New Series: Exploring Designerly Ways of Knowing

The Mindful Designer explores Danah Abdulla’s prompts that challenge us to expand our knowledge and strengthen our commitment to making the world a better place through design.

Aug 31, 2025

Too often, design gets reduced to workshops, templates, and checklists, losing its depth as a way of knowing and imagining. If you take away the post-its and the markers, can designers think?

Design thinking has left many designers caught in the middle, either seen as overly theoretical or reduced to sticky-note problem solvers. Danah Abdulla,

Danah

on Substack, challenges us to push past the buzzwords and clichés to reclaim design as a way of knowing, imagining, and shaping better futures for all.

In a search for a deeper understanding and to prompt critical thinking, I'm starting a new series that explores the thought-provoking guidebook by Danah Abdulla titled "Designerly ways of knowing: a working inventory of things a designer should know."

Inspired by the advice of Antonio Gramsci that knowing thyself begins with making an inventory and Michael Sorkin’s beloved list "Two Hundred and Fifty Things an Architect Should Know.", Danah's book offers a collection of topics to help broaden our understanding and deepen our knowledge of the world in which we operate.

As designers, we must constantly challenge our assumptions about what us good design. We must draw our knowledge from a diverse set of aesthetic philosophies, materials, and techniques, which can unlock new ideas and approaches.

In each issue, I will introduce one topic from the book to whet your appetite and spark further exploration.

A few topics from the book:

#16 Explaining the why behind the what
#17 Sewing
#33 The History of Palestine
#47 The Politics of Design
#58 That there is no magic to design
#70 How to say no
#202 The racism of machines

As you can see, these prompts can take us out of our comfort zones. They challenge us to think critically, confront long-held beliefs, and see the world more clearly.

Along the way, I’ll share topics I would like to add to the list and invite you to share your recommendations as well.

The Journey Begins

This marks the beginning of a journey to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, enabling us to design with greater inclusivity, imagination, and humanity.

👉🏽 I invite you to join me on this journey by following along and sharing your thoughts and experiences.