Definition of Design
Design as a joint that enables connection and expansion.
Coursework and personal work from Carnegie Mellon, originally published on a separate Framer site.
What does it mean to engage in design?
This project was created as the final assignment for MA Design Principles & Practices at Carnegie Mellon University in Fall 2025.
The assignment asked students to articulate their answer to the questions: What is design? What does it mean to be a designer? What does it mean to engage in design?
I explored these questions through a physical computing experiment combining conceptual framing, Arduino-based sensing, and p5.js visualization.
A hexagon that changes meaning on contact
I approached design not as an isolated outcome, but as a fundamental structure and a joint that enables connection. The physical structure makes connection tangible, while the screen-based interaction visualizes the invisible consequences that emerge from those connections. Together, they frame design as a living system — one that gains meaning, complexity, and influence as it intersects with other elements.
The hexagon allows continuous, multi-directional expansion. Each hexagon can stand alone, but its meaning changes as soon as another connects to it. In this project, each hexagon can represent a person, a method, a discipline, or a context. Design exists in the relationship between them.
Formboard hexagon ground & modules
The physical system visualizes design as a joint: hexagonal modules detect contact through copper wiring, and each new connection alters the color of the central light, signaling how design responds and evolves as new elements enter the system.
How colors overlap as modules connect
To explore how colors overlap and interact as hexagonal modules connect, I experimented with multiple graphic styles in p5.js. Each iteration tested a different way of visualizing connection, through density, rhythm, and spatial behavior.
As more hexagons join the system, its behavior gradually transforms: colors begin to blend, rhythms shift, and wave patterns grow more complex. These visual changes reflect how design expands when it engages with new people, perspectives, or domains — becoming richer not by replacement, but by accumulation and interaction.
Each hexagon, its own color and style
Each of the hexagons has a different color and graphic style. As more hexagons connect, the system’s behavior changes: colors blend, rhythms shift, and waves become more complex — mirroring how design expands when it engages with new people, perspectives, or domains.
Presentation day
Where a 3D print would have gone further
While the foam-board prototype effectively conveyed the concept, a further iteration using 3D printing could have elevated the physical detail and structural clarity. This reflection reinforced the value of material iteration beyond initial satisfaction.