Design daydreaming

Today I find myself reading Henry Dreyfuss' 1950's book, ‘Designing for People’, whilst basking in the warm summer breeze of Shanghai's architectural seafront. In awe of one of the most beautifully designed skylines in the world, I came across a passage inspiring the subject of this blog post:

'To look ahead one must learn to look back. Discovering in the past how many dreams of the ancients have come true, we can be hopeful that the scientific prophets of today, with their spotless, efficient laboratories, will be able to dream as accurately as did Leonardo (Da Vinci).'

-Henry Dreyfuss

The way in which Dreyfuss refers to creative dreaming here is really interesting. As a design thinking advocate, I suppose one could say it really got me thinking about the way in which we think. More often than not, thinking tends to produce what already exists. We think about somewhere we have been, but we dream about somewhere we would like to go. As such, the language used when we intend to think about the future could indeed conjure an entirely different stream of ideation to that of dreaming about the future.

A dream in the mind albeit less ‘tactile’ can produce virtually anything. This is because our dream environment is a fluid one; one in which your creativity can run a mile or an infinite number of miles because there is essentially no end. The extraordinary thing about dreaming is that it allows us to enter a space that does not even really exist. Where else could you be more creative? In our wildest dreams, our suitcases have wings, our shopping trolleys can talk to us and humans don't have thumbs so how else can they hold a cup of coffee?. Dreaming may seem like an illogical and unusual style of thinking but in today's age of technological advancement, I like to believe that the impossible is only impossible until it isn't.

Since moving halfway across the world to work in China, I have led weird, wonderful brainstorms and created 3D manufacturing plans for products that we have only imagined someone might one day use. Although it is often the case that we first find ourselves in a deep slumber before truly allowing our subconscious to run wild, perhaps as designers and storytellers should start dreaming with our eyes open. After all, my experiences thus far have shown me that out of broken rules and cracked norms can erupt some truly game-changing and disruptive innovation.

Let's dream bigger and design better,

Simbiat x

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From June to September 2019, I am working as a Product Designer in China, whilst also continuing to perfect my Mandarin proficiency at the Chinese Royal Language School. Any free time I have left, I have dedicated to writing this blog so thank you so much for taking the time to read it! I continue to learn more everyday and would strongly welcome any feedback. Please feel free to leave a comment below or reach out via the contact form.

Warmest regards,

Simbi