We have curated our key takeaways from the conference to share with you because we believe sharing is caring.<\/p>\n
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1. Creative Impact: Equity in Information and Experience Design<\/strong><\/p>\n Community organizer, scholar, researcher and designer <\/span>Jessica Bellany<\/span><\/a> is from the neighbourhood of Smoketown, Louisville <\/span>Kentucky<\/span>. During the Obama administration, dilapidated community housing in Smoketown was targeted for destruction and replacement. People were kicked out of homes and unable to afford new places for living. As Jessica put it, \u201cdevelopers came in with swollen money bags…\u201d These developers loved that Smoketown was next to the downtown core of Louisville and tried to prime the area for further development. Jessica responded by designing infographics and with the help of volunteers, she began handing out brochures to inform and educate her community. During later development meetings, Jessica felt like she had given her community a weapon. Suddenly people were able to speak up and argue with real facts against further development that might have further displaced people from their neighborhood. As a viewer, I felt so inspired by listening to Jessica\u2019s story. This is what good design has the potential to do. It can help empower people to move what might\u2019ve seemed like an impossible mountain.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. In Regards To Beauty<\/strong><\/p>\n Leland Maschmeyer<\/a> has a bone to pick with the phrase, \u201cBeauty is in the eye of the beholder.\u201d He was tired with how that phrase would just stop the discussion from going deeper than just the surface. Utility often trumped beauty. Leland considered <\/span>anti-design<\/span><\/a> and talked about the grunge era of the 90’s when design was put through a shredder and heroin chic ruled the fashion world. Leland pointed to a lot of historical people and movements of design including <\/span>brutalist architecture<\/span><\/a> designer <\/span>Louise Khan<\/span><\/a> who is quoted to have said, \u201cIt isn\u2019t architecture till you\u2019re hit by the light.\u201d Essentially we understood from Leland that beauty caters to our deepest spiritual needs. As the finite contacts the infinite\u2026 beauty is mediation.\u00a0Beauty pulls us out of our narcissism and connects us to mystery.\u00a0Beauty has the power to rearrange and break old narratives for new understandings of our place in the world. I found it particularly impactful when Leland showed us a video that just showed people\u2019s facial reactions to the most recently uncovered painting by Leonardo Da Vivinci:<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.lodestardigital.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/1-jessica.png\")
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