Design Prosody

"To be independent for the comforts of life, we must fabricate them ourselves...He therefore who is now against domestic manufacture must be for reducing us either to dependence on that foreign nation, or to be clothed in skins....Experience has taught me that manufactures are now as necessary to our independence as our comfort". - Thomas Jefferson, during the War of 1812 These words ring just as true today. Rachel Slade offers an informative and engaging take on free trade economics and manufacturing history in her book Making it America, The almost impossible quest to manufacture in the US (and how it got that way) I highly recommend this book to anyone in the product design or manufacturing sector. #madeintheUS#Domesticmanufacturing

Although this book is about regenerative agriculture and the dangers of industrial farming it's hard not to notice the similarity in the challenges faced by American manufacturing. The book tells the story of Will Harris and his journey to reevaluate his farming practices and then the impact it had on his town, county, and industry. The opportunity for America to rebuild its manufacturing and make more of the things it consumes can have a positive impact far outweighing its cost in dollars A conversation Will Harris recounts in the book describes a fellow farmer and friend commending his efforts and philosophy but counters with "You can't feed the world this way". His response was "I don't think it is my responsibility to feed the world". What if we look at our manufacturing and supply chains with a similar lens? To frame those same questions about how and why we make things. There are critics of American manufacturing returning and I certainly agree that there will be significant challenges. America has a track record for overcoming challenges. It wasn't that long ago that American-produced products were the standard for high quality. We can do it again we just need more people to give a damn. The role of Industrial design has seen many evolutions over time and I see its future as reframing how and why we rebuild our domestic production. We can't build it back the same way it was. It's people like Will Harris who are boldly inspiring the change we need with action. https://lnkd.in/ez6Qf7Wx

2023 felt like a bit of a sea change for a creative leadership class that had moved into top design roles at many companies. What started as a trickle of outreach last Fall turned into a steady drumbeat of former colleagues reaching out to re-connect and reflect on their purpose, mission and the uncertain value of their hard-won experience in the current economic climate. I recognize that this is a community with extremely diverse backgrounds, experience and professional journeys. But, something collective is definitely happening that seems to transcend the basic reality of the latest economic cycle. What is the continuing role for specialized design leadership in business? Like many of you, I have been taking stock on the current state and what the path ahead looks like for many peers and friends, particularly in the coming age of AI. I have also been delighted to see a wave of new efforts to bring this community together and harness their creativity. So I used some time over the holiday break to step back, reflect and follow this story. The result is a two-part series over at Fast Company. The first part, which launched today, is my attempt to offer some observations on the current state of play and how we got here: https://lnkd.in/e3HTckks The second part, which will go live in another week or two, looks at the proliferation of new platforms, networks and resources that are emerging to support this creative leadership diaspora, including: Neol, Design Leaders Community, Design Executive Council, Chief Design Officer School and others. I am extremely grateful to so many talented leaders and friends who have shared their wisdom, worries and whose journeys informed and inspired my thinking about the future of this incredibly talented community, including: Doug Powell, Lindsey Mosby, Greg Petroff, Scott Nazarian, John Rousseau, Denise Gershbein, Katrina Alcorn, Rachel K., Rob Magowan, Tim Brown, Kwame Nyanning, Liz Danzico, John Maeda, Thomas Mueller, Maria Giudice, Justin M., Ben Sheppard, UX Collective, Peter Merholz, Rosenfeld Media, Ryan Rumsey, I do not know if this story has been captured anywhere else, so it is my hope that this will increase the space for reflection. #designleadership #designleaders #uxleadership #designvalue

I think it is easy to point out the problems with the way we produce and handle waste. When reading articles like this it is easy to be discouraged but another way it can viewed is that there are many opportunities here. There is a lot of potential for innovation in how think about and process our waste. https://lnkd.in/gyEnvJMM