Yidian Gao
Design for
Equality
Year
2020-2021
Location
Edinburgh
Yidian is an innovation designer who is fascinated by stories. In her practice, Design is the language in which she communicates beautiful and rewarding experiences to others. Through her design projects, she hopes to invite and empower more people to tell their own individual stories, as she believes that it is through communications based on personal narratives, that a genuine emotional connection is made.
Insight
What is your favourite part of the D4C programme?
My favourite aspect of D4C programme is that it is very open to all forms of design. The study here has broadened my understanding of design and allows me to focus more on the core of design – storytelling. In this open and supportive environment, I can freely explore the issues that interest me most and to develop the interventions that I find most appropriate to promote changes.
Who are you inspired by?
When exploring alternatives to mainstream lifestyles, I get a lot of inspiration from anthropology. Inspired by the anthropologist Xiang Biao’s “The Self as Method”, I have found a research direction that I am passionate about. Later inspired by the direct action advocated by David Graeber, I rethink the organisation of design and try to make the design process consistent with the purpose of the design, i.e. to reach equality in an equal way.
What do you think is the role of design for change?
I think design for change reveals how to act humbly in a complex and changing environment. I really value that this programme encourages us to apply humanistic theories to design practices, which allows us to reflect on design projects from a broader perspective. Benefiting from this, I feel more confident in what I am doing because when I get stuck in my practice, I can always find new directions through critical thinking.