LCD Weekly Issue - 010 - We asked ourselves questions…
🏔️ Words from the mountains
Hey there! Welcome to another Monday, for this LCD Weekly, we wanted to do something different, so we asked each other two questions regarding Life-Centered Design/design and answered them below. 👇
Jeroen asked Marce:
What do you like most about running a design school in the Spanish Pyrenees?
The Spanish Pyrenees, Jaja! No, but really, what I love about running a design school all the way from the Pyrenees is the connection to the world. Meeting and working with people from all over the globe is truly unique. You feel connected to the design world without having to live in a busy city. You can also be in front of a laptop the whole day, and the next day, open the house door and walk into the mountains. Oh, and I almost forgot! I also love running this school with you and bringing this and other crazy ideas to life!
What is your biggest learning from working on Life-Centered Design?
My biggest learning is that LCD makes you aware. It's like having a superpower of seeing beyond the obvious. You begin to observe, understand, and experience things/life differently. You see through diverse lenses and comprehend that even the tiniest mushroom has a big impact on the forest. You take nature to work with you and advocate for its well-being, as well as the invisible (nature and humans) we never thought about before.
Marce asked Jeroen:
How has life-centered Design changed your life?
Through Life-Centered Design, I got to know people from all over the world passionate about creating a positive impact on the environment and society. Some of whom I can now call friends, which is fantastic.
With the development of Life-Centered Design, I learned that I need to be more inclusive. I need(ed) to do a lot of unlearning as a white male figure of northern European origin. I am aware of my responsibility as one of the leading figures to give attention to colonialism, racism and sexism. And you helped me see these things!
Life-Centered Design is making me an entrepreneur. I have never felt the focus in my life as with running the Life-Centered Design School. I knew I had to shift from being a freelance designer to becoming an entrepreneur. I have to face a lot of my demons, like lack of self-worth, imposter syndrome and networking. Luckily, Chris Do showed me how to be an entrepreneur as a creative. It is a beautiful journey.
What is your dream client/ project?
Two dream projects for the Life-Centered Design School come to mind:
The dream project is Design Camping, a design festival of 5 days in the Spanish Pyrenees, where around 50 designers and design leaders come together on a campsite and practice & learn Life-Centered Design outside in nature.
My dream client is committed to creating long-term impact as an organisation and finds it essential to learn co-creatively and reflectively. By this, I mean that the school facilitates the learning process of Life-Centered Design of the design or innovation team while they work on real-life projects.
🐅 LCD in the Wild - LCD in Spain
This year, we are connecting more and more with the Spanish design community. We are so lucky to meet amazing studios focused on Life-Centered Design, Planet-Centered Design, Regenerative Design, and Sustainable Design. It makes us so proud to live in a country where more and more designers are shifting their practices in favour of the Planet. So, this week, we are giving a shout-out to four studios and their leading designers:
Sngular : Daniela Rogoza , David Alvarez Herreo , Sara Rink
Monnou Design: Pedro Sáez Martínez
We will showcase them more in the coming newsletters.
🪄 Inspiration- Studio Animal-Aided Design
Have you ever heard of animal-aided Design?
Studio Animal-Aided Design is a start-up company resulting from research projects on the role of animals in the Design of open green spaces.
Animal-aided Design is a methodology that reconciles wildlife conservation and urban Design locally by providing ecological knowledge to urban planners in the design format of their profession. The basic idea of Animal-Aided Design is to include the presence of animals in the planning process so that they become an integral part of the Design.
The Brantstrasse project in Munich is the world's first project based on the concept of animal-aided Design. It combines the needs and requirements of humans and animals in urban planning and promotes their coexistence in the city.
🔥 Hot in the school- Free Webinar
FREE WEBINAR!
Have you ever wondered how to include nature in your design practice? Or even how do you give it a voice? Join us in exploring the transformative realm of life-centered design and Non-human personas. Join us Thursday, March 21st, from 12:00-1:00 PM CET. Sign up here.
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That’s all for this week! See you next Monday!
👋 Jeroen and Marce
