Design: Problem and Alternative

Date posted

30 Jul 2016

Ezio Manzini, Design, When Everybody designs. An introduction to design for social innovation

An interview addresses current standards in design and the problems this represent, including in urban planning and on social/business media platforms (VPR Tegenlicht 2016). This is the perennial democratic problem of us vs. them, of citizens vs. the state, of increasing control (think of the TV series "Big brother" and the book "1984") vs. individual freedom, and how the prevalent design hegemony supports this.

Against this, consider the radical design focusing on the individual, and design for social innovation. Consider Ezio Manzini's ground-breaking book "Design, when everybody designs" (Manzini 2015). His point of departure is that the accelerating economic, political, social and technological change we are witnessing – more correctly, are part of – means that we and our cultures lag behind. We do not adapt fast enough to these changes. We need to address this up front, to be pro-active, to make these changes work our way. We need to think and work in terms of design that is inspired by, supports, and reflects social innovation.

One area of concern that may benefit from this cultural relativist position on design is development cooperation. Here often so-called experts (I admit to being one of them) – more often than not from the West – devise interventions and investments in developing countries that follow and is based upon Western ideas and values. The correct, and much more useful and productive approach, would be to involve the local people directly, and design both with and for them.

Lars T. Soeftestad

Notes
(1) This article is based on posts on my Facebook page as well as on Supras Ltd's company page on Linkedin.
(2) Image credit: Manzini (2015).
(3) Relevant Devblog articles: "Sykling og European Mobility Week" – https://www.devblog.no/no/article/sykling-og-european-mobility-week | "Bomstasjoner og bosetting" – https://www.devblog.no/no/article/bomstasjoner-og-bosetting | "Lund torv - om språk og kommunikasjon" – https://devblog.no/en/article/lund-torv-om-sprak-og-kommunikasjon
(4) Other Devblog articles: "Architecture and Ecology" – https://devblog.no/en/article/architecture-and-ecology | "Urban Cycling" – https://www.devblog.no/en/article/urban-cycling
(3) Permalink. URL: https://devblog.no/en/article/design-problem-and-alternative
(4) This article was published 30 July 2016. It was revised 23 Februar 2021.