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

San Diego/Tijuana is finalist to become a World Design Capital

San Diego Union Tribune

The San Diego/Tijuana region is a finalist to become a World Design Capital that could mean a year-long promotion of the binational region.

Winners are chosen based on how each region effectively incorporates design across their economic, technological, social, cultural, political and environmental sectors . More than just having a fancy title, winning means a year of events to promote the region, including a street festival, a one-day celebration highlighting the winner’s designs and a design conference that should bring people from around the globe.

“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to not only showcase our bi-national region as a longstanding design and innovation powerhouse,” she wrote, “but to also shape the narrative around what it means to be a 21st century metropolis, [says Michèle Morris, President of the Design Forward Alliance and Associate Director of UCSD Design Lab]."
Trolley Stops Designathon UCSD Design Lab

Designathon Seeks to Reimagine Trolley Stops

On April 6+7, 2019, on UC San Diego campus Warren Mall, over 200+ students, neighbors, designers, technologists, and media-makers will come together for the Pepper Canyon Mobility Hub Designathon, an event developing proposals that will support the transformation Pepper Canyon Trolley Station at UCSD campus, currently under construction, into a dynamic, multimodal mobility hub. The event is produced through a partnership between The UC San Diego Design Lab, SANDAG, UC San Diego Campus Planning, the UC San Diego Young Planners’ Society, Sixth College Culture, Art, Technology program, and UC San Diego Urban Planning Program.
Design Lab Uc San Diego Don Norman Creative Education

Rethinking Design Education

Don Norman, Design Lab Director

The Challenge

The requirements of the 21st century are quite different than those of earlier years. New needs continually arise, along with new tools, technologies, and materials. Designers are starting to address some of the major societal issues facing the planet. Does design education prepare them to work with and lead the multidisciplinary teams required to work on these complex sociotechnical systems?

The Origins

We are embarking on a serious effort to rethink design education for the 21st century. We started with the multiple thoughtful articles in two special issues of the journal She Ji on design education (download from our website). This inspired us to assemble a team of senior designers from academia and business to serve as a steering committee to start a large effort to rethink design education.

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…

Design Lab Self-driving Nissan Toyota Ford Duke Stanford E-hmi

Design Lab Helps Lead Self-Driving Car Workshop with Experts from Nissan & Toyota

Although Silicon Valley and Detroit automakers have been given the thumbs up from the U.S.…

Design Lab Cat Hicks Signalio

Cat Hicks Q&A: A Conversation about Google & her new start-up Signal IO

The Design Lab has long lasting impacts. Catherine Hicks has seen the Design Lab since its…

Back To Top