In November 2014, an Amsterdam round-table meeting said of successful design practices: “It is better to listen to the landscape and its inhabitants, and include that information in the development of a project, but, in the end, you must follow your own ideas and fascinations to achieve powerful work.”
Ideas and fascinations have always been a driving force: from digital educational experience to motion graphics to experimental AR designs. I am a proud generalist who uses design to communicate, either through interfaces, video, print, presentations, or even walking tours.
In pursuing new opportunities, I evaluate against three core beliefs: craft, conscience, and play.
In craft, I find a commitment to skillful creation extremely satisfying: design systems that mathematically snap into place, animations that elegantly express ideas, and also local problem-solving that defies colonial design orthodoxy.
In conscience, I am eager to use my design powers for good. Part catharsis, part public service, it gives my work more meaning and adds challenge to creative expression. I was heavily influenced by the time I spent studying and working under Milton Glaser who, amidst big budget deadlines, always found time to use his rainbow color pencil to sketch posters for causes he believed in.
In play, I remind myself to slow down, to experiment, to be comfortable being idle, and to, as the Eames advised, invite “serious play” until ideas are absurd and then, at last, they work.
SSPROCKETT is a design practice driven by autonomous ideas and fascinations, and built around craft, conscience, and play.