Join CoDesign Collaborative for The Current, a virtual, student-led lightning talk series highlighting vital topics in design, on May 29, 12:30-1 pm ET / 9:30-10 am PT to discuss Co-Design with Parsons Design student Monisha Raju and multidisciplinary designer, strategist, and storyteller, Gamar Markarian.
“Co-design brings together lived experience, lived expertise and professional experience to learn from each other and make things better - by design.” - McKercher, K. A. (2020), Beyond sticky notes
In the 21st century, the boundaries of design as a discipline have expanded, evolving from a siloed field into a collaborative and multidisciplinary practice. Design schools now prepare students not only to be makers but also to become co-creators, facilitators, and systems thinkers. Designers are equipped with adaptable ways of thinking that can be applied across diverse roles and sectors—from grassroots community work to corporate environments.
This evolution positions designers to collaborate meaningfully with communities, empowering them to collectively author their futures. However, co-design is not without its challenges. Its practice varies significantly depending on the organizational context, requiring adaptability and sensitivity to different dynamics.
This talk will explore the broader disciplinary challenges of co-design, drawing from the speaker's experiences—from working closely with communities to navigating the transition into corporate spaces and addressing:
- The real-world challenges of practicing co-design approaches.
- How designers and community-centered practitioners can celebrate shared knowledge without being extractive.
- How we, as designers, can bring our expertise, skills, and commitment to co-design into diverse organizational contexts, particularly in corporate environments.
