Make Shape Change

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A short film about design, seen through the world around us.

Design surrounds us in so many ways, we often forget it’s there. When it’s quiet, it’s often working well by not calling attention to itself, much like a comfortable chair. When it’s frustrating, like pulling on a door that should be pushed, it’s not often our first thought to wonder if the design of the doorknob had something to do with that frustration.

This short film is an explanation of design in our everyday that illustrates how immediate changes to the design of things can affect our experiences. It uses a beautifully simple line illustration by Johnny Kelly, that’s playful and full of possibility, to pose simple questions, like, how does the position of a window affect a home? Or how do signs organize directional information in a way that is quick and clear? Or how can I place tables in a shared space to get the best use of that physical space? And encourage happiness? It doesn’t use any words until the very end, reminding me of Tinybop’s quiet way of sparking curiosity in everything we make for kids.

Make Shape Change was commissioned by Pivot Dublin to help educate young people on the impact they can have thinking about design. The accompanying website does a nice job of introducing the many design professions and activities for further exploration in the real world. I’ve often wondered how different a world we would live in if design was introduced to children in earlier curriculum. I’m hopeful a film like this can inspire a child to think about design’s potential to change the world we live in.