Are you suited for a Career in Design?

The truth is African economies like Ghana’s are generally what can be said to be design deficient.

By design deficient, I mean that there are not enough people whose professional know how is in the area of taking a visual concept from the idea stage all the way to the formal use or consumption stage. This reality can be ascertained from the fact that African countries overconsume goods and technical services from other nations—see the import bills for nations like Ghana and Nigeria—and is cause for an African design revolution. Perhaps more than ever, Africa will need a generation of skilled designers who are able to conceptualise products and services and through this, build a more meaningful existence for its peoples and economies.

Implicit in the idea of an African design revolution is the overhauling of African educations systems. There is a need for African nations to make real world design-based problem solving the focus of African education. Are you good at problem-solving? Design deals with just that: solving problems through the visualisation of ideas and using a formal process to turn form and functional analysis into a real product. This article is intended for Ghanaians, Africans and those who may not know about design but are interested in finding out more. Here is an overview of the design process and profession.

What is Design, really?
Design is a process and profession which allows a person to engage in the visual representation of the form, structure and functionality of a conceived vision.

Design deals with taking concepts that start as written ideas and mental images, and transforming them into material objects through what is known as the “design process”. When one talks of design, it doesn’t mean that you are an “artist” or even a communications pro. It just means that you are someone with training in the area of transforming a concept into reality.

Design Professions
The design professions that are known to man were born out of giftings, creativity, necessity as well as innovation. Another term for the formal designation called “designer” is the term artisan, or someone with special training in arts and crafts. However, whereas artisans work with their hands primarily, design professions are largely about communicating, drawing and constructing material objects for consumption. Design is mind and matter focused. You could say that an artisan has less formal training than a designer. However, artisans are designers in their own right. Here are some design professions you may have heard of:

1. Architectural Design
2. Interior Design
3. Fashion Design
4. Industrial Design
5. Urban Planning
6. Graphic Design
7. Technology Design

All seven of these professional design areas require an understanding of the basics of design in order to learn more advanced concepts. The major emphasis in design is in the area of practical experience and frequently participating in the design process as much as possible. Design is not a theory-focused endeavour. In my own words, I like to say it this way, “We do design and not just think it.”

Aspects of the Design Process
The design process is something that every designer knows about. In fact, every designer can vary the process in accordance with the skill that they are most conversant or naturally gifted with. For example, as a communications professional, I often find myself exploring the functionality aspects of design quite deeply in comparison to someone whose major focus might be preparing technical documents. Nonetheless an all round design education is vital to becoming skilled in the application of the design process. Here are three aspects of the design process:

1. The Sketch
A sketch is what leads to the house you live in. It is the kettle you boil your water with. A sketch made sure that your toilet could function the way it does. Before you bought your cooking pot, it was a sketch. And finally, every time you get an injection, consider that your syringes (needles) were once a simple sketch on a piece of paper.

2. The Technical Document
“Technical”: a simple term that conveys what a group of artists or scientists do when they seek to communicate among themselves or to others about an idea they are working on.

A technical document therefore, is a combination of communication language and medium that allows designers to standardise their approach to building an object. Technical documents include the following: blue prints, mock-ups and even layouts for printed materials.

3. The Construction Phase
Following from technical communication, there is always a construction, manufacturing or fabrication stage associated with the design process. During this phase, real materials such as concrete and stone (for architecture); cotton polyester and linen (for fashion design); or cardstock and polyester paper (for graphic design), are used to bring a vision to life.

Could you be a Designer?
Possibly, design is for you and you are destined to create something that someone can use to ease his or her way in life by getting something done more easily. Designers require training that is often acquired through either formal education or as was formerly the case, apprenticeship with master craftspeople that understand concepts of design. If you would like to be a designer, here are some things to consider.

1. Are you willing to learn to sketch and produce forms using different mediums? Sketching requires practice and constant activity in refining one’s skill at drawing.
2. Can you master a language such as English, Fulani or Evhe? Communication is integral to design. In fact, design requires skills in communicating visually, orally and in written form. Being multilingual is also an advantage in the area of design.
3. Mathematics is a must in doing design due to the fact that one must consider proportions in sketching, as well as things like measurements in technical documents. This does not mean that you need a degree in calculus to become a designer. The reality is quite the contrary.

Again, the Ghanaian and general African economic situation requires a literal revolution in the field of design, something that led other economies to become dominant in the global arena.

Without more designers and professional design educators to meet the need of students and interested persons, the African continent may remain design deficient and highly dependent upon foreign goods and technical services that are essential for building a vibrant economy. Design advocacy is therefore essential in creating an Africa that every national of the continent can be happy to see. Through advocacy we can put an end to Africa’s design deficient economies.

If you are interested in talking about design and the many possibilities that come with pursuing design as a profession, contact me at the following email address: [email protected].The author is a professional designer and communications specialist. He writes on contemporary issues of faith, science, politics, economics, righteousness and reason in the church and beyond.