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It’s summer again already. Somehow, everything feels like it’s moving so fast. And I have the feeling that this speed is not just part of nature, but also has something to do with the way our world is designed and continuously reshaped, in constant motion and change. From one trend to the next, from butter yellow to pool turquoise. And us somewhere in between. As mentioned before, I’d like to share a few thoughts with you from my perspective as a young designer in this world, so let’s go: A month ago, I was once again at Milan Design Week, and as every year, but especially this year, I noticed that a part of design that is particularly meaningful to me was once again only faintly present: content and conviction, an engagement with the issues shaping our world. Apart from some projects that seriously addressed resources, social questions, or new ways of living, what I mostly saw was form and surface. For me, design is a social practice. A way of relating to the world, asking questions, taking responsibility, bringing forward ideas, and creating space for things that otherwise have no space. But that was exactly what I often missed in Milan: a clear position, a reason behind the result. Maybe it’s just me, but the constant redesigning of lamps, chairs, sofas, vases, and so on feels increasingly strange in a world facing endless problems.

That doesn’t mean this kind of design shouldn’t exist. It absolutely should. It serves not only an aesthetic purpose but can also respond to needs that go beyond pure functionality. Yet the conscious consideration and communication of exactly that seemed largely absent to me. Specifically at a time when forms can be generated, copied, and reproduced faster than ever, the human aspect becomes even more important to me. Different perspectives, imperfection, contradiction, open questions instead of fixed answers, the small, the profound, and the complex. Things that cannot simply be calculated. Things that need to be researched, connected, discussed, and experienced. That is why I’m especially happy to be part of this studio right now. I’m grateful that there is a clear position behind the work here, a position that supports everything and is communicated openly. Design that uses form and aesthetics to create space for diverse and marginalized perspectives. That motivates me. At the same time, this positive example also makes me realize how ambivalent it is to work as a young designer today, or even to gain a foothold in the field. The job market is incredibly tight.

Many studios ask for experience while offering very little opportunity to actually gain it. One internship follows another, often poorly paid or unpaid, while expectations continue to rise. You are expected to be conceptually strong, visually precise, technically skilled, strategically minded, capable across multiple disciplines, and ideally able to do everything at once. All of that is important and valuable, but difficult to achieve without opportunities. As young designers, we find ourselves caught between adaptation and resistance. We want to be part of the industry, but not necessarily as it currently exists. We are navigating between economic pressures and our own desire for meaning, relevance, and integrity. For us, this means finding new paths. Paths toward more collective ways of working, more interdisciplinary ways of thinking, and creating spaces where values other than efficiency and visibility can exist. Spaces where processes are allowed to take time. Spaces where doubt and experimentation are welcomed, not seen as obstacles but as part of the design process itself. We probably cannot stop the speed of the world overnight. But we can decide how we move through it, especially if we do it together, and perhaps only if we do it together. We can decide whether we let ourselves be carried along by the current or whether we try to create moments of depth, awareness, and pause. And perhaps that is exactly our opportunity as a young generation of designers: not to be the loudest, fastest, or most visible, but the most attentive. The ones who look more closely, think more deeply, and design more consciously, and in doing so create lasting change. Sometimes that gives me courage. Sometimes I lack courage. But I suppose that is part of it too. That’s it for my thoughts, of course only a brief glimpse. The topic is complex and I could talk about it for days. I hope you found it interesting. Love, Charlotte - radical softness