Branded Reinventing the Ecosystem of Design By Will Novosedlik

In an exhibition of its students' work, Emily Carr University makes a compelling case for the integration of design disciplines. William Morris would have been proud

While in Vancouver recently I had occasion to drop into the Degree Exhibition at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and was quite taken aback by what I found there.

First of all, it was not the show as advertised in the poster or documented in the catalogue. I was expecting it to be dominated by fine art. But while there was some outstanding fine art on display, the design was what caught my attention. 

It was made memorable by its multidisciplinary integrity. I haven’t seen this kind of cross-disciplinary collaboration in too many other post-secondary programs, much less the real world. There were several projects in which industrial, graphic and interactive designers clearly worked together to solve the same problem. 

The birthing chair depicted above is a great example. The chair itself challenges the traditional position in which most hospital births occur, supported by plenty of positive evidence, the most compelling being that it reduces birthing pain by 50 per cent. It is a minimal solution that delivers maximum impact, a classic case of "less is more." The visual identity sends all the right "caring" cues, and the information graphics are clear and instructive. The online experience echoes the simplicity of the chair itself, as well as the warmth and clarity of the graphic design. Its clear that the designers, Joy I-Lo Tai (ID) and Venus Fung (CommD), viewed the solution as an integrated experience.

This kind of multidisciplinary collaboration echoes the model originally proposed by the Bauhaus, in which all creative disciplines were seen to contribute to a holistic design practice. You not only designed the building, but the furniture, the interior decor, everything down to the spoons and forks, and then promoted it through communications imbued with the same philosophy and aesthetic. This was a mutation of the multidisciplinary approach exemplified by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Emily Carr appears in some senses to be reinventing this model for the digital age. 

The Bauhaus vision did not really mirror the realities of commerce, where disciplines, as well as manufacturers, tend to be siloed and specialized. Consequently, it never really got much traction in the real world. But that was almost 100 years ago, and the real world has changed. The silos that define so much of business and culture are the legacy of a closed industrial society. We are now transforming into a more open, networked society that demands collaboration and rewards cross-fertilization. Suddenly the multidisciplinary model dreamt of by William Morris and Walter Gropius begins to make more sense.

Not all the projects on display employed the industrial-graphic-interactive hat trick. The image above depicts a design that allows the user to extend the use of smaller furniture to create larger items that will accommodate more than one sitter. Called “Cuca,” the design, created by Ana Luz Mejia Guerra (Masters), respects the constraints of those who live in small dwellings with few possessions in Mexican villages, and demonstrates both empathy and ingenuity in doing so. The cushion is detachable and can be hung on the wall with decorative effect when not in use. The clever but simple silhouette in the background that illustrates usage demonstrates both an economy of form and of production, while getting the point across plainly. Victor Papanek would have been proud.

Here we have interactive and graphic design working together to create a seamlessly integrated experience for children learning about bees (created by Marcela Huerta [CommD]). Imagine adding a social layer to this and the potential for broader engagement is significantly amplified.

These pieces address a world where both products and the messaging used to sell them have been enfolded into a shared, networked experience. Though not depicted here, many of them were focused on health issues, safety issues and environmental sustainability – all areas that require cross-disciplinary collaboration and intense user engagement. Exploring the potential for orchestrating a multidisciplinary design response to these challenges is, to my mind, exactly what an applied arts program should be doing. Good on Emily Carr.

—Will Novosedlik has worked on brands both as a consultant and as a client in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. These brands include Nestlé Canada, Corby Distilleries, Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, RSA Security, Bata International, Deutsche Telecom, Butterfield and Robinson, Telus Business Solutions, Vodafone and The Reitman Group. Recently, Novosedlik led the brand communications and customer experience teams that launched the WIND Mobile brand in Canada. He currently works as the VP Design Thinking & Brand at Idea Couture.