Summary
The Head of Design at the Ministry of Culture of Jalisco is the only public entity in Mexico working toward establishing public policy for design. The department has introduced design concepts such as prototyping and iteration in the Government through the design of open calls, funds, and exhibition. They have pioneered platforms such as Plataforma Activa de Diseño, or Pad Jalisco, (trad. Active Platform for Design) a space for design projects involving subjects that are connected to Government goals, including climate change, social equality and gender perspective. Through Plataforma Activa de Diseño, designers can receive funds and mentorship from other parts of the Government in order to improve their projects and introduce design in other public sectors. In addition to briefly discussing their most important projects, Kassim Vera, the Head of Design, and Sofía Delsordo, the department's Programme Leader, will talk about the main challenges in developing public policy for designers from a highly complex environment and share their experience navigating bureaucracy, legislation, and social vision of the role of the Government in the development of arts and creative economies.
Key Insights
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Government traditionally funds projects with fixed deliverables; introducing prototype funding marks a paradigm shift.
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The design department was the first of its kind at all government levels in Mexico.
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Engaging children and teenagers in design worked better by focusing on technology and UX concepts familiar to them.
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Creating government programs with a design studio mindset rather than a bureaucratic mindset fosters innovation.
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A major challenge was translating design terms and processes into bureaucratic language to gain buy-in.
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The Oris Santos Calisco fund successfully addressed COVID-19's impact by supporting digital transition in the arts.
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Design residencies focusing on social impact provide a unique public platform for designers in Mexico.
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Strategic partnerships with private collections helped legitimize and expand government design exhibitions.
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Branding the department with an approachable, consumer-facing identity increased public engagement and cross-sector communication.
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Embedding design units within government functions requires long-term strategies like Pat Helisco to survive administration changes.
Notable Quotes
"Imagine a world where the government prototypes and iterates the whole time."
"We started to see kids and teenagers as users, not as audiences."
"The design mindset was way more important than the bureaucratic mindset."
"Some projects might work out. Some simply won't. But our context is changing fast, so we have to keep iterating."
"We wanted beneficiaries to see government not as an old machine, but as people who see themselves as users."
"This was the first local fund impacting nationwide specifically in the mentors category."
"Good design needs better PR, and the government has to be actively involved in the process."
"Every project and initiative we've launched has been a Trojan horse navigating through dark matter."
"The Ministry of Culture will be the only government office totally open for public use."
"We want to make design public, visible, useful, and appealing to inspire other government areas and states."
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