Questions to think about

- What kind of designer are you / do you want to be?

- What motivates you?

- What do you do not do?

- Is your design work a demonstration of yourself and your capacity to make the necessary choices to bring that basic self to the the world? - How do you want to engage with the world through your design, and thus become a more fully developed part of it?

It helps to have a self knowledge of how you work in more concrete practical terms

- The techniques you most rely on

- New ones you need to develop

- Any regular daily routines that help get work done more effectively

A manifesto is:

- A statement of aims and intentions

- The views of a group

- A public declaration

(manifestos have often been political so can have bad reputations)

My Design Manifesto

• Function is as important as form, form is as important as function

• Have the end user in mind

• Research - gain an understanding for what you are designing before and as you design

• Be authentic - how can you make it different to what others do / have created

• Be rational - if creativity is taken too far then the design wont be usable by anyone

• Be valuable - add to the world to provide something that is needed

• Cause no harm - using my morals, avoid advertising products I see as being 'bad'

• Be eye-catching - make people stop and think wow!

• Work with customers and clients, not for them - keep a two way open dialogue to make the best design possible

• Don't overcomplicate it - sometimes the best designs are the most simple