somewhere new

26/02/2020

We were somewhere new this week. After what frankly doesn’t even feel like a month Week 5’s class brought us to the Johnson & Johnson EMEA Development Centre. Not knowing this place even existed on campus or that it was less than 5 minutes away on foot made everyone (myself included) curious. The room was spacious and very fit for the VAST creativity that is design. And with that the 4 hours, 20 minutes of design, design, design, design, design, design….. had begun.

Being given a few sustainable briefs I suppose you could call them our group settled on “Zero Hunger” thinking it’d be easier than the others, encompassing more than just sustainable energy and being broader. This did not turn out to be the case. Was very difficult to pick an idea, myself wanting to focus on infrastructure such as irrigation or even communal connections (roads, rail, etc). As CEO of this “start-up” I decided on powdered food. Being CEO is hard. ReNute became our brand name, using first world food waste to help third world malnutrition problems. What was so interesting about this exercise was applying our young brains to problems that seem way out of our reach and understanding while also thinking of a business model that would become profitable. Our focus on ReNute was the global connection between first and third world countries, making the powdered food available to everyone anywhere. First world for profit, third world for charity.

Going back to the title of this blog “somewhere new”. In terms of design a different or unknown place can be a great source of inspiration whether it’s simple ideation, development or a brand new concept altogether. Going to a new or different room can open worlds of creativity. In comparison to the usual (studio, library, bedroom) your new work area might have more natural light (or less) which can change colour. Colour is 100% affected by light and the way we perceive it as a result. Colours can be warmer due to most lightbulbs giving a soft golden hue. The simple difference of colour I find can be inspiration in of itself. Personally the natural world is a great source of inspiration that I take great pride in using. Birds are the descendants of dinosaurs so it’s only too obvious just how long they’ve been evolving to perfect their bodies for their required niches.

In the same way that a change of scenery can be an inspiration it also applies as stimulation. Even travelling for a bit (though not too far: a certain virus) can freshen the head and optimise your work flow because creativity and design is all about getting into a flow that you’re comfortable with. Having a nice setup such as a cup of tea by your side, a clear desk space for you to scatter yourself across and maybe music (strong or mellow). Though I always believe in taking breaks, maybe for a few minutes or even a few weeks I feel it is just as important to always come back.