From Problem-Solving to Planet-Healing: A Designer’s Shift

What Is Design, Really?

When someone says “design,” what pops into your mind?

An iPhone? Cool sneakers? That one logo that feels just right?

Fair enough. But that’s just the shiny stuff on top.

Design isn’t just about how things look — it’s about how they work.

It’s in the way your grandmother grips a spoon. How a kid opens their lunchbox. How you try not to get lost in an airport.

Thing is, Design is invisible — until it fails.

Good design? You don’t even notice it.

Bad design? You remember it forever. Like when you walk up to a door and can’t tell whether to push or pull. You hesitate, try the wrong way, feel a bit silly — all because the design didn’t guide you. That tiny moment of confusion? That awkward dance ..That moment stays with you.

From Just Fixing to Actually Healing

Today, design isn’t just about solving user problems. It’s being asked to do something bigger — to start fixing what’s broken around us too. Our communities. Our environments. The planet.

And that shift? It’s not just about cool ideas. It’s about thoughtful ones.

It’s not just about innovation. It’s about intention.

We’re All Designers (Kind Of)

Ever folded a piece of paper into a makeshift fan when the power goes out? Or Painted a wall with whatever you had lying around? Turned your too-big jeans into something wearable?

That’s design.

But does that make you a designer? Not quite. Just like handing someone a tablet doesn’t make you a doctor.

Design takes practice, mistakes, observation, and a lot of trial and error.

It lives somewhere between art and science, between gut feeling and thinking it through.

It’s your left and right brain doing a little dance.

And Why Design?

Because the world keeps changing.

Cultures evolve. Moments surprise us.

Design is how we respond — not just with solutions, but with sensitivity, imagination, and care.

When the familiar no longer fits, design helps us reimagine how we live, move, heal, connect, and belong.

It’s not just about making things work. It’s about making them matter — to people, to the planet, to the times we live in.

And honestly, maybe the most important question a designer can ask is this:

“What will this leave behind?”

Not just for users — but for the world.

That’s where regenerative design comes in. It’s not about “doing less harm.” It’s about doing more good. Proactively.

A Spoonful of Thought

Let’s talk about something simple: the spoon.

It once evolved from being a twig to wood, then ivory, and then metal. Then came plastic spoons — light, cheap, and everywhere… until we realised the damage they were causing.

That’s when Narayana Peesapaty, a researcher in Hyderabad, thought: “What if the spoon could be eaten?”

He quit his job, sold his house, and made it real. That’s design with a conscience.

Some Designs Don't Need Fixing

Take the paperclip for example. It’s over 100 years old. Three loops of wire. That’s it. Still holds papers. Still iconic. Still the symbol for attaching a file.

Or the little hole on the cap of a Reynolds pen? It’s there so if a child swallows it, air can still pass through. Tiny design. Life-saving impact.

That’s the beauty of good design — quiet, clever, and deeply human.

Let’s Talk Clay Pots and Cool Design

Now, what about ancient designs that still work beautifully?

The Indian matka (clay water pot) is one. It cools naturally, costs almost nothing, and decomposes back into the earth. It’s ergonomic, sustainable, deeply rooted in tradition and has stood the test of time — no updates needed.

In a world chasing modern water solutions, maybe the answer’s been sitting in our kitchens all along.

This is the heart of indigenous regenerative design — where form, function, and Earth coexist.

Road Signs That Confuse Us

Picture this: you’re at a crossroads. Two signs, opposite directions, both say “City Center – 5 km.”

You pause. Is it a loop? A mistake? Is someone messing with you?

Now imagine you’re on a highway. Suddenly — boom — five signs stacked on one pole: speed limit, exit warning, turn instructions… all shouting at once.

You squint. You panic. You miss the exit.

Bad road sign design doesn’t just confuse you — it throws your brain into overdrive. Good design? It guides you. Effortlessly.

Design Isn't Just a Skill- Its a Responsibility

We’ve been taught to Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

But maybe that’s not enough anymore.

What if we designed things to restore the earth? To replenish what we’ve taken? To repair what’s been hurt?

We don’t have to invent these values from scratch. They're stitched into our cultural memory — in old kitchens, village rituals, and local crafts.

Remember banana leaf plates at weddings? Stitched with twigs, used once, and then back to the soil. No plastic. No landfill. Just nature doing its thing.

We already knew how to design with care. We just forgot for a while.

Here’s where a line from Cradle to Cradle strikes a chord:

“Everything else is designed for you to throw away when you are finished with it. But where is ‘away’? Of course, ‘away’ does not really exist. ‘Away’ has gone away.” — Braungart & McDonough

Truth is, nothing really goes “away.” It just lands somewhere else.

So maybe the next time we design something, we ask:

• Can this return to the earth?

• Is this good for more than just one person?

• Will it still be relevant tomorrow?

Design is power. And everything we put into the world now shapes the world we’ll live in later.

Let’s not rush to build the next big thing.

Let’s build things that actually care.

Let’s not only do less harm — let’s design for healing.

Let’s design like it matters — because it does.

From solving problems to restoring balance — that’s the designer’s shift.