Designing for a Better World: The Significance of International Design Day

What is design, exactly?

Design isn't just about slapping a few colors and shapes together and calling it a day! It’s a mix of creativity and logic. At its core, design is about finding solutions to complex problems that affect people's daily lives. It is a human-centered approach to innovation that uses the designer's toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the potential of technology, and the conditions for personal and business success. Think of designers as a coin with two sides: objective and subjective. The objective side is all about gathering hard data, research, and facts to get a better understanding of the problem and the solution that people need. The subjective side includes a designer's unique experiences, perspectives, and opinions.

The Solution-Oriented Nature of Design

Design is like a superhero - always ready to solve problems and turn them into exciting possibilities! Designers can develop ideas that are not only innovative but also practical and effective. They can create anything from user-friendly websites and apps to life-changing medical devices and sustainable energy solutions. They have the ability to alter how people perceive their surroundings, design products that make routine tasks simpler and more enjoyable, or even create immersive environments that transport people to another time or place. Design can make people's lives better, make things more useful, accessible, and sustainable.

The Importance of Creativity in Design

Design is like a wild rollercoaster ride - relies on the ability to generate new and innovative ideas to take you on a journey of creative discovery. It all comes down to that innate sense you have when you use your knowledge and experience from your own life to come up with novel ideas and answers. It's about letting your imagination run wild and coming up with notions that will astound people. Of course, it also involves having an aesthetic sense that enables you to comprehend and value the significance of tactile and visual design components in producing an engaging product or experience. Design can make the world a happy, positive and truly remarkable place to live in.

International Design Day

The 27th of April is International Design Day because the International Council of Design was founded on 27 April 1963. On this day, we have the chance to acknowledge the importance of design and its power to influence change. We as designers should think carefully about the welfare of people living in their communities and, to find innovative solutions to local needs by using design as a vehicle to honor diversity and transcend borders.

2023 theme: peace. love. design!

In 2023, the year of Council’s 60th Anniversary, we celebrate International Design Day with a theme that nods to the Council’s legacy as an organisation. Inspired by the activism of the sixties, the theme for this year is ‘Peace. Love. Design!’. They invite us to think about how many of the same problems still exist today, including war, environmental damage and climate change, social and economic injustice. They inspire us to champion feminism, universal human rights, freedom and love for our planet and humanity.

So, don’t overthink it! Design is more than just a job, it's a way of life. Embrace the power of design and let’s change the world for the better together!