Shaped by design

This is question posed by a new animation by director Johnny Kelly, aiming to get the public talking about design.

The film was commissioned by Dublin City Council and Pivot Dublin, the organisation behind the Irish capital’s bid for the World Design Capital 2014.

While Dublin lost out to Cape Town for the title, post-bid, Pivot continues to evolve with the wider aim ‘to get young people thinking about how the world is made around them and where design fits in’, according to the organisation.

Part of this wider drive to create design-awareness among young people, dubbed MakeShapeChange, saw the creation of the animation, which was initiated by Ali Greenham, and written by Kelly and designer Scott Burnett. There is also an accompanying website and education programme.

Pivot Dublin says, ‘The challenge was to show what design was, and why it’s important in a way that could be understood universally, so without language.’

The simple lines and whimsical soundtrack make for a charming piece of animation, using limited shapes and colours to articulate how ‘the changes happening around us that we don’t ordinarily notice’ affect everyday life.

The film is split into a series of different coloured scenarios, demonstrating how design touches upon pretty much everything.

Taking the project further, Pivot Dublin is now working to get designers into schools to talk about their work and the difference design can make.

For more information visit http://www.makeshapechange.com