Five Questions with Liza Comley

Five Questions is a monthly series profiling argodesign creatives, highlighting their influences and inspirations.

How do you Think by Making?
When I need to truly think, a blank sheet of printer paper is my best friend. And because my thoughts aren’t written in a nice sketchbook or on gridded/lined paper, it allows me to not be too precious with my ideas. I get to be messy and start over and be willing to throw out (don’t worry, I recycle) anything that doesn't suit me. I come up with my best and worst ideas on a piece of blank paper. How else are you going to know you have a truly good solution unless you can rule out all the other ones?

What’s one of the gnarliest design problems you’ve ever solved?
Last year, at argo, I worked with a large team (across two continents) to establish a foundational design system and multiple Figma libraries for a longstanding client. It was interesting to design for both the needs of the business, but also for designers who would be using the system.

For me, that program included defining the structure of the system (which I had personally never done before), the build and documentation of dozens of meticulously constructed Figma components across multiple UI kits, and the training of other designers. The project was extremely technical and it felt like almost every tiny decision had a ripple effect on the way the UI kit operated. I feel like in the time I spent working on that project I grew the most I have in my career thus far. And I’m really proud of the work.

What’s your current obsession?
I’m kind of obsessed with vanity license plates. I love to look for the beauty in the mundane. While I wouldn’t necessarily call license plates beautiful, it makes me happy that people have fun with such a bureaucratic thing. I live in Brooklyn, I don’t even drive, I don’t own a car, I just like when people get to be silly. I take photos of any vanity plate I see and I keep an album on my phone. 

Here are some of my favorites:

If you could remove one word from the design dictionary, what would it be? 
I’d remove the term dark pattern. Using “dark” as a metaphor for bad or morally ambiguous can reinforce negative racial biases against people with darker skin. Harry Brignull, the person who created the term “dark patterns” actually refers to them as “deceptive patterns” now.

Who is your design hero? Why?  
I wouldn’t say I have a design “hero” necessarily. I definitely admire and look up to so many people in the field though. People who are doing the work to make design a more diverse and inclusive field. People who are making sure digital design keeps its humanity. And especially the wonderful people who have mentored me and helped me become the designer I am today.