skip to Main Content

Nazima Ahmad is Putting People Over Profits by Connecting Art and Design at the Design Lab

Nazima Ahmad is Putting People Over Profits by Connecting Art and Design at the Design Lab

Nazima Ahmad is Putting People Over Profits by Connecting Art and Design at the Design Lab

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that our communities are more important than ever. The pandemic has changed the ways in which we experience and perceive community—sometimes even causing us to feel that it has vanished. The past two years have been an uncertain time for those involved in the arts, with many creative professionals being impacted by dwindling audiences and interest. Nazima Ahmad, a Designer-in-Residence at The Design Lab, noticed the crumbling connection between artists and consumers and sought to find a way to mend it. Working with fellow designer Michelle Hoogenhout, the two were able to come up with City Canvas, a concept developed in collaboration with the Arts and Commission Department of the City of San Diego that won the 2020 SCALE San Diego Urban Innovation Challenge that works to make connecting with local artists easier for San Diego residents.

“Working with the city on that project was all-around trying to figure out how to promote the creative economy of San Diego,” says Ahmad of the goal of the project. Not only was the project a great success at Design Week, but it is also what led Ahmad to The Design Lab.

“That’s where the real connection happened with The Design Lab,” says Ahmad, “Michèle Morris [Associate Director of the UC San Diego Design Lab]was on the conversation when I was presenting… and that’s sort of where [it] connected for us, how Design Lab and I could figure out a way to maybe promote and engage the art and design community further.” Providing a real-life example of the ways in which the Design Lab works to bring together problem solvers with communities to enrich the human experience.

In the time we spent speaking with Ahmad, one word continued to find its way into our conversation: “community.” It became clear that whatever the project was, people are always at the center of what Ahmad does. Even when working with corporations as big as HBO or Comedy Central, her underlying approach “has never changed, [it’s] always been people-driven.” She expands on this, noting that her work with corporations might have a different meaning or a different outcome from that of her work with the city, but the goal is ultimately to make people’s lives easier and better. 

“I like to think that as I progress in my life, I’m having a more positive impact on people, and that’s the change that I would like to see happen,” says Ahmad, “and just having more of an impact that is important to people’s daily lives as opposed to just another revenue stream.”

It makes sense, then, that Ahmad would be a strong supporter of the World Design Capital Bid that saw not only San Diego, but also its southern neighbor Tijuana, named the World Design Capital for 2024. The naming of the two cities is a significant step forward, as it not only marks the United States’ first Design Capital, but also the first bi-national, regional effort in obtaining the title. 

“I don’t know if I look at it as a regionality thing or a nationality thing, but more so as a community thing,” Ahmad said when asked about the regional nature of the title and bid effort.  “The mindset that we’re trying to change is exactly that […] it’s not about the place, so to speak, but more about the people. When the people have a shared history, language and culture, the borders become arbitrary. If we start thinking about it in those terms, then perhaps we can start to apply that across other border relations, and really focus on what the needs are for the people and the community itself.”

It seems fitting that Ahmad’s attention would drift towards the people involved, and not necessarily the place (or places) in which the events are unfolding. As a British-born Pakistani woman who has lived, studied, and taught in the United Arab Emirates and the United States, attachment to place seems to be ephemeral. 

Ahmad is not sure what her future looks like, only that design will continue to play an important role in it. “I don’t know what the future holds, to be honest,” she confesses. “I do know that I’m continuing on with the Design Forward Alliance. I’m a big believer in advocating for design and bringing that to the forefront for the community, so I’ll continue to do that.”

For now, though, she makes it clear that “all efforts are on the World Design Capital.” Ahmad has also taken a position at HP as a Product Design Expert in the past year and has continued working on City Canvas since its debut at the 2020 San Diego Design Week. We may not know what the future holds for San Diego, but with community-oriented designers like Ahmad at the helm, the city is sure to make history.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that our communities are more important than ever. The pandemic has changed the ways in which we experience and perceive community—sometimes even causing us to feel that it has vanished. The past two years have been an uncertain time for those involved in the arts, with many creative professionals being impacted by dwindling audiences and interest. Nazima Ahmad, a Designer-in-Residence at The Design Lab, noticed the crumbling connection between artists and consumers and sought to find a way to mend it. Working with fellow designer Michelle Hoogenhout, the two were able to come up with City Canvas, a concept developed in collaboration with the Arts and Commission Department of the City of San Diego that won the 2020 SCALE San Diego Urban Innovation Challenge that works to make connecting with local artists easier for San Diego residents.

“Working with the city on that project was all-around trying to figure out how to promote the creative economy of San Diego,” says Ahmad of the goal of the project. Not only was the project a great success at Design Week, but it is also what led Ahmad to The Design Lab.

“That’s where the real connection happened with The Design Lab,” says Ahmad, “Michèle Morris [Associate Director of the UC San Diego Design Lab]was on the conversation when I was presenting… and that’s sort of where [it] connected for us, how Design Lab and I could figure out a way to maybe promote and engage the art and design community further.” Providing a real-life example of the ways in which the Design Lab works to bring together problem solvers with communities to enrich the human experience.

In the time we spent speaking with Ahmad, one word continued to find its way into our conversation: “community.” It became clear that whatever the project was, people are always at the center of what Ahmad does. Even when working with corporations as big as HBO or Comedy Central, her underlying approach “has never changed, [it’s] always been people-driven.” She expands on this, noting that her work with corporations might have a different meaning or a different outcome from that of her work with the city, but the goal is ultimately to make people’s lives easier and better. 

“I like to think that as I progress in my life, I’m having a more positive impact on people, and that’s the change that I would like to see happen,” says Ahmad, “and just having more of an impact that is important to people’s daily lives as opposed to just another revenue stream.”

It makes sense, then, that Ahmad would be a strong supporter of the World Design Capital Bid that saw not only San Diego, but also its southern neighbor Tijuana, named the World Design Capital for 2024. The naming of the two cities is a significant step forward, as it not only marks the United States’ first Design Capital, but also the first bi-national, regional effort in obtaining the title. 

“I don’t know if I look at it as a regionality thing or a nationality thing, but more so as a community thing,” Ahmad said when asked about the regional nature of the title and bid effort.  “The mindset that we’re trying to change is exactly that […] it’s not about the place, so to speak, but more about the people. When the people have a shared history, language and culture, the borders become arbitrary. If we start thinking about it in those terms, then perhaps we can start to apply that across other border relations, and really focus on what the needs are for the people and the community itself.”

It seems fitting that Ahmad’s attention would drift towards the people involved, and not necessarily the place (or places) in which the events are unfolding. As a British-born Pakistani woman who has lived, studied, and taught in the United Arab Emirates and the United States, attachment to place seems to be ephemeral. 

Ahmad is not sure what her future looks like, only that design will continue to play an important role in it. “I don’t know what the future holds, to be honest,” she confesses. “I do know that I’m continuing on with the Design Forward Alliance. I’m a big believer in advocating for design and bringing that to the forefront for the community, so I’ll continue to do that.”

For now, though, she makes it clear that “all efforts are on the World Design Capital.” Ahmad has also taken a position at HP as a Product Design Expert in the past year and has continued working on City Canvas since its debut at the 2020 San Diego Design Week. We may not know what the future holds for San Diego, but with community-oriented designers like Ahmad at the helm, the city is sure to make history.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that our communities are more important than ever. The pandemic has changed the ways in which we experience and perceive community—sometimes even causing us to feel that it has vanished. The past two years have been an uncertain time for those involved in the arts, with many creative professionals being impacted by dwindling audiences and interest. Nazima Ahmad, a Designer-in-Residence at The Design Lab, noticed the crumbling connection between artists and consumers and sought to find a way to mend it. Working with fellow designer Michelle Hoogenhout, the two were able to come up with City Canvas, a concept developed in collaboration with the Arts and Commission Department of the City of San Diego that won the 2020 SCALE San Diego Urban Innovation Challenge that works to make connecting with local artists easier for San Diego residents.

“Working with the city on that project was all-around trying to figure out how to promote the creative economy of San Diego,” says Ahmad of the goal of the project. Not only was the project a great success at Design Week, but it is also what led Ahmad to The Design Lab.

“That’s where the real connection happened with The Design Lab,” says Ahmad, “Michèle Morris [Associate Director of the UC San Diego Design Lab]was on the conversation when I was presenting… and that’s sort of where [it] connected for us, how Design Lab and I could figure out a way to maybe promote and engage the art and design community further.” Providing a real-life example of the ways in which the Design Lab works to bring together problem solvers with communities to enrich the human experience.

In the time we spent speaking with Ahmad, one word continued to find its way into our conversation: “community.” It became clear that whatever the project was, people are always at the center of what Ahmad does. Even when working with corporations as big as HBO or Comedy Central, her underlying approach “has never changed, [it’s] always been people-driven.” She expands on this, noting that her work with corporations might have a different meaning or a different outcome from that of her work with the city, but the goal is ultimately to make people’s lives easier and better. 

“I like to think that as I progress in my life, I’m having a more positive impact on people, and that’s the change that I would like to see happen,” says Ahmad, “and just having more of an impact that is important to people’s daily lives as opposed to just another revenue stream.”

It makes sense, then, that Ahmad would be a strong supporter of the World Design Capital Bid that saw not only San Diego, but also its southern neighbor Tijuana, named the World Design Capital for 2024. The naming of the two cities is a significant step forward, as it not only marks the United States’ first Design Capital, but also the first bi-national, regional effort in obtaining the title. 

“I don’t know if I look at it as a regionality thing or a nationality thing, but more so as a community thing,” Ahmad said when asked about the regional nature of the title and bid effort.  “The mindset that we’re trying to change is exactly that […] it’s not about the place, so to speak, but more about the people. When the people have a shared history, language and culture, the borders become arbitrary. If we start thinking about it in those terms, then perhaps we can start to apply that across other border relations, and really focus on what the needs are for the people and the community itself.”

It seems fitting that Ahmad’s attention would drift towards the people involved, and not necessarily the place (or places) in which the events are unfolding. As a British-born Pakistani woman who has lived, studied, and taught in the United Arab Emirates and the United States, attachment to place seems to be ephemeral. 

Ahmad is not sure what her future looks like, only that design will continue to play an important role in it. “I don’t know what the future holds, to be honest,” she confesses. “I do know that I’m continuing on with the Design Forward Alliance. I’m a big believer in advocating for design and bringing that to the forefront for the community, so I’ll continue to do that.”

For now, though, she makes it clear that “all efforts are on the World Design Capital.” Ahmad has also taken a position at HP as a Product Design Expert in the past year and has continued working on City Canvas since its debut at the 2020 San Diego Design Week. We may not know what the future holds for San Diego, but with community-oriented designers like Ahmad at the helm, the city is sure to make history.

Read Next

Ucsd Logo Design Lab

Message from Don Norman on Power and Prejudice

A message from Don Norman, Director of the Design Lab, regarding the protests, violence following George Floyd’s death

Be on your best behavior: San Diego is being judged this week

By Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union Tribune

San Diego and Tijuana are throwing a party for just one man this week, and you’ve probably never heard his name.

Montreal native Bertrand Derome, managing director of the World Design Organization, is getting the red carpet treatment across two nations as the cities vie for the title of World Design Capital.

The award means a global spotlight on the region and lots of free advertising. Selected every two years, the Montreal-based World Design Organization picks a different city as its “capital.” Some previous winners have been Seoul, Helsinki, Cape Town and Mexico City. San Diego and Tijuana decided to apply together as a binational region.

The festivities started Sunday night with a jazz concert, light show and chic party for Derome at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. There were only about 200 people at the event for a venue that can hold 3,500. The $85 million shell on the San Diego Bay opened in August.

“It’s a great city and an amazing venue. I have to say I’m pretty impressed by the design communities that came together,” Derome said at the event.
Design Lab Amy Fox Gordon Research Grant

Design Lab’s Amy Fox Awarded Gordon Research Conference Visionary Grant

Emerging developments in data visualization, the practice of visually communicating data to convey patterns and…

San Diego Regional EDC teams up with Design Lab on Link2 Project

Kate Gallagher with the San Diego Economic Development Corporation (EDC) needed a website redesign for…

Recycling

I’m an expert on complex design systems. Even I can’t figure out recycling.

Part 1 of a FastCompany editorial on Recycling by Don Norman

Recycling: The concept is pretty simple. Throw away stuff that can be melted down, chopped up, and made back into useful stuff. The problem is, I don’t understand how to do it.

For one, it’s difficult to find out what can and cannot be recycled. There are so many different kinds of paper goods, plastics, and metals, and worst of all, so many things that are combinations of materials or exotic new inventions of material science, that no list could possibly include every possible case. Secondly, the rules vary from location to location, and even at one location they can change from year to year. (“Check frequently with your recycler to see what their current requirements are,” reads one of the websites that tries to be helpful.)
Ucsd Designathon

Designathon Ideas Imagine New Trolley Stop as a Vibrant Destination

Autonomous scooters, interactive art, food shuttles, and cable cars are just a few of the creative ideas that emerged from a two-day public designathon event that will join the efforts to transform UC San Diego from a closed campus primarily designed for work and school to destination, inviting people to come, stay and explore what the  campus has to offer. “Anybody who comes to San Diego should have this campus as a destination in addition to Balboa Park or the Gaslamp district,” said UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla in a San Diego Union Tribune article.
Back To Top