Design: Beyond the Surface

Design today stands at a precarious crossroads. As we scroll through curated portfolios on Instagram, scroll-stopping campaigns on Behance, or glittering award showcases, one truth emerges: we are awash in a sea of polished outcomes. But as the design community obsesses over the sheen of final deliverables, the very soul of the profession—its process—seems to be slipping away.

This focus on the final artefact, celebrated and immortalised in likes, trophies, and reposts, has left little room for examining the critical "how" of design. How do ideas evolve? What were the failures that led to success? Which constraints shaped the work? These questions are often missing, leaving the discipline looking glossy, yes, but flat—devoid of depth and rigour.

The design profession is suffering from a lack of opportunity for critical dialogue. Blog posts, often veer toward show-and-tell rather than true exploration. While conferences can lack agency from the sponsors who support them. Discussions rarely challenge the why or the ethics of the work. Too many designers feel like spectators of an echo chamber, and for emerging talent, this only deepens their despair.

For young designers, the path ahead can seem less like a winding, adventurous road and more like a bleak uphill battle. Beyond the precarious financial nature of entry-level roles lies a new spectre: AI. The proliferation of AI-powered design tools promises efficiency but threatens to commodify creativity. What happens when algorithms can generate a logo faster than a junior designer can sketch? The fear is palpable, and understandably so.

But perhaps this moment, as disheartening as it feels, offers an opportunity—a chance to recalibrate the profession. If design is to remain a meaningful and thriving discipline, we must shift focus from the output to the process, and from individual accolades to collective growth.

The work of design has always been about more than producing visuals; it is about solving problems, crafting experiences, and shaping culture. To reclaim this, we need to cultivate spaces for critical inquiry and experimentation. Practitioners and studios alike must place greater emphasis on process—on the messy, iterative, and deeply human aspects of creating. Where the outcome has yet to show itself.

Designers must also confront the AI challenge with curiosity, not fear. Instead of viewing it as a replacement, we might see it as a collaborator—one that demands we sharpen our uniquely human skills: empathy, strategy, and storytelling.

Lastly, the design community must rekindle its appetite for dialogue. We need more critique that questions power structures, probes societal impacts, and elevates diverse voices. There has never been a time like we see now, that culture has been so clearly determined by algorithm, we cannot allow design to follow suit. Awards and social media are not inherently bad, but when they become the pinnacle of success, we risk forgetting what design can truly achieve.

Design has always been an evolving profession, shaped by new technologies, cultural shifts, and economic demands. This moment is no different. The question is: will we let the discipline stagnate in its current form, or will we rise to the challenge of shaping its next chapter?

The future of design does not have to be bleak, but it will require courage. Courage to question, courage to innovate, and courage to believe that design’s greatest value lies not in the artefact but in the act of creation itself.

Join BOUNCE on 9-10th Jan, to engage in critical dialogue in Trinity College Dublin.

More info: www.bouncecreative.ie

Join BOUNCE in Jan 2025!

BOUNCE, a design event like no other, is set to take place on January 9th and 10th, 2025, at Trinity College Dublin. BOUNCE is a celebration of process, of critical discourse–of bouncing ideas, and embracing the craft of design that fuels innovation and individuality.?

This two-day event, crafted by the design community for the community, promises fresh, critical perspectives on the design process, offering designers a unique opportunity to explore, engage, and be inspired. There are two workshops on the 9th Jan to whet your appetite.?

Critical AI for Creatives?led by Martin Gr?dl from Process Studio based in Vienna, which critically examines the effects of AI on our industry and ourselves – and explores practical ways of using AI in our professional creative workflows using Stable Diffusion XL throughout the workshop.

Typography in Liquid Chaos?led by UK based designers Tina Touli and Thiago Maia who will dive into kinetic typography and liquid experiments, exploring both analogue and digital techniques.?

On the 10th you can join our Irish and International speakers who work across design disciplines, from strategic, systems thinking, service and product design, to UX, content and graphic design discussing critical perspectives and fresh approaches that attendees can bring back to their own practice. Featuring Tina Touli, Thiago Maia, Martin Gr?dl, Scott Burnett, Pauric Freemen, Fiona Ennis, Dr. Lollie Mancey, David Joyce, Ger Fox, Aisling Murphy, Kim Mackenzie-Doyle and more to be announced.?

Early Bird and Group bookings are live now over on?www.bouncecreative.ie?along with more?information on both Workshops.