About to submit my Stanford application. Just finishing up my last application -- would appreciate some last-minute feedback!
Nearly everything in this world is designed -- and design is not only how something looks; it's how it works. But few things are designed well. What is designed well is what makes the world amazing. One of the most salient dimensions of who you are as a designer, is simply the way in which you view the world -- we look at something, and think, "Why is it this way? Why is it this way and not that way?" And through this lens, we always search for improvement.
Earlier this year, I read Steve Jobs's official biography. No question, it is a wonderful book. But what really struck me was the degree at which I was emotionally impacted. I realized that Jobs, Jony Ive, the entire Apple organization -- they're part of the reason I love design, the reason I was able to make it this far. But more importantly, Steve Jobs is the reason I thought I could.
Prior to reading Jobs's story, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. I wanted to major in business. But I realized -- I don't want to sit exclusively on the business end. I want to be on the creative and technological side, too. I want to be the designer who creates the next iPhone, the next MacBook Pro, the next iMac. I want to create something amazing, for everyone -- something that everyone can enjoy, something that everyone can appreciate and revel in. And I'm not sure that I would have discovered this, had I not read the tale of Apple, Steve Jobs, and Jony Ive.
What matters to me is excellence. Not only in design, but if I do something, and it isn't great, and I can't make it great, I'll throw it out, and start over. This is what makes design special, unique almost ... the possibilities are truly endless, and all you can do is improve.
