{"id":10544,"date":"2017-12-06T09:26:44","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T14:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/?p=10544"},"modified":"2017-12-06T09:26:44","modified_gmt":"2017-12-06T14:26:44","slug":"design-culture-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/2017\/12\/06\/design-culture-collide\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Design and Culture Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Natalie<\/p>\n

In 2017, one of the greatest challenges in the Library of Congress \u2013 the largest library in America and one of the largest in the world \u2013 isn\u2019t only handling, cataloging, and protecting some of the most important resources in America, it\u2019s also making those resources accessible to both legislators and the general populace. For College of Design alumni Natalie Buda-Smith, Griffin Friedman, and David Rice, tackling that challenge often involves applying design thinking to optimize the Library\u2019s internal processes.<\/p>\n

\"Library<\/p>\n

The Library houses some 100 million sources of information, but not all of it can be viewed online. A majority of that data (about 20 petabytes) is archived for the preservation of America\u2019s cultural history. Some of it is facilitated through the Law Library and Congress.gov as a resource for the Congressional Research Service \u2013 one of the Library\u2019s primary functions which provides information and analysis to current members of the U.S. Congress. But on LOC.gov, one of the Library\u2019s main digital projects, over 18 million sources of information are also digitized and made available to the public in online collections.<\/p>\n

Buda-Smith (\u201994 MGD) says digitizing information and making it available as a \u201cproduct\u201d to the public is a process that\u2019s so complex it can actually be diagrammed. \u201cWe have to come up with a design for a product so that someone can search for it and find it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a designer, the process of research and digitization can be a large challenge to tackle. \u201cWhen you\u2019re trying to organize [information], and you start a project and start digging, all of a sudden you realize you\u2019re at the very top of a pyramid of all this amazing data,\u201d Freidman (\u201910 BGD) explains. \u201cHow do you expose that to everybody?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a question Buda-Smith and Friedman work to answer as part of the User Experience Team, which for fifteen years has been advising the Library on how to improve the way that \u201cpyramid\u201d of data is presented, both internally and to the public. It\u2019s a unique opportunity to compare philosophical differences on the accessibility and communication of some of the most critical pieces of American history. The emphasis on design thinking in the College of Design\u2019s curriculum has been invaluable to their collaborative process with coworkers.<\/p>\n

\"Natalie<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a designer, you\u2019re able to remove yourself from what you\u2019re doing. The critique teaches you that. You understand that your end result is not about your point of view. It\u2019s about what\u2019s the best design,\u201d Buda-Smith explains. \u201cLibrarians approach information a specific way [that] has to be authoritative and archived. So they\u2019re not taught to be as iterative. But we make it work. If you can critically think and critically create and understand how to collaborate and work with people, it can apply to everything. NC State gave us that skill, which was phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The process of not only learning how to apply design thinking to practice, but also applying it in interdisciplinary courses and studios, is an experience that has proven to be invaluable. \u201cMost of the people I work with here aren\u2019t designers, they\u2019re developers, stakeholders, or analysts from the Congressional Research Service,\u201d says Friedman. \u201cAnd the experience of taking those other classes prepared me to communicate with them [in a way] that can actually get them to something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another major facet of the Library of Congress is the Copyright Office, where David Rice (\u201992 MGD) works with branding and communications. He also works with Buda-Smith and Friedman on the Copyright.gov site (another of the User Experience Team\u2019s major digital projects), which is the starting point for research on copyright requests and current copyright holdings.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of materials that we create are for people who are creators in the industry, whether you\u2019re a filmmaker or a musician, photographer,\u201d Rice explains. \u201cWe really encourage them to register and protect their work. So a lot of the kind of materials we do are directed specifically towards creators.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Rice says his biggest takeaway from his education at the College has been the ideation process. \u201cIt taught us how to draw and conceptualize your ideas very quickly so that everyone could understand what\u2019s happening,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd now that I work here, sometimes I\u2019m asked to come in and be part of a group to help listen to what\u2019s happening [\u2026] to draw it out on a whiteboard or a flip chart and get people on the same page in terms of thinking, even if it\u2019s not a specific design problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Providing a more streamlined process for one of the oldest and most respected institutions is a job that is not only engaging, but also a source of passion and pride. \u201cThere are a lot of historical papers online [where] you can search for phrases, and it will pull up the actual page and show you where that phrase is on that page,\u201d Buda-Smith explains. \u201cIt\u2019s so meaningful to know that you\u2019re a part of [things like] that so that the public has access to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a place where you can learn about almost anything, it\u2019s an endless source of culture and creativity that can come in the form of history, art, music, and much more. \u201cIf I need to, I can go over to a reading room and pull up [something like] Russian Constructivist posters. That\u2019s inspiring from a design perspective,\u201d Friedman shares. \u201cAnd then musicians come and perform. The other day over my lunch break I got to listen to a Cajun musician. That kind of stuff keeps you inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buda-Smith, Friedman, and Rice cite a variety of professors and experiences that impacted them during their time at the College, including an exhibition design studio by Kathleen Meaney and a Martha Scotford course exploring influential women in graphic design history. For Rice, perhaps his most influential experience at the College was the simple act of designing on an index card in Austin Lowrey\u2019s studio \u2013 an exercise he found useful in practice later in his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually there was a theme or a specific concept that we had to communicate on a 3×5 index card,\u201d Rice recalls. \u201cIt was just a way to put an idea on paper without being invested in it. It didn\u2019t have to be something that would actually happen. Something as simple as that, an exercise in getting ideas out, was very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if they could provide one piece of advice for current and future students?<\/p>\n

\u201cTake as many opportunities outside of classes as you can,\u201d says Friedman, who during his time at the College was also a graphic designer for CAM Raleigh and the director of the Fish Market Student Gallery. \u201cLearn skills that are ancillary to what you\u2019re thinking you\u2019ll be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s advice they put into practice daily in a place so full of history, where every day is a new learning opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\"Natalie\n\nIn 2017, one of the greatest challenges in the Library of Congress \u2013 the largest library in America and one of the largest in the world \u2013 isn\u2019t only handling, cataloging, and protecting some of the most important resources in America, it\u2019s also making those resources accessible to both legislators and the general populace. For College of Design alumni Natalie Buda-Smith, Griffin Friedman, and David Rice, tackling that challenge often involves applying design thinking to optimize the Library\u2019s internal processes.\n\n\"Library\n\nThe Library houses some 100 million sources of information, but not all of it can be viewed online. A majority of that data (about 20 petabytes) is archived for the preservation of America\u2019s cultural history. Some of it is facilitated through the Law Library and Congress.gov as a resource for the Congressional Research Service \u2013 one of the Library\u2019s primary functions which provides information and analysis to current members of the U.S. Congress. But on LOC.gov, one of the Library\u2019s main digital projects, over 18 million sources of information are also digitized and made available to the public in online collections.\n\nBuda-Smith (\u201994 MGD) says digitizing information and making it available as a \u201cproduct\u201d to the public is a process that\u2019s so complex it can actually be diagrammed. \u201cWe have to come up with a design for a product so that someone can search for it and find it.\u201d\n\nFor a designer, the process of research and digitization can be a large challenge to tackle. \u201cWhen you\u2019re trying to organize [information], and you start a project and start digging, all of a sudden you realize you\u2019re at the very top of a pyramid of all this amazing data,\u201d Freidman (\u201910 BGD) explains. \u201cHow do you expose that to everybody?\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s a question Buda-Smith and Friedman work to answer as part of the User Experience Team, which for fifteen years has been advising the Library on how to improve the way that \u201cpyramid\u201d of data is presented, both internally and to the public. It\u2019s a unique opportunity to compare philosophical differences on the accessibility and communication of some of the most critical pieces of American history. The emphasis on design thinking in the College of Design\u2019s curriculum has been invaluable to their collaborative process with coworkers.\n\n\"Natalie\n\n\u201cAs a designer, you\u2019re able to remove yourself from what you\u2019re doing. The critique teaches you that. You understand that your end result is not about your point of view. It\u2019s about what\u2019s the best design,\u201d Buda-Smith explains. \u201cLibrarians approach information a specific way [that] has to be authoritative and archived. So they\u2019re not taught to be as iterative. But we make it work. If you can critically think and critically create and understand how to collaborate and work with people, it can apply to everything. NC State gave us that skill, which was phenomenal.\u201d\n\nThe process of not only learning how to apply design thinking to practice, but also applying it in interdisciplinary courses and studios, is an experience that has proven to be invaluable. \u201cMost of the people I work with here aren\u2019t designers, they\u2019re developers, stakeholders, or analysts from the Congressional Research Service,\u201d says Friedman. \u201cAnd the experience of taking those other classes prepared me to communicate with them [in a way] that can actually get them to something.\u201d\n\nAnother major facet of the Library of Congress is the Copyright Office, where David Rice (\u201992 MGD) works with branding and communications. He also works with Buda-Smith and Friedman on the Copyright.gov site (another of the User Experience Team\u2019s major digital projects), which is the starting point for research on copyright requests and current copyright holdings.\n\n\u201cA lot of materials that we create are for people who are creators in the industry, whether you\u2019re a filmmaker or a musician, photographer,\u201d Rice explains. \u201cWe really encourage them to register and protect their work. So a lot of the kind of materials we do are directed specifically towards creators.\u201d\n\n\"The\n\nRice says his biggest takeaway from his education at the College has been the ideation process. \u201cIt taught us how to draw and conceptualize your ideas very quickly so that everyone could understand what\u2019s happening,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd now that I work here, sometimes I\u2019m asked to come in and be part of a group to help listen to what\u2019s happening [\u2026] to draw it out on a whiteboard or a flip chart and get people on the same page in terms of thinking, even if it\u2019s not a specific design problem.\u201d\n\nProviding a more streamlined process for one of the oldest and most respected institutions is a job that is not only engaging, but also a source of passion and pride. \u201cThere are a lot of historical papers online [where] you can search for phrases, and it will pull up the actual page and show you where that phrase is on that page,\u201d Buda-Smith explains. \u201cIt\u2019s so meaningful to know that you\u2019re a part of [things like] that so that the public has access to it.\u201d\n\nIn a place where you can learn about almost anything, it\u2019s an endless source of culture and creativity that can come in the form of history, art, music, and much more. \u201cIf I need to, I can go over to a reading room and pull up [something like] Russian Constructivist posters. That\u2019s inspiring from a design perspective,\u201d Friedman shares. \u201cAnd then musicians come and perform. The other day over my lunch break I got to listen to a Cajun musician. That kind of stuff keeps you inspired.\u201d\n\nBuda-Smith, Friedman, and Rice cite a variety of professors and experiences that impacted them during their time at the College, including an exhibition design studio by Kathleen Meaney and a Martha Scotford course exploring influential women in graphic design history. For Rice, perhaps his most influential experience at the College was the simple act of designing on an index card in Austin Lowrey\u2019s studio \u2013 an exercise he found useful in practice later in his career.\n\n\u201cUsually there was a theme or a specific concept that we had to communicate on a 3x5 index card,\u201d Rice recalls. \u201cIt was just a way to put an idea on paper without being invested in it. It didn\u2019t have to be something that would actually happen. Something as simple as that, an exercise in getting ideas out, was very helpful.\u201d\n\nAnd if they could provide one piece of advice for current and future students?\n\n\u201cTake as many opportunities outside of classes as you can,\u201d says Friedman, who during his time at the College was also a graphic designer for CAM Raleigh and the director of the Fish Market Student Gallery. \u201cLearn skills that are ancillary to what you\u2019re thinking you\u2019ll be doing.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s advice they put into practice daily in a place so full of history, where every day is a new learning opportunity."},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NC State Design alumni Natalie Buda-Smith, Griffin Friedman, and David Rice, apply design thinking to optimize the Library of Congress\u2019s internal processes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":10557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[19,15],"class_list":["post-10544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-experience","category-uncategorized","tag-_featured","tag-graphic-design"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}