Task 5: Design for life

Task 5: Design for life

Phillip Stark’s television series is a competition of young designers to win a spot in his design firm for a period of time after the content. In the first episode Stark states: “we must have less and less product”. Stark’s approach to testing them involves asking them to find objects that have specific meaning. One student finds an ipod case and Stark deems this object “useless”. He wants to see what new insight they can convey through innovative thought. He says: “we don’t speak about design, we speak about creativity”.

Stark wants the students to be able to present their ideas. He claims this is his claim to success. He has them go out into the world and put themselves in others shoes. He also teaches them the importance of deadline. He wants his students to come up with affordable sustainable products that can benefit everyone. To help humanity achieve it’s potential.

I found Stark’s approach to his competition an interesting way to weed out designers. I was initially surprised at how little they knew of common design skills such as design sketching. Some of the students who were already working at design firms at good ideas but poorly communicated them. And I was surprised at how easy some of the tasks were. If Stark were to come into our design class he would be impressed!