Searching for a design hero

I seriously thought Howard Roark could be one. Not until I finished the whole book did I understand that in Ayn Rand’s classic novel, “The Fountainhead,” Roark was the bull-headed and independent creative.  While his contemporaries were designing neoclassic architecture, he was fashioning streamlined, efficient, modernist buildings. He was the man who wanted to change the face of the world, likely for the better, but at his time and through his own way. Innovator? Yes. Hero? Possibly.

Roark is the uncompromising architect in Rand’s novel, his character inspired, they say, by the life and innovations of the revolutionary architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. In the story, Roark is born into poverty yet brings himself through school by taking odd jobs at project construction sites. He is extremely hardworking, and drives for excellence in every endeavor he engages in. He is strong in will, logic and reason. He stays true to his ideals, and in so doing, acts independently of the expectations of others. Because he simply doesn’t give a damn about what the rest of society thinks, he manages to use his creativity—as it flows with no remorse nor caution—to create breakthroughs in the field of architecture.

He brings innovation to the world. But he did have his detractors: those who saw his work as ugly because his language of design was beyond their ability to comprehend it.  From the viewpoint of his critics, the selfish, unrelenting Roark was a villain.

Heroes are hard to find in the creative world. Creativity and innovation have a lot to do with an independent mind. Just like entrepreneurship—it’s often the high school or college drop-outs, the outcasts, sometimes the nerds, other times the “weirdoes”—who do quite well on their own, if only because they broke the glass ceiling and thought outside the box. Acting upon their freedoms, they have the advantage of having no one telling them what to think or do.

But as professional service providers, architects and designers come upon a tug-of-war between what they ought to do as required by a client, and what they’d like to do in accordance to their artistic expressions. While funding—or the lack of it—may play a big role in defining limitations, personal preferences and dictates from the end-users are the most shackling of all restrictions.   Steve Jobs understood that all too well, as he did not believe in end-user focus groups because they only worked around existing concepts. iPod anyone?   Ideas, when not conceived, could garner no feedback.

Some of the most monumental and groundbreaking innovations in design did not come without resistance. Like Roark, the innovator is often questioned, doubted and even mocked for his or her creative advances. Roark fought against what was acceptable to the majority, and because of this, he looked the other way for answers and offered better design solutions than the conformists did. Need may be the mother of invention, but imagination is still its primary creator.

Looking around, we as a society have innovated very little.  In fact, if our city is any indication of our abilities in design, then we can conclude that collectively, we fall short of our own. Or we probably try to stay on the safe side too often. Yet the backwardness and ugliness of our built environment tells us that we never managed to pull it all together. It’s a pity though, for the Filipino is renowned globally for his creative streak.

For the young and idealistic design professional dreaming to be a hero of his profession, economic realities dictate conformity to accepted norms. Unfortunately, the trendy designs—the safe and tested ones—are the ones that open the easier path to garnering work and ensuring more income. More food in the mouth, so to speak. But it does not create breakthroughs; it stagnates the profession and it breeds mediocrity.

Designers, who seem to have a little crack in the head, are probably worth lending an ear to. They probably have some very interesting ideas to share. When your hired design professional shows you something new, have a look at their drawings and listen to their concepts before shooting down their thoughts. Compared to those who conform to your preconceived ideas on design, this one probably has seen the light and has better solutions to your problems. Like Roark, they could one day be your yet unsung hero.

Contact the author through [email protected] or through our Asuncion Berenguer Facebook account.