What does 'Legacy' mean to you?

I'm currently designing an app as part of the Digital Product Design course run by YSYS. The theme of the brief is 'legacy'. A legacy brings to mind something that has left an imprint in our consciousness. It can be a story, an event, a person, a community... It can be positive or negative but often it is a balance between the two. It involves contradictions that reflect the complex nature of life. I'd like to know:

What is a legacy that means something to you?
Why is it important?
How do you celebrate/ remember it?
What if you could record it in some way-how would you do this?

I would especially love hear what anyone between the ages of 16-30 has to say, however answers from everyone no matter how old or young you are are welcome!

Thank you!

Replies9

  • @Alexandra (Lexy) Hearth Thanks so much for you answers Alexandra! Really appreciate you taking the time to answer.
  • @Fiona Freund Hey Fiona, thank you for you thoughtful response. Something for my team and I to think about as we develop our project further!
  • @Bakinam Sherif Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Your answers are really helpful to my team and I.
  • Hello Olive,

    Great question. I'm 28, as an Egyptian who lived abroad most of my life, below are my answers.

    What is a legacy that means something to you?
    For me legacy has 2 parts, my reputation as a human first before my title, when I leave a company, how do my team and my colleagues remember me, was I helpful, approachable and a good mentor to my juniors.

    And the second part is my work, ads, and campaigns that impacted a life or promoted a message of substance, I have been lucky to work on a few impactful campaigns that mean the most to me, these are the ones I want to be remembered for.

    Why is it important?
    It gives your workday in and day out, some sense of purpose.

    How do you celebrate/ remember it?
    I reflect on my actions, my work, and myself and I cherish any feedback I got along the way, I have a screenshot folder of emails, messages, and all the handwritten notes I got from my team.

    What if you could record it in some way-how would you do this?
    I would probably love to have it stored somewhere, that I can access easily when I want to feel good about myself.
  • Hi Olive,

    I am well over your age cut off : ) but the older I have got the more important it has become that I make work that 'makes a difference'. Photographs have huge power to change peoples perception and understanding. Legacy to me means 'what comes after' and that needs to be better, kinder and more equal.

    Good luck with your project!

    Fiona
  • Hi Olive,
    My answers below x I’m 28
    What is a legacy that means something to you?
    Two things - being important ad impactful to people who are important and impactful to me, increasing the % of girls in the world who experience a full education
    Why is it important?
    I believe we all leave an imprint whether we do it consciously or not so, to me being conscious just means taking some ownership in your legacy.
    How do you celebrate/ remember it?
    Write it down, go back to it - cherish and celebrate it privately, to myself
    What if you could record it in some way-how would you do this?
    Maybe a video diary, though to me it’s a personal sense of achievement so probably wouldn’t look or feel the need to share it.
    Hope that helps,
    Alexandra
  • @Linda Adeyemo Hello Linda! Thank you so much for sharing your legacy story. It's truly inspirational! It's amazing what your'e doing to continue writing your legacy.

    Might I ask about the role of technology in creating and celebrating your legacy? Feel free to connect and private message me if you would prefer. :)

    Thank you again for your answers!
  • @Chris Mence Hey Chris! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer, it means so much to me and my team!
    Might you be able to tell me a little more about how you do this? You can connect with me to send a private message if you prefer. :)
    Thanks again!
  • An important legancy for me is the sacrificies my mother made to have us raised in the Uk and have the opportunities we had. She moved through Nigeria to Spain to Germany to London, she's why I am almost quart-lingual and why I had space to choose what I love to do.

    It important to me because circumstances led to her raising us to be very independent from her, so by the time I was in university then I moved to Madrid, I never paused to truly appreciate it until I lost her this year.

    I'm still figuring out how I can do her justice, I'm wanting to start a PhD soon which will be my biggest academic accomplishment and it will be devoted to her as I study 2nd gens identity formation but thats only a small thought.

    I probably would have loved to do a visual life history ethnographic work to portray it.

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