I created this pop culture reference for my Config talk and I’ve used it in a few presentations since then. This scene, where Phil Hartman plays an over-dramatized Charlton Heston, is from a Saturday Night Live parody of the cult classic film, Soylent Green.

Set in the year 2022 (!!), Soylent Green (1973) is a dystopian view of a world that is overpopulated. Facing water and food shortages, people eat processed foods made by the Soylent Corporation to survive. The titular food is revealed to be made of people. In a shocking revelation and desperate plea, Charlton Heston’s character, bellows in the film’s most iconic moment: “It’s people! Soylent Green is people!”

Here’s the real scene:

My perspective on design is not as grim as the sci-fi thriller. But Phil Hartman’s powerful impression perfectly captures the eye-opening moment when I realized that design is both for and about people. Plus, I think it makes for an fun and captivating meme.

I went to an art school. I was young, ambitious, and eager to make my mark. I used my creativity to express myself. My work was an extension of me – a grand impression of my small world view.

My artwork was emotional. It was therapy. It helped me heal. I used art making to work through emotional distress. My art had a message, and that message was very personal.

I never made art that was for an audience other than me. The closest I came to making for others was thinking about the physical space my art shares with the viewer.

How would this piece be installed? Could the viewer walk around it? What order do I display these pieces?

I didn’t pursue an artistic profession. Shortly after art school, I started working as a designer in the tech industry. I began my design career as a visual designer, and found my way to product design. I was drawn to the creative problem solving. I love the hard problem of meeting the needs of both the users and the business. But that required a switch in my mindset: making things for others, not making things for me.

“Art can be about the artist, but design is for the people.”

– Scott Berkun & Bryan Zug, Why Design is Hard

When I made that switch from artist to designer, I had to also make the switch of who I was making things for. My focus changed, and it required stepping free from my ego. It was no longer about me. It was about designing for others.

I feel like this is my Charlton Heston moment (minus the spiffy neckerchief). This is my over-the-top-dramatic debut where I desperately reveal the secret I want the world to know: “DESIGN, IT’S PEOPLE! IT’S PEOPLE!”