I'm interested in projects that are focused on building meaningful relationships and strengthening communities. I strive to engage in a collaborative, research driven design practice, which recognises the important role that design plays in shaping the world around us. I’m thrilled by any opportunity to deep dive an obscure topic whilst putting into practice my skills in digital and print publication, creative direction, and general content creation.
Contact Zone — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
A series of five interviews with multidisciplinary designers, whose research and practice explores the role of design in addressing the complex social, cultural, and environmental challenges we face today. They offer advice for recent graduates and reflect on their experiences as designers, whilst discussing education, design culture and the future of design.
The ‘Contact Zone’ Major Studio brief asked students to conduct primary research into an area of personal interest related to a social, cultural, or environmental issue. With my time as an undergraduate design student nearing an end, I took this as an opportunity to interview some of the designers who have inspired me thus far, in the hopes of gaining further insight into what it really means to be a designer, and the skills it takes to be that designer responsibly in an increasingly complex world.
How might we create a design culture capable of supporting designers engaged in complex systems change? How do we continue to learn and develop as designers? How can we practice design that has the potential to transition us all towards more desirable futures?
The interview questions were as follows:
01. How do you define design?
02. How many years have you been a designer and how did you find yourself pursuing a career in this field?
03. What is one thing you are proud of designing and one thing you regret designing? Why?
04. What's one thing you’ve learnt from a mentor and one thing you’ve learnt from someone you mentored as a designer?
05. What do you wish was taught to more design students, or focused on more heavily in design education?
06. If you had one small piece of advice for a design graduate what would it be?
07. What question about design do you not have the answer or answers to yet? What are you currently asking yourself?
08. What question do you wish I had asked you?
09. Please share three reading recommendations. Something you frequently return to, or something you've only recently discovered.
The ‘Contact Zone’ Major Studio brief asked students to conduct primary research into an area of personal interest related to a social, cultural, or environmental issue. With my time as an undergraduate design student nearing an end, I took this as an opportunity to interview some of the designers who have inspired me thus far, in the hopes of gaining further insight into what it really means to be a designer, and the skills it takes to be that designer responsibly in an increasingly complex world.
How might we create a design culture capable of supporting designers engaged in complex systems change? How do we continue to learn and develop as designers? How can we practice design that has the potential to transition us all towards more desirable futures?
The interview questions were as follows:
01. How do you define design?
02. How many years have you been a designer and how did you find yourself pursuing a career in this field?
03. What is one thing you are proud of designing and one thing you regret designing? Why?
04. What's one thing you’ve learnt from a mentor and one thing you’ve learnt from someone you mentored as a designer?
05. What do you wish was taught to more design students, or focused on more heavily in design education?
06. If you had one small piece of advice for a design graduate what would it be?
07. What question about design do you not have the answer or answers to yet? What are you currently asking yourself?
08. What question do you wish I had asked you?
09. Please share three reading recommendations. Something you frequently return to, or something you've only recently discovered.
I. Explore by designer — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
The first section allows you to read each designer’s interview in full.
II. Explore by question — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
The second section collates the designer’s responses by question.
III. Explore the library — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
The library contains books, articles and videos recommended by the participants.
Digital Publishing — Wormholes & Hypertext: Chatbot
Beginning with a single Wikipedia article, the ‘Wormholes & Hypertext’ project asked students to explore how we interact with texts since the advent of the hyperlink — providing an opportunity for non-linear exploration of narrative, storytelling, and information retrieval through a series of links and associative trials.
‘Wormholes & Hypertext: Chatbot’ invites you into conversation with the Machine to learn about the history of chatbots, artificial intelligence, and what it means to be a Human.
‘Wormholes & Hypertext: Chatbot’ invites you into conversation with the Machine to learn about the history of chatbots, artificial intelligence, and what it means to be a Human.
Digital Publishing — GeoGraphics: Objects in Orbit
Inspired by Benjamin H. Bratton’s political and design theory titled ‘The Stack’, ‘GeoGraphics’ is a 56-page collaborative book exploring technologies' role in today's society, its pervasive reach into our lives and its ongoing effect on our planet. Each Digital Publication student designed one chapter focusing on an individual topic related to the theme. These chapters were then developed further as websites.
The ‘GeoGraphics: Objects in Orbit’ website allows users to explore the space launch logs from 1957 to 2021 — highlighting the Apollo 11 mission, the International Space Station, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GPS), Earth Observation Satellites, and the growing threat of Space Debris. A primary goal of the design was to encourage playful interactivity and as such it includes video live streams, interactive maps, and draggable objects.
Chapter A5: Objects in Orbit
The Stack's users are not limited to this planet. An ever-increasing number of satellites orbit above our heads, watching, collecting, and communicating an infinite amount of data. They spy on earth, recording high resolution images and video, modelling and mapping terrain. On behalf of governments and private corporations, they monitor the weather, atmosphere, climate change, gravitational fields, agriculture, the oceans, urban environments, and all of Earth's citizens. Satellites connect all users of the stack, human and non-human alike, via radio, television, phone, and broadband internet, making almost no place inaccessible.
Since the first satellite was successfully launched by Russia in October 1957, more than 11,000 satellites have reached orbit. There were 3,372 active satellites orbiting the Earth when 2021 began, and by the end of April — only 119 days later — there were 7,389. Every object larger than 10cm in orbit is assigned a 9-digit Satellite Catalog Number, of which there are currently over 48,000, and their location is live and accessible to anyone who wishes to follow along online.
The ‘GeoGraphics: Objects in Orbit’ website allows users to explore the space launch logs from 1957 to 2021 — highlighting the Apollo 11 mission, the International Space Station, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GPS), Earth Observation Satellites, and the growing threat of Space Debris. A primary goal of the design was to encourage playful interactivity and as such it includes video live streams, interactive maps, and draggable objects.
Chapter A5: Objects in Orbit
The Stack's users are not limited to this planet. An ever-increasing number of satellites orbit above our heads, watching, collecting, and communicating an infinite amount of data. They spy on earth, recording high resolution images and video, modelling and mapping terrain. On behalf of governments and private corporations, they monitor the weather, atmosphere, climate change, gravitational fields, agriculture, the oceans, urban environments, and all of Earth's citizens. Satellites connect all users of the stack, human and non-human alike, via radio, television, phone, and broadband internet, making almost no place inaccessible.
Since the first satellite was successfully launched by Russia in October 1957, more than 11,000 satellites have reached orbit. There were 3,372 active satellites orbiting the Earth when 2021 began, and by the end of April — only 119 days later — there were 7,389. Every object larger than 10cm in orbit is assigned a 9-digit Satellite Catalog Number, of which there are currently over 48,000, and their location is live and accessible to anyone who wishes to follow along online.
Amelia Stockman, Contact Zone — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
Amelia Stockman, I. Explore by designer — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
Amelia Stockman, II. Explore by question — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
Amelia Stockman, III. Explore the library — Perspective: Interviews on Being and Becoming a Designer
Amelia Stockman, Digital Publishing — Wormholes & Hypertext: Chatbot
Amelia Stockman, Digital Publishing — GeoGraphics: Objects in Orbit
