Inclined toward design since high school, I had rather youthful incentives to pursue it as an occupation—combining artistic talent with a penchant for making things, and wanting to make things look cool. Thereafter, arriving at thought٠full design has been a life journey, embarking somewhat superficially but gradually becoming a conscientious quest thereafter.

Following a gap year gaining street smarts after high school, university taught the creative process, production methods, and presentation skills, along with imparting Louis Sullivan’s pervasive dictum, “form ever follows function.” The first years of employment in California design consultancies brought stimulating projects and revealing market research, which also exposed concerns with mainstream capitalism.

Ultimately recognizing how I too—just as the consumers I studied—had been shaped into a rather materialistic byproduct (or “buy product”) of my societal surroundings, I began questioning my own values and became more sensitive to what and why I was designing, as well as to who I was designing for.

Exploring broader boundaries personally and entrepreneurially then expanded my character and creativity. And nearly two years of intercontinental travel would instill a poignant appreciation for timelessness, connectedness, and humbleness in stark contrast to the cultural norms I’d known—idolizing the trinity of new, near, and now, revering self reliance, and enjoying abundance on demand.

As an American roaming around Europe and the Near East, my interpretation of time itself changed exponentially—morphing from merely hundreds, to think in thousands of years. A sense of national isolation and personal independence shifted into an awareness of regional cooperation, related origins, and supportive, social dependencies. And presumptions of instant gratification gave way to gratitude, empathy and respect for resilience amid scarcity.

As those insights pertained to design, I observed that eternal principles within our collective humanity appear in a constant flux of outward forms, individually and communally. And each form then sets our expectations for experiences in the future, near or far. As Charles Eames once noted, “Eventually everything connects—people, ideas, objects . . . the quality of the connections is the key . . .”

Hence, I began to favor that which evokes our subconscious similarities—our desires for control, belonging, hope—to prosper larger populations for longer periods, rather than whatever promotes faster profitability for fewer people.

This notion recalls additional aphorisms of the 20th century pioneers of industrial design, who called for minimalism and dedication to a higher purpose. As attributed to the master of modern architecture, Mies van der Rohe, “Less is more.” and, “God is in the details.”

Thought٠full design of any kind thus arises through an omni-contextual awareness that transcends a user profile template or statistical demographic, to include precedents, places, and other people, while portraying deeper traits and respecting wider implications.

Through intimate attention to the greater influences and human nuances of a product or service, that interaction becomes more than a sum of its parts, to effect people at an emotional level that leaves an endearing, heartfelt impression far surpassing utility alone.

Punctuating that point, another icon of architecture and design, Frank Lloyd Wright, believed that “Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” Concurring wholeheartedly, I connote that assertion in teaching university design students, “Form + Function = Feeling”.

Associating this favorable feeling to the brand that provided it then leads to repeat patronage, referrals among friends, and praiseworthy feedback on social media which all propel an organization’s growth and—ideally—greater, worldwide wellbeing.

That lofty, inclusive goal can only be achieved, though, through greater commercial, social, economic, ecological, and political commitment to principled and purposeful investment. While the privileged, world minority remains preoccupied with electromechanical advances to presumably improve quality of life, the remaining majority in privation quietly subsist to live.

So, whose life is being improved—and where, and how, and why, and at what cost to whom?

I recall with admiration, Curt Anderson—owner of Compass Design who hired me as a recent grad—rejecting a contract to design a rifle, being averse to instruments of violence. I believe this is the ethical level of judgement calls that we should all be making. More than one present, world crisis accents the imperative to collectively focus resources on the sources of issues where they really matter, rather than attempt to resolve the repercussions later.

For instance, we seem to have all the technology to protect, feed, clothe, house, educate, and employ all humanity. And yet, we don’t. Why? Because too many of us still position the problem from a local rather than a global world view. But, moving from me to we, to attend to the welfare of others outside our own vicinity, we find new opportunities for innovation and for humanity.

So, if our goal is truly to improve quality of life—including all lives—where is the integrity in developing ever more, advanced technology? Using ‘manifest destiny’, ‘exploration inspires’, and ‘technology trickles down’ justifications to pursue digital entertainment, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and space commercialization for the minority, begins to strain moral muster given the facts on the ground.

Imagine if the trillions of dollars and millions of skilled people involved in those industries were devoted to protecting, feeding, clothing, housing, educating, and employing all people instead.

That—would be inclusive, empowering, principled, and purposeful investment.

Looking forward, then, to reposition ‘human centered design’, perhaps my philosophy could be deemed ‘humane centered design’ to convey the holistic scope of my hopes for humanity. Contemplating that next step, the farther reaching venues of humanitarian and economic design impact are currently in my view.

In the mean time, a few snippets of thought·full designs shown in detail elsewhere, are shared in brief below.

LUMA  | Serina

An environmentally conscious, futon platform bed headboard features a dimmable backlight inspired by the gradual glow of dawn and dusk, to soften spontaneous needs for night time illumination or to intentionally set a romantic mood.

INTEL  | Islamicool

A culturally derived, mobile device form factor for the Middle East market segment expresses a person’s sublime remembrance of the sacred, reinforcing their higher aspirations while offering applications that enable their daily traditions.

QASID  | Housing Hospitality

An accommodation service algorithm for study abroad students addresses their electricity budget anxieties and occasional payment contentions, to calculate projected power bills for residents, empowering them to lower their consumption and their costs while easing the transaction process with accounting too.