JONATHAN CLARK \
GRAPHIC DESIGN

Massive Change

The idea that design can literally change the world is both both beautifully idealistic and painfully burdening. As designers, we are tasked with the responsibility of creating the identity of movements, products, and lifestyles and being able to sell these ideas to the public. Design pushes movements, it is the force that brings people together and seduces the public to accept or reject ideas, movements, and products. We as designers posses the responsibility to push communication to the outmost limits. As technology advances and parts of the world which could have never been reached are now wirelessly connected to facebook and twitter, designers have the abi

Massive Change

The idea that design can literally change the world is both both beautifully idealistic and painfully burdening. As designers, we are tasked with the responsibility of creating the identity of movements, products, and lifestyles and being able to sell these ideas to the public. Design pushes movements, it is the force that brings people together and seduces the public to accept or reject ideas, movements, and products. We as designers posses the responsibility to push communication to the outmost limits. As technology advances and parts of the world which could have never been reached are now wirelessly connected to facebook and twitter, designers have the ability to impact the world in ways never before able to be imagined. 

How do we eliminate poverty housing and homelessness in the city of Philadelphia? 

After weeks of research and talking with professionals in the field, specifically social workers, case managers, and housing coordinators, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not so much about getting people off the streets, it’s about keeping them off the streets in the first place. Currently, in Philadelphia, there is an alarming rise of homeless teenagers, most of which are in this situation due to opting out of the foster care system.

Some background: When adoptable children reach a certain age - roughly 5-6 years old, their chances of being adopted become basically nonexistent. They are then placed into the foster care system and bounced from household to household. A report from the Center for Housing Policy shows that children who move multiple times from the ages of 4-15 have a lower likelihood of finishing high-school. At age 18, they are able to opt out of the foster care system. Children who are brought up in this unstable of an environment end up having health issues, both physical and mental as well as many other problems functioning properly in society.*

A possible solution to this problem has to be able to address the following problems: Give foster kids a stable environment, Provide an incentive to stay in the system, Empower and enable kids for future successes. 

My solution:

I’ve attempted to solve these problems through a workshop & apprenticeship program called Framework. which provides training in the design and construction of low income housing. By providing kids the opportunity to design and possibly even build a stable, safe, and simple living environment, they gain pride in their own space and are empowered to succeed. College credit, scholarship incentives, and apprenticeship certificates are awarded with the completion of the programs, giving at-risk youth an incentive to stay in the foster system and have career opportunities for a successful future. The structure of the program is designed to be flexible enough to incorporate other disciplines such as auto-repair, agriculture, food preparation, hair/makeup styling, and other skill based vocations, with the intention of giving back to the community.

* http://www.nhc.org/publications/index.html

Who’s Influencing Whom?

…And Who’s Benefiting?

Integrated supply and demand, Market economies, corporate accountability - I feel like I’m back in Marketing 101. These are all excellent topics of discussion over a glass of pinot, but what do they have to do with being a designer?

Well, firstly, I think the book has it wrong. The book implies that corporate giants have The Power. I think this is a flawed view of corporate responsibility. In fact, it is the consumers that hold the real power.

Is it really good enough that only 1% of starbuck’s coffee is fair trade? What would happen to the world economy and the lives of farmers in impoverished countries if starbuck’s made a commitment to have 10%, 50% or 100% fair trade product? 

The fact that walmart has the lowest prices, and they keep falling, is a great selling point and a necessity for many low-middle income families. Many people would not be able to afford or purchase products such as necessary sanitary products or fishing gear or nascar hats if it weren’t for the walmart down the block. But is the saving of a few dollars really worth the cost of poor production standards, inhumane working conditions, and unethical business practices? The problem is not that walmart does not want to improve these things, the problem is that as consumers, we dont care.

With the advances in technology and a focus on being able to produce gecko shoes, are we really using this technology to better our world? The science is there, there are numbers and statistics to prove it: Humans are Smart. But who is influencing whom, and who is benefitting? 

Why do we not use our “smartness” to question corporate practices and bring on true Massive Change. Why are we content with 1% when we can have 100%? Why are we satisfied with the extremely poor quality in the products we buy, only to replace them and have them fill our landfills? 

So in conclusion, the book states that corporate giants have the power to bring on massive change. Maybe, in fact this statement is true, but only if we as consumers are willing to forfeit our own power.

Massive Change

The case studies and concepts presented in this week’s reading, Massive Change, is extremely relevant to the design and ideation process in which we are all currently involved. I was especially interested in the program which enabled those that are homeless to tend to parks and in return, exchange waste material for food and travel vouchers. Obviously this type of system would have issues to be worked out if it were to ever be implemented in Philadelphia, but the concept is so ingenious in its simplicity.

Another concept presented in the book that speaks to me is the idea that urbanization is more efficient that suburbanization and urban sprawl. The idea is simple really: the more tightly grouped objects, people, housing, spaces are to one another, the more efficient the  entire infrastructure will ultimately be. There will be a reduced need for transportation, less space unused, less wasted material, etc. I think the idea of searching for the most efficient use of our resources is not only an important one, I think it is fundamentally vital to our longterm sustainability.