NextD Journal I ReReThinking Design Special Issue, April 2007
Ellen Lupton |
Beautiful Diversion
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, United States
Design was once something that only designers knew about—an elite, insiders’ discourse. Today, design is more widely understood by the general public than ever before in history. We owe this turn of events to three main developments: the digital revolution, which has put industry-standard tools in the hands of kids and amateurs of every stripe; the retail revolution, which has put innovative, design-conscious products within the grasp of ordinary consumers; and the D.I.Y. movement, whose stream of informational tools spans from Martha Stewart’s media empire to countless independent self-education efforts on the ground. Growing alongside this celebratory awareness of design has been the anti-consumerist discourse exemplified by the Canadian magazine Ad Busters and the book No Logo, written by the Canadian critic Naomi Klein. Raging against the corporate machine, these publications have given voice to communities of citizens disgusted by the exploitation of workers and the destruction of the planet represented by the endless onslaught of branding and advertising. The broader green movement also pits itself against environmental destruction, calling upon manufacturers and designers to reform the fundamental tenets of business as usual. We have thus arrived at a compelling turn in the evolution of design consciousness. The general public is more aware than ever before of the values and languages of design, from graphics to architecture to automobiles. At the same time, many consumers, especially younger ones, distrust the global corporate economy upon which mass production relies. The public—at once skeptical and enthusiastic— wants a way in. Some designers equate the rising public understanding of design with a dumbing down of our tools, methodologies, aesthetic principles, and so on. Instead of ignoring the public, designers should reach out and invite people in to what we do. Instead of an us/them mentality, we should engage in peer-to-peer conversations with users, critics, makers, pedestrians, and other civilians. What could a high school student, a housewife, a carpenter, or a poet do with our tools? What tools could we create to help them make a better life or a better community at the individual and local level? What can we learn back from them? Design practice has always involved education. Designers educate their clients and the public to embrace new ideas. The funny thing is that IKEA, through the selfdemonstrating humanity of its environments and its endlessly self-explanatory signage, has become a more influential design educator than the design profession.
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