Endlessly fascinated by the nuances of the companies he works with, Douglas Wills of Meta4 Design believes that designers are in an enviable position of being able to learn about a diverse group of industries.
06.27.07
Explore, Search and Discover—from Your Chair
What's currently your favorite site/project? Google Earth!
What's so great about it? I'm a simpleton. I can't get enough of Google Earth...I have wanderlust...and this is a great way to satiate it. Seriously, I believe this is one of many great metaphors for visualizing the Web and connecting people. It satisfies the way I always wanted to surf the Web...now I can truly stroll through the streets of some exotic destination, sample the local cuisine, gaze upon a beautiful vista, watch a locally produced documentary, etc.
It may connect people in ways that we have not yet dreamed of. It takes design where I want it to go, beyond page decoration and into the complex solutions that can change the world. And that is what it's all about: changing the world, not licensing it.
What makes it technically compelling? It's more like what makes it technically daunting. I can't imagine the next steps Google may have to take to give the user access to real time imagery (or closer to real time). I think the world will need to become a kinder gentler place before that happens, but I can dream.
How would you improve it? Or would you? Ensure quality co-creation of content available for a diverse world. Don't commercialize it to the point of turning-off the user base, but make money so it will continue to be successful.
What's your job? I'm a design strategist (at the Institute of Design we called it design planner) at Meta4 Design, Inc. in Chicago.
If you have a degree in what field is it? I received a bachelor's in finance from Michigan State University I am also fortunate to have a Masters of Design Methods from the Institute of Design at IIT (founded by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy of the Bauhaus).
How did you get involved in this industry? I have always gravitated toward problem-solving and aesthetics. I need to solve problems that can help change lives; design has the power to do that. So I guess you could say, the industry found me.
What's your biggest Web (design) turn-off? Arrogance.
Who, in this industry (or not), has been your biggest inspiration? Ross Lovegrove. Not that he is directly connected to my profession, but I am inspired by his passion.
What's the weirdest thing you've bought online? A rubber blowfish to hang on my nanny's rear view mirror.
What do you do in your spare time? Enjoy the presence of my four children; play my guitar (Heritage 157 with Fender Hot Rod amp); travel; attempt to stay out of trouble; keep up with friends. Sometimes I switch up the order.
What music are you listening to right now? Jagged by The Old 97's.
What product/gadget can you not live without? A white board. OK, fine, my cell. No, make that my MacBook Pro. Damn it! Don't take any of them from me!
What's your dream computer set-up? Twenty of the latest generation MacBook Pros (with maxed out RAM) coupled with the biggest damn monitors they can support along with twelve hotshot designers and eight geeked-out programmers to make those systems sing! (The geeks can bring along their PCs for testing if they want.) Twenty because I need to build big projects and I design through others ["Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood..." Daniel Burnham]. In the end, I know that it doesn't matter what you have on your desk, unless you have a rock star to play it, you will end up with crap!