Week 3 - Connecting practice with society.
We are bounded by a myriad of societal and environmental issues, some impacting us more than the other. It takes one’s consciousness to be aware and empathise on how they impact us. As next-generation designers, we could make leverage of our design background for a quality of life for the society. Packaging designers, for instance, have collaborated with environmentalists to make sustainable environmental products.
By actively conversing with the community, we can also share resources with other professionals to seek creative solutions, for the betterment of the community. Design would have to come from a user-centric perspective, which encompasses the care and concern for our community (Eddy, 2025). Through these limitations comes meaningful and well-thought solutions.
As a graphic design student, I have plans to spark a change through my expertise at hand. One thing I find useful in alleviating this would be the rise of counselling/therapy apps. Though I personally don’t think that online therapy is a substitute for people rejecting mental health practitioners, I like the idea of making a platform through UI/UX and then befriending and reaching out to people in need (Refer to Fig 2).
Author Tom Borrup has cited many creative practices for the betterment of the community. But as myself in a design student context, one thing I could do as recommended in his books, is to promote stewardship of public places (Borrup 74, 2011). In my daily life, I noticed that some people actually treat void decks like a dumping ground for their bulky furniture. Unauthorized dumping should not impact the safety of other residents. I think as a design student, I can come up with design deliverables to further enhance the safety of the residence staying nearby.
(Word Count: 277 words)
References in MLA 9th edition:
Eddy. “Design Thinking: A Problem-Solving Approach for Graphic Designers.” RMCAD, 3 Apr. 2025, www.rmcad.edu/blog/design-thinking-a-problem-solving-approach-for-graphic-designers/.
Borrup, Tom. “Chapter 3, Building Social Connections through Arts and Culture.” Turner Publishing Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 2011, p. 74.
Nestle, Nestle. “Milo Switches to Paper Straws for a Cleaner Planet | Nestlé CWA.” MILO Switches to Paper Straws for a Cleaner Planet, 22 Feb. 2021, www.nestle-cwa.com/en/milo-switches-paper-straws-cleaner-planet.