Framing is elemental in the design thinking method – how we perceive a challenge goes a long way to defining the solutions that will emerge from design practice. My project is to reframe design as an expression of our adaptive instinct. This instinct has propelled a small band of individuals on the African savanna a hundred thousands years ago to cover our entire planet with a kaleidoscope of cultures that are as rich, diverse and ingenious as the human spirit.
I am currently working independently. This gives me the time to range widely through the rich and fascinating past of design and think deeply about its future. But creation is nescessarily collaborative, and so I welcome opportunities to present my work-in-progress and engage in collaborative dialog that will sharpen my frame, extend my thinking and, no doubt, produce a richer, more engaging story.
My medium is illustrated talks that are designed to stimulate, provoke and engage my audience in dialog that is mutually inspiring. Please contact me if you are interested in hosting me at your institution.
Design. A Creation Story for the Anthropocene
Design, Design Thinking, Design Consciousness, and How We Will Design the Future
We are living in transformational times. We no longer believe that the universe was created as we find it by a willful God. We are coming to terms with the fact that we live in a world of day to day experience that is largely of our own making. Our design decisions impact every facet of life. Everyday reality is what we construct out of our imaginations. This awareness is changing how we think about the promises of our technologies and the significant risks they present. Design Consciousness is the awareness of our agency to shape the things we create to suit ourselves.
Neil Goldberg is a 40 year veteran of design, having worked in the furniture industry and running a leading innovation agency in Silicon Valley. He has observed and participated in the unfolding of design practice into design thinking.
In this talk Neil will begin to extract a new creation story out of the long evolution of our adaptive intelligence. This has most recently manifested in design discipline as we know it today. At a time when our limitations lie not in what we are able to create, but whether we can arrive at a clear vision of what it is that we want, he will offer a story of creative agency in which design is woven into the fabric and institutions of society faced with unprecedented opportunities and confronted by urgent challenges to wellbeing and even survival.
This talk is a element of my mission to raise awareness of the creative potential of design beyond the traditional design disciplines – which will be essential if we are to rise to these challenges.
