The topic that was presented to them was on how design could present itself as an answer to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues, such as climate change, and whether countries could unite together based on their similarities.

As each speaker attempted to share their thoughts, the noise in the room continued to drown. Perhaps it was the intoxication of the alcohol that got the better of the crowd, but it was obvious very few were actually paying attention to the wisdom of the stage.

The rowdy group were none other than fellow designers with years of expertise under their belt, and none of them were listening.

Does rationality trump emotion?

It’s a shame how courtesy is a very humane trait but often abandoned when there are different objectives, such as socialising, However, to technology, it is noise, and wouldn’t know how to rationalise. This is because whatever output comes out of the conversation are most likely positive discussions. So how would a machine know about the precarious situation? This is why good design doesn’t rely on big data. Good design rely on thick or clean data.

Interestingly, data has a multi-dimensional aspect to it. One can determine how much decibels there is in a noisy room. Range and duration can also play a part too, but where it gets interesting is the meaning behind the noise. As words are put together, interpretation comes about with the formation of words in a sentence. Responses are generated when a dialogue takes place, and sentiments can be collected depending the nature of the conversation.

Sentiments. How we evaluate the quality of emotions based on two inputs: whether it is positive or negative. In design, we often see this as a graph with a happy and sad emoji along a customer journey map. Once we pick out the pain points and gains, we map the emotions on a 2-axis graph and mark it as complete.

It’s a shame how the industry feels the same about this too. How often do we see emojis in customer feedback forms and rate our emotions along a 5 point scale? Thus, the worldview of emotions and business are predominantly centred around these 5 circular shapes. At least visibly.

Words among noise

With great difficulty, the legendary designer picked up the mic to give his response. Part of the reason for his difficulty was due to the language spoken. Being native Japanese, he had to glance at his script in his phone to share his thoughts in English, which is commendable given that he is fast approaching his seventies. It did require the audience to pay extra attention to each word that he spoke. The following words are some of his verbatim that could be heard:

The rise of Taylorism and STEM

The thinking mind is often viewed as a prized possession among the human race. Without doubt, many inventions lie in the complex formulas and know-hows that led to the advancement of technologies.

At some point in history, the feeling mind were viewed as an important faculty too. Although viewed in the area of the arts, the ability to make deep observations and connect abstract concepts also brings about great innovation too. Therefore, the cultivation of the feeling mind is important.

However, our educational system indoctrinates analytical thinking, partly due to the pseudo scientific management of Taylorism. As mass production kicks in, optimisation and productivity become the rule of thumb, and rigorous thinking takes over. In a previous article, I argued about how adding A for Arts and R for Renaissance to form the word MASTER could be a reform in our education system. Evidently, STEM education continues to be the dominant discipline taught to students.

But feeling is different. It’s simultaneous. The feeling of the chair, the carpet, the drink, the flushness of your face and temperature of the room. It can all be felt at once.

A sliver of design exercises

Only in design schools could we understand how the abstract topic of feelings could be expressed in design. Through various design exercises, our design tutors provided us opportunities to express feelings.

One particular exercise was to use squares to express a particular meaning in an abstract world. To the thinking mind, he may have picked each square and label them with an attached association, but misses the point by thinking every square needs a name. To the feeling mind, he may assembled all the squares in a particular order that expresses an associated word, like ‘serenity’ or ‘dangerous’.

In another exercise, we had to pick two distinct objects and show the metamorphosis in 6–7 frames. To the thinking mind, he may have picked two objects that are directly related together, like a milk bottle and a cocktail mixer, but misses the point of fully expressing the object through every curve and shift of the two forms. To the feeling mind, he may choose two objects that have various elements that fit the overall semantics. For example, the playground swing morphing into a howling gibbon is a more interesting choice because of the movement, the anatomy, and the squeaking rusty sound of the metal with the loud howling from the monkey’s vocals.

And if you cannot feel anything, you cannot be creative.

The same could thus be applied on any object: a chair, a music player, theatrical play or graphics, but Bauhaus did so by integrating a community of artists working together. Through practice. Through dining. Through merrymaking. Through learning. There were no gender divides, which was rare at the time of the 1920s for women to have an equal voice in the studios. That voice became a common language for the Bauhaus movement. It became amplified after the apprentices became masters and cyclically influenced new masters, such as Dieter Ram. They also influenced the foreign visiting students, who later brought their learnings back to their countries. Some even form schools to adopt a similar practice. One such country is Japan.

We need to have a shared feeling as a common language.

The essence of Kōsei was the sharpening of the senses and observing of daily life. By picking out the daily structures of everyday life and redesigning them through the examination of human activities with the lens of nature and social connection, everyday problems can be solved with the roots of Bauhaus principles of technology and phenomenology.

Sadly, although Kōsei was directed towards the architectural disciplines to rouse new ways of thinking, due to the Japanese political climate in the 1930s of a top-down authoritative government, Japanese Bauhaus thrived for a short period of time before the Shikenchiku Kōgei Gakuin closed its doors. It did, however, gain attention in Japanese art education through the supervision of Fukujiro Gōtō, head of the Art Education Association.

Without thought or applying affordance. This has been Fukasawa’s lifelong pursuit as he layers sensory cues with the subconscious mind. One of his most famous pieces, Muji’s wall-mounted CD player, demonstrated this view perfectly. Somehow, the pulling of the cord attached to the CD player felt familiar. A memory of feeling cold wind brushing your face from a fan is now replaced with the twirling of a CD and the melody of nature from a Muji soundtrack. One could say that it was precisely that design icon that propelled Muji to become a popular global brand.

The allure of that familiar feeling is what makes design so powerful among people. Partly because that feeling can be shared, both simultaneously but also all at once as a community. Alas, the master’s words truly reflect the hidden value from within. Perhaps using design feeling is indeed the better phrase than design thinking.

As climate change, geopolitical tensions, and economic stagnation continue to plague the world, creating endless consumption of new technologies isn’t the answer. Neither is the Taylorism of increasing productivity with better thinking the answer.

We will need more “feeling” vocabulary where sharpening of our senses and emotions goes beyond rudimentary 5-point scales of satisfaction. We often boxed emotions in a corporate setting. We prescribe behaviours rather than observing from the start. And so we find it hard to unpack the concept of love, charity, and honesty to expand on other values beyond numbers. We also find it hard to capture such attributes into our objects.

Design exercises, such as Bauhaus and Kosei, prompt us to look beyond the squares, curves, and pictures. Because amidst the noise of the world, there is the silver lining of words spoken by a design master, waiting for the next set of design masters to provide their world-changing design solutions to the world.

Works cited

1. Bußmann, A. (2024). Otti Berger. Fembio.org
2. Casciato, M., Fox, G., & Rochester, K. (n.d.). Bauhaus
3. Umemiya, H. (n.d.). Naked Functionalism and the Anti-Aesthetic — Articles — bauhaus imaginista. Www.bauhaus-Imaginista.org
4. Naoto Fukasawa. (2007). Naoto Fukasawa. Phaidon.
5. Yeo, D. (2022, May 14). It takes a village to raise 5-year-old designers — UX Collective