The LORD JESUS said:
John 15:12
King James Version
12 This is my commandment,
That ye love one another,
as I have loved you.
If there's one steady thing about my unsteady, varied career in design, communications, and entrepreneurship was this:
I always designed for people.
Everything, whether it's a tiny house, a room, a jacket, a bag, books, a workshop, a letter, a blog, a post -- everything had to be designed to serve people well.
I was designing for living, breathing humans, imagining them happy, and content, without the fuss of having to care over possessions or getting confused about ideas.
I wanted everyone to have freedom of movement, of thought, of enjoyment, of ease.
As a designer, I cringed at the idea the people I serve would have to buy expensive stuff, and left to care for the item, when the item should serve them first.
My heart has always been for the people, and since I was trained in Architecture and Anthropometrics, and did research in Ergonomics, every detail was taken into consideration.
Of course, I could hardly go by the books, as not everyone is of a standard height, or width.
There are nearly eight billion people in the world right now.
It would drive a designer nuts, to chart all the varied sizes of people, in order to design perfectly well for them.
But we, designers, could sure use the rarest sense of all -- COMMON sense.
I also took note of the "flow", wherein I put myself in the shoes of the client, or customer, and took my brain on a spin, visualizing how objects, structures, and policies must serve man.
When I use, or touch certain objects, ride certain vehicles, sit on certain furniture, or go on slick buildings and establishments, I can literally feel the "pinch" on my spirit, when something feels laborious, or uncomfortable.
Such as a delicate cup that will shatter easily.
Or sharp edges of a table, where I imagine a child bumping his tiny head on.
Or shiny, slick, but slippery floors.
I literally shiver at the thought objects and structures would "hurt" people.
Designers must have heart, that's what.
We must not design for our own ego.
That has always been a principle for me, in most everything I do.
After becoming a born-again Christian for nearly a year now, the learning has been exquisite, and ego must not be found, if I serve the LORD of all.
The learning has been taken to the HIGHEST level -- the only level I care to serve my fellow human beings.
All the more design must "serve the needs of man".
I have this common-sense theory, wherein I feel the best designer of homes for families, would be wives who truly love their families.
They'd know the flow, the furniture, the colors, the furnishings necessary for their families.
They also won't ask the husband to spend for what they may not have.
She won't ask kids to have rooms that are more her look and color.
She will make sure everyone's happy and comfortable, and not there to please her.
There is no diva in this humble lady.
We designers must assist this lady every way we can.
Of course, I look at many structures and establishments around me, or the policies that govern us, and again, I cringe, as more often than not, it is to serve the ego of owners, designers, and officials, not really the end consumers.
Where before, condominiums in the big cities where I live are low structures, now they're all towering Babylons.
Where before, the units and rooms are large and spacious, they have become expensive, tiny boxes that cramp their poor occupants -- physically, and financially.
Where before, these units and rooms are sold, or rented, at a fair market price, now, they have soared as high as their Babylonian aspirations, which, to my Christ-centered heart, signify tenant "expiration".
People can't breathe with the high cost of living, as if all you're here on earth for, is to pay rent, or mortgage.
I imagine a lot of heads nodding.
Because I love details that people don't normally pay attention to, I suppose I became a more aware writer, designer, and entrepreneur.
Trained to imagine structures and potential design, I can literally visualize everything, to the last detail.
I owe all that to God, of course, thus, the heavy, initial training, before I could even write this post you're reading now.
I also thank God, that He gave me the heart to really care for people.
Perhaps, that's all I really have.
Not so much the technical knowledge, for I shunned too much high tech.
I left all the structural computations, plumbing details, electrical specifications, to the proper "authorities".
I prefer low tech/high heart, my ears closely attuned to God's heart, not addicted to trends, but focused on how to make people genuinely happy, comfortable, safe, and secure.
Is that at all possible?
For sure!
Be a follower of CHRIST, and He will show you the WAY.
Betcha didn't expect that, huh?
I don't blame you, they didn't teach me that either at Architecture school.
It was all nuts, bolts, until I turned into a nut, and bolted.
Kidding.
Well, kinda.
But I always speak from experience, so you can't really say I'm a pretender.
When you follow Jesus, whether you're a designer, or in any other profession, your heart and thinking will be opened up wide, and you will begin to really, really "see".
You will see what the unawakened human heart can't see.
You will think what the jaded human mind can't think.
You will see through the LENS of the Holy Spirit, the TEACHER of All Things, the One who helps us remember to focus on what matters most -- GOD, and others.
When you reach that point, all your "designs" (whether structures, education, policies, finance, law, clothes, furniture, transportation, reading material, media) will be kind to humans.
That is the ultimate.
To design as GOD would.
I always designed for people.
Everything, whether it's a tiny house, a room, a jacket, a bag, books, a workshop, a letter, a blog, a post -- everything had to be designed to serve people well.
I was designing for living, breathing humans, imagining them happy, and content, without the fuss of having to care over possessions or getting confused about ideas.
I wanted everyone to have freedom of movement, of thought, of enjoyment, of ease.
As a designer, I cringed at the idea the people I serve would have to buy expensive stuff, and left to care for the item, when the item should serve them first.
My heart has always been for the people, and since I was trained in Architecture and Anthropometrics, and did research in Ergonomics, every detail was taken into consideration.
Of course, I could hardly go by the books, as not everyone is of a standard height, or width.
There are nearly eight billion people in the world right now.
It would drive a designer nuts, to chart all the varied sizes of people, in order to design perfectly well for them.
But we, designers, could sure use the rarest sense of all -- COMMON sense.
I also took note of the "flow", wherein I put myself in the shoes of the client, or customer, and took my brain on a spin, visualizing how objects, structures, and policies must serve man.
When I use, or touch certain objects, ride certain vehicles, sit on certain furniture, or go on slick buildings and establishments, I can literally feel the "pinch" on my spirit, when something feels laborious, or uncomfortable.
Such as a delicate cup that will shatter easily.
Or sharp edges of a table, where I imagine a child bumping his tiny head on.
Or shiny, slick, but slippery floors.
I literally shiver at the thought objects and structures would "hurt" people.
Designers must have heart, that's what.
We must not design for our own ego.
That has always been a principle for me, in most everything I do.
After becoming a born-again Christian for nearly a year now, the learning has been exquisite, and ego must not be found, if I serve the LORD of all.
The learning has been taken to the HIGHEST level -- the only level I care to serve my fellow human beings.
All the more design must "serve the needs of man".
I have this common-sense theory, wherein I feel the best designer of homes for families, would be wives who truly love their families.
They'd know the flow, the furniture, the colors, the furnishings necessary for their families.
They also won't ask the husband to spend for what they may not have.
She won't ask kids to have rooms that are more her look and color.
She will make sure everyone's happy and comfortable, and not there to please her.
There is no diva in this humble lady.
We designers must assist this lady every way we can.
Of course, I look at many structures and establishments around me, or the policies that govern us, and again, I cringe, as more often than not, it is to serve the ego of owners, designers, and officials, not really the end consumers.
Where before, condominiums in the big cities where I live are low structures, now they're all towering Babylons.
Where before, the units and rooms are large and spacious, they have become expensive, tiny boxes that cramp their poor occupants -- physically, and financially.
Where before, these units and rooms are sold, or rented, at a fair market price, now, they have soared as high as their Babylonian aspirations, which, to my Christ-centered heart, signify tenant "expiration".
People can't breathe with the high cost of living, as if all you're here on earth for, is to pay rent, or mortgage.
I imagine a lot of heads nodding.
Because I love details that people don't normally pay attention to, I suppose I became a more aware writer, designer, and entrepreneur.
Trained to imagine structures and potential design, I can literally visualize everything, to the last detail.
I owe all that to God, of course, thus, the heavy, initial training, before I could even write this post you're reading now.
I also thank God, that He gave me the heart to really care for people.
Perhaps, that's all I really have.
Not so much the technical knowledge, for I shunned too much high tech.
I left all the structural computations, plumbing details, electrical specifications, to the proper "authorities".
I prefer low tech/high heart, my ears closely attuned to God's heart, not addicted to trends, but focused on how to make people genuinely happy, comfortable, safe, and secure.
Is that at all possible?
For sure!
Be a follower of CHRIST, and He will show you the WAY.
Betcha didn't expect that, huh?
I don't blame you, they didn't teach me that either at Architecture school.
It was all nuts, bolts, until I turned into a nut, and bolted.
Kidding.
Well, kinda.
But I always speak from experience, so you can't really say I'm a pretender.
When you follow Jesus, whether you're a designer, or in any other profession, your heart and thinking will be opened up wide, and you will begin to really, really "see".
You will see what the unawakened human heart can't see.
You will think what the jaded human mind can't think.
You will see through the LENS of the Holy Spirit, the TEACHER of All Things, the One who helps us remember to focus on what matters most -- GOD, and others.
When you reach that point, all your "designs" (whether structures, education, policies, finance, law, clothes, furniture, transportation, reading material, media) will be kind to humans.
That is the ultimate.
To design as GOD would.
Updated 24 January 2022
