Design Activism: Beautiful Strangeness for a Sustainable World

by Alastair Fuad-Luke

Design academics and practitioners are facing a multiplicity of challenges in a dynamic, complex, world moving faster than the current design paradigm which is largely tied to the values and imperatives of commercial enterprise. Current education and practice need to evolve to ensure that the discipline of design meets sustainability drivers and equips students, teachers and professionals for the near-future. New approaches, methods and tools are urgently required as sustainability expands the context for design and what it means to be a 'designer'. Design activists, who comprise a diverse range of designers, teachers and other actors, are setting new ambitions for design. They seek to fundamentally challenge how, where and when design can catalyse positive impacts to address sustainability. They are also challenging who can utilise the power of the design process. To date, examination of contemporary and emergent design activism is poorly represented in the literature. This book will provide a rigorous exploration of design activism that will re-vitalise the design debate and provide a solid platform for students, teachers, design professionals and other disciplines interested in transformative (design) activism. Design Activism provides a comprehensive study of contemporary and emergent design activism. This activism has a dual aim - to make positive impacts towards more sustainable ways of living and working; and to challenge and reinvigorate design praxis,. It will collate, synthesise and analyse design activist approaches, processes, methods, tools and inspirational examples/outcomes from disparate sources and, in doing so, will create a specific canon of work to illuminate contemporary design discourse. Design Activism reveals the power of design for positive social and environmental change, design with a central activist role in the sustainability challenge. Inspired by past design activists and set against the context of global-local tensions, expressions of design activism are mapped. The nature of contemporary design activism is explored, from individual/collective action to the infrastructure that supports it generating powerful participatory design approaches, a diverse toolbox and inspirational outcomes. This is design as a political and social act, design to enable adaptive societal capacity for co-futuring.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Sociology, Fashion

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Paula Alvarez Quintero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cómo diseñadora me pregunto ¿Diseñamos para las personas o para el mercado?

Activism design responde en cierta manera esta pregunta, donde nos hace ver que cómo diseñadores tenemos responsabilidades sociales y ambientales, que estas son dependientes y ninguna es mayor que otra.

Por otra parte, también evidencia (más de una vez) que el diseño soluciona, pero estas soluciones no son necesariamente materiales, sino que son también la manera en que como seres sociales podemos existir.

Este libro se aprovecha mucho más leyendo "Desarrollo a Escala Humana" de Max-Neef.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the subject, premise and intention of this book, and really wanted to enjoy it.

There are some interesting parts about historical responsible design movements, and a decent overview of the contemporary scene, but some of the political analysis is so half-baked and naive - and a book on activism really needs to have at least a chapter on activism in the sense of protest and advocacy.


Something is clearly wrong when a book on design looks this ugly - clearly no designer was hired for the charts and information graphics.. An odd publication with a lot of potential..