ANNE
BLOEM
Welcome
My name is Anne Bloem and I am an Industrial Design bachelor student at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). In this portfolio, I will highlight the growth and development made during my time in the faculty of Industrial Design.
Here I will elaborate on my vision and professional identity. I will bring about a part of my educational past and reflect on the expertise areas developed.
Vision
In today's western world the focus surrounding the environment is divided. On the one hand, the public demands sustainable solutions on the other hand the individuals don’t want it to affect them. We are centered around individualism, this can be done consciously or not, but this creates a divide. As Albert Einstein said:
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
This society is one of consumerism, this is increased by the constant social pressures people experience in their day-to-day (e.g. social media). In addition to this, being sustainable is at times a luxury that people cannot afford, by lack of time, money, or opportunities. I believe we all deserve the same opportunity to develop. True development is done in the union, to create a more sustainable future. It is the job of the designer to push for equal opportunity development.
I believe design should find a bridge between the expectations of society and sustainable development. Being sustainable is about the push for a different way of thinking. The designer should incorporate this thinking in their creations, in a way that the users come to a natural understanding of sustainable practices. It is not about forcing society to adapt, it is about guiding society to adapt on their own terms.
A designer, in my opinion, will always strive to reduce, reuse, recycle, or repair. New is not always better if it means the past is wasted. Design is problem-solving and easing life in innovative or creative ways, without diminishing the value of sustainable practice. This is how a designer gives back to society and this is how I want to grow as a designer.
Identity
I see myself as a strategic designer who leans towards the intersection of organizational issues and user problems. I am an open-minded person that is eager to learn. This shaped me into a designer with an user-centred approach combined with a research-based approach.
During my time at the faculty, I have taken different positions in working with a group. Often I would prefer the role of coordinator inside the team. This played to my strength in observation, which quickly sees the strengths and weaknesses inside a team and guides to a coherent goal. A mediator was a role that I also partook in when necessary. The roles I feel are not my strong suit are mostly based on presenting. Even though this was a position I am not completely comfortable with, it is something I have often pushed myself into doing. This I would still describe as a weaker subject for me, however, I have grown immensely.
I design with a base of respect. This can come in different shapes or forms. Respect for the user. Respect for the material. Respect for the context, and so on. Throughout my study, I have become more interested in complex problems. I always had an avidity surrounding sustainability and equalism. Growing up in Amsterdam I saw and experienced up close how different lives can be. I chose Industrial Design to look for ways to eliminate this systematic indifference.
The more I partook in projects with external companies I saw a great deal lacking on the subject of sustainability. Not due to them not being interested but due to their lack of knowledge or time. Here I experienced that in order to create real change, there is more needed than just a product. This became even more apparent by joining Nurdle Soup. To tackle a complex problem such as microplastic spillage you need to work together with different stakeholders. Therefore, I strive to design with a systems-oriented view of problems. To search for the interdepended factors at play.