Design after design (original) (raw)
Why Design Matters More Today Than Ever Before
Nordic Design Research Conference, 2011
Sciences have certainly done their best to blow the whistle, warning for an escalating climate disaster. And today seemingly powerful leaders also start to talk boldly about the present need of profound and radical changes. Still, too little seems to change in the directions proposed and if it changes at all, these changes seem to be far too small, far too inconsistent and far too slow to meet the requirements specified by the scientific community. Why is this so? And what could design and design research possible do about it? This explorative paper gives an outline of the matters underpinning two initiatives (D-side and Shaping Futures) taken at the Institute of design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) in Norway. It is an illustration on the importance of utilizing design competences in what sometimes is labelled Discursive Design by merging different design methods with Foresight and Radical Innovation. The intention with the paper is to call out for a long overdue debate about-and actions that urgently needs to be taken towards the seemingly pretentious, but still designerly, vision of a different, prosperous and 'better' future world.
Design as Agent of Change, seeks to understand a phenomenon in the field of design as it gets involved with the paradigm of sustainability. By comprehending the systemic causes that drive this transformation and the conflict existing between unsustainable way of living and sustainability, we find a good opportunity for design to get involved in the transition for a sustainable future. The revision made, also allow us to realize that this task will also require changes in the design discipline and by using as reference the four agencies to create a culture of sustainability by design that Tony Fry proposes, we show some examples of initiatives that are triggering this change. As we revised the attributes that can make designers a promising agent and understand the process that allows a subject to become an Agent from the sociological perspective. A question still remains un answered, How can Design could become an Agent of Change? So a proposal of three stages of formation of the agency in design is presented, with the aim not only to provide an overview of the phenomenon but as an opportunity to trigger a dialogue about experiences and reflections, so we reflect about the importance and challenges for Design as Agent of Change.
Design Philosophy Papers, 2015
Parsons school of Design, The new school, new york 1. 'In the future design will be very important, designers less so' Two hundred years ago a Design Research Society conference was not possible. Indeed, Design, as we know it, as a professional activity, did not exist. One hundred years ago we could have had debates on design-in 1914 there was a famous debate between Gropius and Van der Velde at the German Werkbund (in effect on art versus industry, some things do not change much)-but at that date the idea of design research was all but impossible and indeed the Design profession itself, as we know it was still incipient. The concepts of high-level design education and of design research waited for another half-century. The point I am making here is obvious-almost, but not quite, for to point to the historical emergence of design as profession is to remind us what we continually tend to forget, namely that if design is what we think of today as (in effect) an anthropological capacity-without which we could not be fully human (in the words of the late British design historian John Heskett, 'a unique characteristic of what defines us as human beings on a par with literature and music') it is also specifically, in the form that it takes as capacity, a historical phenomenon. In other words, if design, again to quote Heskett, allows us, or helps us, 'to create a world of artifice to meet our needs and give meaning to our lives, ' and thus (ideally if not always in practice) 'beneficially reshape the world of artifice we have created and inhabit, ' it does so always under particular historical conditions. Design is never outside of history: it occurs; in the context of forces and circumstances; in the play that is set in motion between a relation of forces and the potential (shi) which is implied by that situation, and can be made to play in one's favor. Hegel argued that philosophy is always its own time reflected in thought. Design partakes on something of the same condition. It is always at once beholden to and reflective of, its
Design for Business, Volume 2
For the average reader of this publication, the question ‘Why design matters?’ is an unnecessary one. Yet, for most people, design remains an exotic profession focused on making beautiful things. Aesthetics is a part of design, but design is much more than that. Design is about solving everyday problems by overcoming limitations, challenges and constraints in a creative way. In a society that plans for its future in a world of limited resources, design certainly matters.
Interrogating the Value of Design Research for Change
The Design Journal, 2020
This paper examines different types of value created by design research in the UK. Given the significant economic, social and environmental challenges we currently face, funding bodies and governments are increasingly concerned with assessing the value and impact of design research. The value generated by design research is not always clearly articulated by the academic community and understood by the public. With this in mind, this paper examines a sample of 67 projects that traverse conceptual, disciplinary and methodological boundaries representing the spread of contemporary design research in the UK. The paper presents an innovative 4-leaf value model that integrates different value theories from economics, sustainable development, and the social sciences. The paper highlights that design research plays a significant role in generating social, cultural, economic and environmental change, outlines synergies between the different types of value produced, and identifies gaps for design researchers to focus on in future years.
Leading by Design in the Twenty‐First Century
Design Management Review
How can design help in the pursuit to empower ourselves, empower others, be co-creative, and build more internal power? By Anupriya Diwan HE ONGOING PANDEMIC HAS GIVEN US an opportunity for deeper reflection that despite having an abundance of well-designed products, services, spaces, and systems, some situations and events can go beyond our control. It reflects the imbalance we have created in our interaction with nature and humanity. Many of the earth's resources have already been depleted and exploited beyond the reasonable limit. We must build resilience now and find creative ways to accommodate any future needs. It is time to value humanity more than ever and consider ourselves a part of one global family, whichever nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, belief system, etc., we come from. We must become one in the quest to save the earth and solve the wicked problems humanity faces today. For the same reason, there is a need to democratize design, co-create, and empower others around us to do the same. In light of the above, an important inquiry emerges-how can design help build such a mindset and culture? How can design help in this pursuit to empower ourselves, empower others, be co-creative, and build more internal power? This is the first step in social innovation or designing for social change in the twenty-first century-to lead the design process with a meaningful purpose.
Design today has become an extremely wide area of expertise, overlapping with many other disciplines. Knowledge of the classics of modern design has almost become a common cultural property. Design objects today are presented in a similar manner as art. This book is my interpretation of the design process, covering all disciplines. In the book, I will be occasionally shifting from one discipline to another, but this is because, in reality, disciplines are overlapping themselves. I think it is important to provide as much as possible a holistic overview. There are many different interpretations of design and according to me, as long as the designer can explain and communicate his work in a rational matter, there are no wrong or right design interpretations. I make no attempt here to create an encyclopedic enumeration of some kind; rather this book is designed, to present a survey of the main lines of the design development, and influential factors that may and will determine the future of the design process. This book represents a contemporary overview of that process and relates to the tendencies of the integrated design approaches in industry and the knowledge that lies behind. This book has been written and designed as a Masters Project at the Bergen National Academy of Arts (2004 - 2006). I would like to thank this institution for choosing me to become a part of the first generation of the Master students in Design and Visual Communication in Norway. Having American, German, French, British, and Norwegian professors, made the work on this book a valuable international experience.
Introduction: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – Impact and Consequences in Design (DE/EN)
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – Impact and Consequences in Design, 2024
The 20th annual conference of the German Society for Design Theory and Research (DGTF) in April 2024 was entitled "Design as a risk - risks and side effects of design". It reflected the role of designers in the face of social, political, and ecological challenges. Central discussion points were the power of design and the need for systematic impact measurement and impact assessment. The conference proceedings "What could possibly go wrong?" shed light on the tension that goes hand in hand with the question of impact in design: on the one hand, design is seen as a potential beacon of hope for initiating sustainable, social transformations. On the other hand, handling resources, production chains, or knowledge gained in the research process is critically scrutinized, especially concerning possible negative effects and dependencies and the reproduction of power structures. The publication maps current research approaches in design research intending to make the impact relationships in design processes, methodological approaches, and theory formation tangible. In this respect, modeling within design research is still in its infancy, while established models already exist in the sustainability, social, and engineering sciences. This raises the question of how the impact of design can be measured, both concerning social innovations and social interventions, as well as in the context of manufacturing companies. The conference volume addresses initial approaches, reflects on the role of design in inter- and transdisciplinary research and practice collaborations, and shows the limits and challenges, particularly regarding power structures and exclusions. The 24 contributions from 21 peer-reviewed articles and three visual essays offer diverse insights into Shifting Perspectives, Impact and Measurement, Power and Complicity, Design Challenges, Social Innovation, Designing Governance, Managing Risk? and Exploring the Unknown. In this context, design impact assessment is discussed as well as the establishment of a culture of error that offers space for learning processes and different perspectives and, finally, the responsibility of designers when taking social, ecological, and economic goals into account and integrating unheard voices. The individual contributions reflect the need to critically examine modernist thinking, which is often associated with design and conveys techno-optimistic ideas of shaping a better future. It is encouraged to adopt a perspective that considers the role of design in a complex network of actors and influences and critically scrutinizes its impact on society, the environment, and the future.