Seattle Living

Seattle Designers Find ‘Power’ in Different Ways

The Seattle Design Festival explores "power" through fashion, architecture and more.

By Nia Martin September 7, 2017

luly-finale-resize

This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Seattle Magazine.

The seventh annual Seattle Design Festival kicks off this month (September 9–22; various locations; designinpublic.org), and with it, a two-week-long citywide series of events and exhibits to celebrate design in Seattle. This year’s festival theme, “Power,” explores related topics, from social dynamics to electricity.

Seattle magazine asked local designers in three different fields—Trevor Dykstra, an architect with Lane Williams Architects (also an organizer of the Seattle Design Festival); Luly Yang, fashion designer of her eponymous brand; and Kate Harmer, founder and creative director of design and branding studio Hum Creative—for their thoughts on the creative and transformative process of design in our city. 

On the Power of Design:

“The internal effect of wearing design is being confident in one’s self and the power that comes from that…if you do it right, you can communicate an emotional and complex message at a glance.” Luly Yang 

“The design of a really great brand can do so much to establish a cause-based organization, or whoever you are branding for, as credible, trustworthy, smart…giving credibility to an organization gives them a huge amount of power. … The hope is that people can use design not just to react, but also lead the way.” Kate Harmer

“Design is about the inception of things. Decisions you may or may not be thinking about can have major systemic impacts…design sets the ground rules, which sets the power dynamic. Things you leave out [also] set the power dynamic.” Trevor Dykstra


Photos by Vivian Hsu and Kevin Scott. From left to right: Trevor Dykstra, Luly Yang and Kate Harmer.

On Design in Seattle:

“I hope Seattle’s aesthetic continues to be eclectic and varied. But, there are a lot of local aesthetics that we shouldn’t forget…like First Nations art and the music history here. There’s so much that is true to Seattle’s history that I hope that whatever the Seattle look turns into isn’t all new. I hope it looks both forwards and backwards. I think the result of combining those things will be very beautiful and really rich.” K.H.

“With Seattle architecture, you’re using the material for what it is; if you use steel, you see the steel. … There’s an appreciation for ‘authenticity,’ whether it is or not.” T.D.

“Seattle’s a beautiful place surrounded by nature. I love the juxtaposition with the architecture…the manmade beauty with the natural beauty. I think [Seattle is] changing with our population, with people moving here from all over the world. I see it becoming more international…the people are shaping it differently now.” L.Y.

On Design Inspiration:

“As you progress in your design field, you realize the process, including inspiration, is driven by collaboration, versus when you first begin, you tend to believe it’s about individualism. Most of the designs are about a service as much as they’re about the pretty outcome.” T.D.

“Curiosity is what inspires me the most. I’d love to make a dress that could evolve and morph with a person’s mood…to have a garment be alive and grow with you.” L.Y.

“We consciously carve out time in our calendar to make sure that we are getting inspiration and outside influence. By making the act of being inspired a practice, we get really intentional about it. It means we’re looking at things differently, because we want to come back and tell each other about it.” K.H.

 

Follow Us

Festive Seattle

Festive Seattle

Enjoy a sense of wonder and discovery this holiday season

For many arts organizations, holiday shows represent more than half of ticket sales for the entire season. And, as arts audiences come and go, so can the surrounding economy. Studies show that every dollar spent by patrons in the arts creates $3 of economic impact. The arts and entertainment options in and around Seattle are

The Sound of Giving

The Sound of Giving

Three nonprofit music organizations worthy of support

In the March/April issue of this magazine, I wrote an article about the problems with Seattle’s music scene and how we can fix them. There’s a lot to be desired in Seattle’s music scene — like more regular, paying gigs for musicians at local establishments and a more reasonable volume level at venues across the…

A Taste of Europe Comes to Seattle for Christmas

A Taste of Europe Comes to Seattle for Christmas

Monthlong celebration begins the day after Thanksgiving

A scene reminiscent of old Europe will be on full display at Seattle Center this holiday season when the city’s first-ever Seattle Christmas Market opens for a monthlong celebration. Inspired by historic German Christmas markets, the Seattle Christmas Market opened Nov. 24 and runs through Christmas Eve at Fisher Pavilion and South Fountain lawn at…

Editor's Note: An Experience That Lives  Forever

Editor’s Note: An Experience That Lives Forever

The world isn't always as it seems

It was Friday night after a long week. I had just arrived home. The red light was flashing on my answering machine (remember those?). I was ready for the weekend. The call crushed me. My first love, my high school sweetheart, my partner in mischief, had passed away due to complications from Multiple Sclerosis. Gwen…