Design Session 01

Not everyone agrees on what design actually is--but we all know "moxie" when we see it.  That's what Stanford grad student David Ngo and his partners in crime have.  Moxie.  David's video titled "Design Session 01" is both a little silly and actually quite informative, especially as you get toward the middle and the end.  Why is David and his merry band of design students attempting to define design?  Because despite design's rise in popularity and pervasiveness--it's still misunderstood or misrepresented, and the word design itself will forever carry baggage with it.  Not to worry--the words "marketing" or "brand" also carry baggage--it's just how things are.

But as you get past the first minute of David's video, where he holds up individuals like Philippe Stark and Karim Rashid as examples of what the general public thinks of design, you have to wonder if design has become a victim of it's own success.  Think Target, which has helped bring design into the mainstream.  Everyday objects have been made both desirable and are obtainable.  Design has become accessible.  But the designers behind the designs, like Stark still have reputations as eccentric prima donna's.  One step forward--two back?

Maybe, and maybe not.  I like shopping at Target, but I like what David is doing here even more.  It's not easy putting thoughts like this into a video format.  The production quality isn't the best and David and friends aren't professional actors.  But that's part of the appeal--it's a genuine effort and they had fun. You'll probably learn a thing or two watching the video.  And that's not by accident--it's by design.