Who Are We Working For? The Future of Design at ADC's Designism 4

We are experiencing an unfamiliar design landscape that is drastically different from anything that we may have become accustomed to in recent decades. Fortunately, the current post-capitalism arena that we have entered challenges the irresponsible way of communicating through design.

To design is to work out the form of something or to solve a problem. With the onslaught of capitalism in the 1990's design has been bastardized. The fleetingly constructed and unsustainable system of wealth that evolved allowed for design to become misguided and often misused. Rather than investing in the re-invention of products or services, copy cat companies have relied on their communication design to promote themselves. By “copy cat companies” I mean those that offer the same product or service as their competitor without any real differentiating qualities. This, in turn has created a business bubble of extremely mediocre and poorly performing products and services in our marketplace. What makes matters worse is that the throw-away and irresponsible culture that this has created is collapsing right before our eyes. So what now?

The discussion at the Art Directors Club regarding Designism pleasantly re-introduced the influence and responsibility that those in the design industries have. The panel featured Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes; Bill Drenttel, Partner of Winterhouse Studio and Design Observer; Paula Scher, Partner at Pentagram; and Mark Randall, Principal of Worldstudio. It was a group of people from many different disciplines with varied experiences, offering insight into a critical industry that constantly shapes the world in which we live. However, it was disappointing to find that the majority of the conversation during the first half focused on business and the idea of making money, rather than a discussion about unleashing the true potential that is design.

Thankfully, an audience member from Colombia brought this to the attention of the panel. He explained that in Colombia, design wasn't taught to him with a goal of generating wealth but, instead, to communicate ideas and solutions. With the ability to create visual communication comes the opportunity and, some would say, the responsibility to help do much more. Take into consideration the more financially attainable content-building technology and who we can now reach. One can promote a more balanced, transparent and fair society like never before through the same tools and tactics continually used to sell us garbage.

But before we are able to do utilize a virtually free, democratized technology, we must recognize that post-client culture has become a reality. We're now experiencing a time where — instead of waiting for potential clients to start and fund a project — designers can start a project on their own. These design ideas have the potential to manifest into tangible constructs and be distributed to other like-minded “fans” if done correctly. Some companies have caught wind of the popularity and exciting energy that surround a cause or idea and crave to be involved. Designers can acquire the network necessary to implement their idea. This allows us to remove the shackles and step beyond the previously submissive and restricted roles and become a more dominant decision-making and problem solving collective. A recent example would be the story of the High Line and how Paula Scher's design and passion helped to germinate – and then execute-- a much needed parks project in the city of New York.

Conversely, I have observed many people become discouraged, as they lament that they don't have the time or luxury to work out their ideas. Our disposable short-term culture has brought with it a very unhealthy, impatient, greedy and status-driven mentality. If projects don't come to fruition within a few weeks most give up. Rather than nurture ideas we prevent them from maturing. Throughout the beginning of the conversation, the Designism panel discussed the idea of successful business models. A business model must be unique to each company. More importantly, a business model may be the product of an evolution of an idea rather than the catalyst for one. With the technologies and talents that designers have access to, they can distribute their stories rather than fabricate one: this is the future of design, and this is the future of influence.