The self conciousness of designers mirrors the increasing depoliticization of society, although it is driven by many of the same forces: primarily the end of ideology and rise of individual politics.
"Ethical design in some sense is a response to a sense of political powerlessness: designers are urged to get off the fence and act." - Alex Cameron - Becoming Designers
Design Awareness: politics, economics, sociology, technology, (pest analysis)
Ethical Design = over-estimates the power of design and advertising to influence people (?) most of whom can deconstruct an ad.
I dont think this is true. In "First Things Next" Rick Poyner says that in America people are subject to 3000 ads a day. We do not have enough time to think about, let alone deconstruct all them. Thats without taking into account having had some sort of education about adverts.
In concetrating on its message rather than th ebest way to get it across, it doesnt treat the craft of design seriously enough.
effective political discussion is a battle of ideas, not tactics; it is underpinned by theory and rhetoric, which is informed by and contextualizes, facts.
as designers we can make a great difference to the world by building on what we know how to do already.
Key Skills in the design process:
- being able to conceptualise and weigh up a multi dimensional problem, consider scenarios of use (context), think laterally and creatively, evaluate ideas and communicate effectively.
1. As society needs become more sophisticated and as a larger population has access to more of societies resources, designerly thinking will become even more important as a skill for anticipating and working through problems and oppertunities.
2. nothing in the external world is a given and the problems we experience (sometimes unknowingly) and oppertunities we see are often design challenges. this is a key concept missing from social life and one that designers effectively propagate in their work.
3. designers need to understand better the world around us. design orientates itself around the experience of the user. it is uniquely positioned to mediate between all the parties in product development and bringing a wider understanding of the world. designers can help other designers understand the interests of each group in this process more acutely.
Superhumanism = going over board on the moral / ethical design and engaging with theoretical battles in ideals and rhetorics. Humanistic approach should be more about engaging with the theory and then doing. rather than going round in circles arguing. <-- my basic understanding based on my undertanding on "humanism" and the "superhumanism" sculptures
could it be to do with oversimplifying things though?
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