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48 Things Designers Can Learn at Burning Man

By Anki Delfmann - September 21, 2015

How to keep reinventing an icon Every year, The Man is the recognizable figure in the center of The Playa. This year he was surrounded by "Carnival of Mirrors" -themed installations, funhouses, and mazes, aiming to break the barrier between the performer and the spectator, the trickster and the tricked. Anki Delfmann 1 of 48

How to play with fire Riskee Ball by Site 3 Arts was one of the interactive flaming games at the Charnival, a "Coney Island of Fire" located south of The Man. Players were rewarded with flame eruptions upon scoring points. Anki Delfmann 2 of 48

How to create a more intense gaming experience Fire Tetris by Jody McIntyre was another favourite at the Charnival. The 27-foot tall structure is made up of 200 'fire-pixels', each consisting of a laser-cut steel frame and an effect head that can fill the box with flames. The contestants literally 'felt the heat' as the screen filled up in front of them. Anki Delfmann 3 of 48

How to design for confusion Mazes, confusion and trickery were a repeating topic throughout the camps and artworks. Anki Delfmann 4 of 48

How to engage through fear Inflection by Trevor Schrock was a wicked bouncing suspension bridge that lead nowhere, emphasizing the journey as the goal. Curves, bends, and a 180 degree twist in the middle brought some climbers (especially those wearing platforms) to their limits. 5 of 48

How to be bold Dream by Jeff Schomberg and Laura Kimpton. The "Words" have become an iconic series at Burning Man, which the artists find amusing as they are both dyslexic. Anki Delfmann 6 of 48

How to design negative space The CNC flame-cut holes in the letters not only provide the perforation for the words' illumination at night, but also symbolise the passed father of Laura Kimpton. The 'scrap' material birds were gifted on site to the audience by the artists themselves, and thus spread out into the world. Anki Delfmann 7 of 48

How to risk something Burning Man seems to bring out the adventurer in many. There is climbing, reaching and jumping in a lot of places, both literally and metaphorically. Anki Delfmann 8 of 48

How to form an impromptu team Just as immediate as the individual interaction with the artwork is much of the collaboration on The Playa. This group of people probably didn't know they just spelled out "yukzott" though. Anki Delfmann 9 of 48

How to plan a city The picture shows the 6 o clock axis of the Playa, leading towards The Man from The Outer Playa. Black Rock City is arranged like a clock face, with big avenues carrying the names of the hours, and streets arranged in concentric circles named alphabetically. Anki Delfmann 10 of 48

How to design a ritual The Lamplighters on their daily way to light the nearly 1000 kerosene lamps in Black Rock City. Anki Delfmann 11 of 48

How to create purpose-built beauty The Temple of Promise by the Dreamers Guild. I was lucky to be able to talk to designer Jazz Tigan, and he explained how the architecture is built as an extension to the journey to Burning Man. Walking through the building, visitors are lead from immense to human scale, the shape of the building supporting an inner transition from openness to a more intimate personal reflection. Anki Delfmann 12 of 48

How to find the perfect backdrop for your design Deep Thought by Hybycozo, inspired by Douglas Adams' musings about the bizarre and sublime included five golden polyhedrons... Anki Delfmann 13 of 48

How to design for all perspectives ... and a triambic icosahedron as the centrepiece. This walk-in piece of art is a nice example of how good design considers all perspectives. Anki Delfmann 14 of 48

How to achieve great reach with little material Balloon Chain by Robert Bose is a favourite installation amongst many participants, visible far and wide both during the day and at night, thanks to LEDs attached to the helium-filled balloons. Anki Delfmann 15 of 48

How to make a monumental statement R-Evolution by Marco Cochrane is a 48 foot tall sculpture of a woman made of steel rod and balls, covered in a stainless steel mesh. This piece is the last in a series of 3 women sculptures that challenge the viewer to see past the sexual charge that has developed around the female body, and to take action and end violence against women. Anki Delfmann 16 of 48

How to reinterpret ancient architecture Arbour by Joshua Haywood is inspired by dendritic forms of medieval vaults. Anki Delfmann 17 of 48

How to create organic forms from geometric patterns Joshua Haywood uses digitised ancient geometries that are manipulated in parametric models to create a contemporary structure. Anki Delfmann 18 of 48

How self-expression is a human need A Burner playing with "Isis-wings", a dance accessory originating in the Middle East that is popular amongst those who use The Playa as a stage for performing arts. Anki Delfmann 19 of 48

How self-expression extends to people's means of transportation This bunny is just one of the many mutant vehicles on The Playa (and oddly, one of the many pink bunnies). Anki Delfmann 20 of 48

How to design for local conditions This camp structure is built for providing maximum protection from the sun, whilst leaving enough space for the wind to pass through. In addition, it creates a beautiful play of light and shadow. Anki Delfmann 21 of 48

How to create the unexpected A fully functioning cinema at the furthest point of desert at Burning Man? Sure! The Black Rock Bijou includes everything you expect from a cinema, including a candy counter, film posters and foldable seats. Anki Delfmann 22 of 48

How to design for joy of use A woman on "Tutu-Tuesday", enjoying the trampolines at the Campoline Camp. Anki Delfmann 23 of 48

How to combine the unusual Madelena The Mer-Pony by Quill Hyde. Anki Delfmann 24 of 48

How to explore like a child Reflection by Lorna Jackson is being scaled by one of the numerous kids at Burning Man this year. Anki Delfmann 25 of 48

How to know your audience This artwork was placed rather far away from the camps in The Outer Playa, so the audience in this case was most likely one thing: thirsty. Anki Delfmann 26 of 48

How to repurpose material Penny the Canadian Goose by Mr and Mrs Ferguson is wearing a reflective feather dress made from American and Canadian pennies Anki Delfmann 27 of 48

How fandom can trigger creativity The Floydism art car is (obviously) an hommage to Pink Floyd, and a morphed 3D version of the 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'The Wall' album covers. Anki Delfmann 28 of 48

How to achieve the perfect surface finish This rowing boat might seem out of place in a desert, but it displayed a perfect finish for this year's art theme 'Carnival of Mirrors' Anki Delfmann 29 of 48

How to create clear signage Twisted Bristles x2 by George Ingalls are two 24-foot toilet brushes that help guide Burners in the Deep Playa towards the port-a-potties through unmistakable visual language. At night the fibre optic bristles light up in colour. Anki Delfmann 30 of 48

How to build to resist The Acavallo Carousel in a dust storm. The weather was sometimes challenging this year, with strong winds and temperatures at night close to freezing point. All artwork must be built to resist these extreme conditions. Anki Delfmann 31 of 48

How protective clothing should be worn A burner's feet after a whiteout on the Playa in flip flops. The alkaline dust isn't kind to human skin and should be wiped off with vinegar water at least once a day to prevent Playa Foot. Anki Delfmann 32 of 48

How to improvise A typical Burning Man makeshift shower kit setup, made out of reused water canisters and a pressure sprayer, and including an evaporation kiddy pool in the background. Anki Delfmann 33 of 48

How to uncover product niches Daiquiri Whacker by Steve Reid is a cordless blender, built with a twist grip throttle for fun interaction, and powered by a gas-fuelled weed whacker motor for performance. Anki Delfmann 34 of 48

How to use renewable energy sources ... as opposed to fighting the elements on bike or by foot, this Burner was by far the most elegant visitor of the outer playa on this windy day. Anki Delfmann 35 of 48

How to use imaginary energy sources Sometimes design requires a touch of madness. Anki Delfmann 36 of 48

How to not take things too seriously Laugher meditation at the Chakralicious Camp. Heads placed on other people's bellies, participants laughed meditatively in a sort of chain-reaction for over an hour in the middle of the worst dust storm of the week. Anki Delfmann 37 of 48

How to respect privacy My "This entitles you to nothing in particular" media pass. Burning Man has very strict guidelines in place to ensure nobody's privacy is invaded. 38 of 48

How to design for emotion Becoming Human by Christian Ristow in front of Center Camp is a 30-foot tall robot that occasionally smells the flower in its right hand, and aims to inspire musings about technology and nature. Anki Delfmann 39 of 48

How to spread ideas Crowds at the Tedx Black Rock Cityconference.Presentations included talks about changing law through changing culture, female leadership, and a block-rocking cello and beatbox performance by Cello Joe, covering topics like green transportation and digital addiction. Anki Delfmann 40 of 48

How to be comfortable Sometimes the devil is in the details. After a week of walking through Black Rock Desert in heavy boots, flimsy flip flops, or even on stilts, many Burners were full of envy for this lady's choice of footwear. Anki Delfmann 41 of 48

How to style for the occasion This Burner's home-made mask not only interpreteted this year's art theme 'Carnival of Mirrors', but also fit nicely with the Temple of Promise's copper-plated front arch. Anki Delfmann 42 of 48

How secrecy creates desire There was no question we were asked more frequently than: "Do you know where Robot Heart is?". The Robot Heart art car and massive sound system host legendary nightly raves until sunrise in the Deep Playa, and as the space is vast and nothing is announced or signposted, it's not always easy to find. Following the masses is a good start though. Anki Delfmann 43 of 48

How to blur the lines between the digital and physical Inky The Pacman Ghost was built to add a bit of 8-bit nostalgia to the high definition experience of the Playa. Anki Delfmann 44 of 48

How to reduce to the max How to best light up a human at night? This is the simple but elegant result of this group's discussion on that topic. Anki Delfmann 45 of 48

How to over-perform This guy clearly did a very good job at being well-lit and visible at night. Turning a challenge into a statement seems to be a specialty amongst Burning Man participants. Anki Delfmann 46 of 48

How to design for the now The illuminated Temple Of Promise by night, crested by an almost full moon. Compared to some designs and architecture that are built to last, it doesn't cease to amaze me how much planning, knowledge, care and sweat is put into the artwork on The Playa, and how willing the creators are to let it go up in flames after just a few days of existence. Anki Delfmann 47 of 48

How to design celebration and celebrate design Rather than letting things fade away, they go with a bang at Burning Man. This year, The Man was not only lit on fire, but also blown up with two major detonations of some serious explosives. And when talking about the communal design of a celebration we should also mention the security, police, fire brigade, ambulances, rangers, the fireworks, fire dancers, drums, hundreds of art cars, flame throwers, lit-up bikes, and probably close to 70.000 people participating in the event. Anki Delfmann 48 of 48

Learning at Burning Man starts with the people you meet.

Even though jobs aren't the usual topic of conversations on the playa, I was curious about what people do in the outer world. I soon found out that in just one day, I talked to an astrophysicist, an actress, a nurse and glassblower, an engineer, a heart surgeon, a welder, and a chef.

And that's not to mention their involvement in the creation and running of Black Rock City itself, which included working behind a bar, driving an art car, lighting a bonfire, playing a ukulele, and simply being an overwhelmed first time burner.

People and conversations aside, this gallery is a collection of what designers can learn just by immersing themselves in Black Rock City and its surroundings – the art, the playa, the vehicles, the camps, the costumes, and the nature of the desert itself.

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Anki Delfmann

Anki is a senior independent design consultant working in product innovation, design strategy and user experience. She balances her own projects with consulting jobs for small and international companies including Vodafone, Trivago and Fatmap. Her work has varied from designing a FAD award winning baby chair, snowboard boots and 3D UX for social networks, outdoor adventure and digital city twins, to design strategy, UX and brand consulting for startups.
Having earned her Diplom and Masters in Cologne, Sydney and Barcelona, she now splits her time between London and Cologne, and has made her suitcase an integral part of life.
On the hunt for inspiration, she writes about design and travel, and has recently founded a small but mighty global collective with like-minded designers, writers and engineers. She loves language, the discovery of our planet, and everything science-based, automated, 3D, collapsible or responsive.