What Buddhism and Design Have in Common

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In our first conversation of 2021, we speak with designer and architect James Ludwig, VP of Global Design and Product Engineering for Steelcase Inc., the world’s leading designer of office furniture. He’s also been practicing SGI Nichiren Buddhism for a very long time.

We discussed what design and Buddhism have in common, which is a lot, and how, at the beginning of a new year and new decade, we can think about designing our lives and solving big problems.

Cheatsheet
1:52 The design he's most proud of
3:42 What he does day to day
5:46 Growing up in a farm town
7:41 How he started practicing Buddhism
8:53 How he found a path to industrial design
10:03 What industrial design is
11:22 Uncovering problems to solve through design
13:46 Design example: reducing medical error
15:35 How pain points can become opportunities
16:27 What design and Buddhism have in common
18:01 Iterating your way toward big goals
19:09 How to work with other people better
20:29 What "human revolution" means in Buddhism
21:10 The three keys to breaking through in life and design
23:24 How to think about "the now, the near and the far"
25:58 Designing for the future when the present is stressful
29:11 James' experience developing a team through care
35:35 Curiosity is more valuable than knowledge in approaching life
37:40 How to generate options in your life through your own transformation
38:49 Advice for anyone who feels like they haven't tapped into their full potential yet
40:48 The difference between being bold and courageous
42:22 How to set intentions or goals at the beginning of a year
43:50 Envisioning yourself as one part of an ecosystem
45:57 Advice for anyone who is ready to design their life
47:10 A final thought on creating what's never been created before