I guess if I had a firm answer to that question then studying this degree wouldn’t be as interesting as it’s been so far. I can tell you now that any motivation I had for choosing this course at the start of the year now seems irrelevant having completed first semester and all that went with it. What drives me one week will, in all likelihood, be vastly different to the next based on what I experience in day-to-day life. Because of this, I cannot begin to imagine what might motivate me in three years time when I am (hopefully) nearing the end of studying Industrial Design as an undergraduate. If I had to narrow it down at all, I guess I could say that it is the variety and limitless possibilities of design that are leading me in this direction. To be any more specific about my ambitions would be, in my opinion anyway, somewhat naïve. That is not to say I believe having goals is unrealistic, just that following them too precisely can distract you from that fact that your personal goalposts are constantly moving.
What drew me to Industrial Design in the first place is kind of difficult to pin down. Before enrolling at UNSW I had studied Aeronautical Engineering at The University of Sydney for two years. I can’t say that I look at the time as wasted because it taught me things about both engineering, and university in general, that have no doubt helped me in my time at UNSW. It also taught me that 30 page maths assignments weren’t my cup of tea and that if I was to complete a university degree, it would have to be something more hands on and practical. It was then that someone suggested to me that I look into Industrial Design. Having originally possessed only a vague notion of what it entailed, I found that it seemed like a logical step from the Graphic Design and Design Technology that I had studied as school, plus ran somewhat parallel to my fascination with drawing things, building them and then discovering if they worked as planned.
At this point, I couldn’t say what I think my future in design might involve. What I can say however is that as a designer, I hope to work in an industry where being responsible with design is something that becomes as natural as colour schemes or production processes. Hopefully in the future, “environmentally friendly design” is something that can be assumed, and not some catch phrase that marketers have thought up to play on consumer guilt. I would like to think that by the time I am turned loose in the design industry, this can will be more of a universal mantra as opposed to a series of hoops and obstacles that need to be jumped through and negotiated. Whilst I am sure that there are many out there who already work in this way, for designers to remain a respected part of the community, it needs to be adopted by a vast majority to achieve the intended result.
Whilst much of it may seem like thinly veiled cynicism, I can’t help but feel myself that my decision to undertake an Industrial Design degree has been vindicated by the amount I have enjoyed myself so far. Each time I read, write, draw or make something involved in this degree, it seems as though I have found something that think I could continue to do for years into the future.
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