During the Cumulus conference in Hong Kong I had the opportunity to learn from Designers and educators around the world about their visions.
The global culture atmosphere of this event and inspirational talks made me reflect about our own school practices, the value of design and the legacy on others. Exploring new design purposes was the main topic of the event and the activities scheduled were related to those new approaches used in design. These new methods are the result of a more global consciousness mind shift and the call in our field for a more human centered design approach.
I also had the honor during the conference to meet Patricia Moore who is considered one of the most socially conscious designers in the world. Her references to social design were remarkable and made a lasting impression on me. Her call for a more humanistic approach to design aligned very well with the principles of our own“Safe Niños” project, which was exhibited during the conference and highlighted for its empathic approach.
At the same time that I was sharing insights of our project with other design educators, I learned how empathy is considered the driving force for social impact around the world. I am very proud to have represented the team and the work we have produced at this studio: a beautiful example of learning directly from people and keeping them as the hearth of the project.
I hope our group in Hong Kong inspired other people in the design community to make even greater work and that the “Safe Niños” publication will make its way to schools around the world where creative understanding could make a difference too. Our job as educators is not only to communicate a process but also to help others succeed and bringing out our work to the world is a way to delineate the path for others to impact more people.
Cumulus conference has been a great space not only to share and celebrate the team’s work but also to inspire and be inspired!