Design is… corrupting (original) (raw)

In design, it is commonly held that it is a virtue to speak the language of possibilities and to ask speculative ‘what if?’ questions. This tends to be translated into a design practice that privileges creative conjectures about ideal end states. Conversely, designers are rarely encouraged to think creatively about how a recalcitrant social world may scupper their grand designs. In response to this, we argue that the contemporary debate on design could do with a healthy dose of political realism. The lofty ideals of democratic design cannot be realised without recognising the harsh realities of power.