Reflection. Week 1

Design and the human condition is the new course we were introduced to this semester and we had our first session on Friday, September 4. We were introduced to design and technology upgrades throughout the years. I personally joined the classroom thinking it’s going to be just another theory class but after an interactive session of listing down our current and future plans, I realized there’s a whole another side to communication and design.
In general, we all were limited to a set of career paths, but upon discussion, we were introduced to Global aspects of design scholars, service designers, and other design fields and how Pakistan’s creative economy has evolved over time. The question that kept me thinking and engaged in learning throughout the class was that how a third world country like Pakistan has people with an understanding of different new emerging design fields compared to the US that has these options for the past 20, 30 years.
Global changes and technological advancements have not only introduced us to new disciplines and fields but also provided design practitioners with an opportunity to become, scholars, teachers and researchers of design.
Technology has a huge role in human development. The dramatic change that followed by the invention of internet broadband, updated devices like tablets and smartphones resulted in digital advertising taking over the world. Everything is like a click away. Previously when it took days to compile design was now practiced on Adobe software and would be ready to print in an hour. I realize how Photoshop had limited access back in the early 2000s, but now in 2020, we have apps like “Snapbridge” that transfers a photograph from your DSLR to your phone in seconds, to editing them on “Snapseed” all on a 6-inch screen. This brings me to thinking about a question discussed in class, how Pakistan couldn’t keep up with this advancement at the same pace as any other country. For the longest people considered graphic design as an advertising role. In a world where people were designing software, games, tv shows, UI/UX software, and more, we were still living in the stone age of design working on advertisements only. But that has changed over time and in this era of design students and young learners are developing awareness about the different roles of a designer.
Another major discussion was on glocalization. The impact of the design and design field on both local and global aspects. While discussing this topic with Ms. Tazeen I understood how a Glocal Design would be a great addition to problem-solving design, where a designer can design its product to promote its culture and society.
The idea of this course seems to be different and encouraging for new research and development, this can help us understand the global and local impact of design. This topic of discussion can help us be aware of how a design can influence people around us and what can we as individuals should design so it doesn’t bring out the negative point of view in any way.

Ammarah Sohail