Our designs optimize for impact."
These five words that greet you when you visit Needlab's website carry purpose and meaning aligned with the work they undertake. I immediately wanted to bottle that and share it with you. Firstly as a reminder that your work - as architects and designers who design with purpose - affects people profoundly. Secondly, to invite you to partake in a simple exercise. Designed to help you be intentional about the way purpose, meaning, and your design vision manifest in your work, the "Five Es" exercise explores five design dimensions.
If you need additional guidance, check out Needlab's founder Sameera Chukkapalli Holmes' session "Architects and Designers OF the Community" part of our Change by Design series.
And, of course, I can only leave you with words of wisdom from Seth Godin and crickets.
"The body of work you're creating adds up over time. The consistency and empathy of your vision will seep through. Drip by drip, you'll create something worth noticing."
Think about it 🙏
