this is not a design blog

My thesis will not focus on providing easy solutions to social issues, but will instead use design to illuminate and draw attention to them, in a voice that is appropriate for the medium being utilized and the audience that is affected. My thesis will not be a mere aesthetic exercise. Instead, it will be an attempt to create design that engages public, social and urban issues. My thesis will not be limited to a single format, such as posters or a website, but will instead be multi-modal and exist across different media platforms, from analog to digital, 2D to 3D, and from pixels to paint. My thesis will not be created in a vacuum, informed only by my personal opinion, academic background or viewpoint, instead it will be collaborative and cooperative, with feedback from others in the discipline of social design directly informing my design direction and project development.

My thesis focus will not be a single take on this important subject, but will instead be framed as a series of investigations or probes which form the basis for my inquiry. My thesis will not be confined to an academic setting, but will utilize site-specific installations to engage the audiences affected by the public, social and urban issues that I am exploring. My thesis will not live only in a design context, but will be put into the public sphere to engage the audience affected by the issues that are being illuminated. My thesis will not be transitory and end with my final installation, but will instead be collected into a cumulative publication that relates the different projects into one overall body of work and investigation.

My thesis will not be an empty promise of easy solutions to difficult problems, wrapped up in a beautiful but ultimately empty design. Instead, it will cast a harsh light and create discourse around a difficult subject area that deserves more attention beyond the affected population.