fluxdesign

[fluxdesign]

Celebrating Student Knowledge

Executive Summary                                                                        

This report entails a research report into the community within the Culture and Context Major of Victoria University of Wellington’s Design Faculty.

It aimed to discover and address the culture issues within the major that prevents greater collaboration and discussion, and therefore limits the potential for more successful outcomes.

Initial primary research identified a lack of communal space and opportunities for Culture and Context students to engage in discussion with their peers. While students identified that it was an issue, they did not have the agency to create change.

Secondary research then identified the importance of community, and explored ways of encouraging and initiating community within a group.

The report then recommends the investment of time and effort into the creation and continuance of a community within the Culture and Context major. It proposes developing both a raised awareness of the importance of community, as well as resources for a class representative, to encourage and support their role in the process.

Background

This project was heavily influenced by a recognition of the diverse talents and wealth of knowledge within the design school of Victoria University, and specifically amongst the students majoring in Culture and Context (now to be renamed Design for Social Innovation). Within this context, there was a systemic lack of collaboration and utilisation of peers knowledge and abilities. The initial research was therefore centred around how students currently engaged with their peers work. This largely revolved around presentations and exhibitions, and examining how these could be adapted to encourage connections, dialogue and collaboration. The research focused on the creation of spaces or exhibitions that would allow students to present and view peers work, encouraging feedback and the potential for collaboration during the development of projects.

Through primary research with students and faculty it became clear that there was an underlying culture issue within the Culture & Context (C+C) program, which presented a threat to any exhibition based outcome. Although the C+C program is small enough to allow all the students to know each other, in practice there is not a strong sense of community amongst peers. This lack of community presented a challenge when attempting to encourage discussion and dialogue, as many of the students did not feel comfortable giving feedback, and lacked the knowledge of their peer’s expertise when in need of advice. My research therefore has lead into an exploration of the ability to encourage and foster community with the C+C program, with the end goal still revolving around maximising the potential of the program through dialogue and collaboration.

Research

Initial research into communities within a learning environment suggested significant benefits from developing and maintaining a strong sense of community. Kamihira, Eoki and Nakano (2011), discuss how feedback between peers can identify unrecognized problems and overlooked opportunities, while developing communication skills. They also state that peer feedback engages the students, encouraging them to continue beyond a deadline or course, while only receiving instructor feedback tends to leave students “working only for the grade”. Ernst, Wonder and Adler (2016), also recognised this motivating factor, and their research demonstrated links to “higher levels of critical thinking across curricula and intellectual growth”, as a result of strong learning communities. Although all of the subjects of these studies have been the result of an ongoing investment in community building, Buch and Barron (2012) suggested in their work that simply the act of creating a community within an institution was a community-building experience.

Having identified the need and value of a learning community, I began research on a primary level, examining the factors that contributed to a lack of community. Many of the students identified that talking to their peers could be intimidating and there was a stigma around asking for help, instead tending to rely upon the internet and observation based learning. All of the students also identified the lack of a dedicated studio space for C+C students, which meant that the students tended to study in separate areas within the design school. This contrasted with both Industrial and Media majors, whose studio spaces were a hub for a community of students to revolve around. Although the industrial studio is from a faculty perspective considered to be for both Industrial and C+C, in reality the C+C students rarely use the space, and are not made welcome by the industrial students. When prompted, the C+C students agreed that having a communal space would also help to make other students more approachable.

In lieu of a physical space, I then began secondary research into tools that could help to develop and foster community. Community is understood to be at the core of social organisation including the sharing of tools and resources (Fischler, 2011), which reflects the perceptions of C+C students in relation to the lack of communal space. Food specifically became a frequent theme, through the context of commensality, and the sharing of food. Bloch (1999) identified that in all societies the sharing of food acts to establish closeness, and is therefore “one of the most powerful operators of the social process”. By sharing food we create or reinforce similarities between us, therefore “we are not only what we eat; we are also the people with whom we eat” (Giacoman, 2016). By creating opportunities for students to share food would inherently create opportunities for building community.

On the suggestion of a tutor I also explored the ability to build connections via online platforms as an extension of an offline community. A study by Rosenberry (2010), suggested that although valuable for removing physical barriers, the benefits of online communities were unlikely to transfer into offline communities where they did not already exist. In the context of my research, having an online platform to allow communication between peers would be valuable, once an initial community has been established.

As a test of the response, I created an opportunity for C+C students to catch up on their projects and share cookies and coffee. I publicised this through an established 3rd Year Design Facebook page, and encouraged anyone to join the discussion and sharing of food. Even within the rather small turnout (5 from C+C and a couple from other majors), there was a consensus of the lack of community, and the need to address it. There were stories of frustration regarding the missed opportunities and others of where collaboration and community had benefited others. The most successful output of this event however, was the connections made between students that previously had not engaged in dialogue together. Sure enough to Buch and Barron, simply the act of starting the discussion around the lack of community began, in a small way, to start addressing it.

Challenges and Concerns

An issue that arises from any attempts to establish community is the inherent creation of group boundaries. By building connections and community within one group tends to create boundaries which separate the included from the excluded (Giacoman, 2016). In the context of the design school, this could lead to greater divisions between the majors (which I would suggest are already quite wide).

Although the creation of a communal space for C+C students would be invaluable when attempting to develop community, this may not be an easy fix within the design school. In my first series of primary research it was clear that there was a struggle to find space for exhibitions, and I would expect this to also impact the ability to create a communal C+C space. Space is already at a premium within the university, and setting aside space specifically for one group may impact upon others.

There is also a likelihood of a monetary cost for any investment in developing community. These costs could include resources and equipment for any physical space, as well as the cost of food or coffee for an event based community. If this was not covered by the university the costs would be passed on to students, some of whom therefore may not be able to afford to be part of the community. Again this risks creating divisions between those who are included and those who are not.

Conclusions

My research identified a few key routes through which community can be encouraged within the C+C program. The main opportunities that I identified were through the use of a physical space, and the creation of social events, particularly those involving food or coffee.

Having a centralised hub for C+C students would be a quick way to address this issue. By condensing the C+C students into one study space would encourage discussion, and would allow for greater interaction between peers. This in turn would lead to the development of community and the benefits that this would bring. However this output requires physical space to be set aside, which I would suggest is unlikely when space is already at a premium with the campus.

The creation of social events is a more achievable outcome, to encourage peers to meet outside of lecture and tutorial schedules. This output relies upon time commitment from the class rep or another leader figure, who can act to organise and initiate the community. This leader would need to understand and value the outcomes of developing a community, to promote and exemplify to their peers. The use of food and drink has also been shown to support and encourage the development of community, so utilising this may also be valuable.

Output

Based on this research and conclusions, I began drafting a process that would encourage and develop community amongst C+C students. This would be centred on utilising the role of class representative, to initiate and maintain connections. The class representative plays a central role within the course, as a contact point between faculty and students in a semi-leadership role. Supported by the faculty, the class representative would be given the tools and opportunity to start developing the class community within the first studio session, with the expectation of then developing beyond these sessions.

Publication

The proposed publication of this research is through the distribution of this report amongst faculty to promote agency on this issue. The research suggested an awareness of the problem amongst both faculty and students, but a lack of intent to address it. While new students are constantly entering the program, faculty will tend to remain for longer and therefore have the ability to react to this research over a longer timeframe. I will also therefore encourage the ideas and intent being presented to students from faculty members, as well as reflected in opportunities to build community within the educational structure.

Recognising faculty’s existing workload, I have developed the core messages into a brochure that could be given to a class representative. This brochure begins with information regarding the importance of their role in relation to building a community of C+C students. This aims to create agency by identifying and promoting the improved outcomes for the class representative, as well as their peers, as a result of a strong community. The brochure also includes a form to list all the students within the course, as well as skills they can offer to their peers. Each student has different skills and expertise, and this form aims to list and establish the areas where students can provide support and advice to other students. The form also encourages the establishment of a class group on social media, and the sharing of an image of the form so students can easily see who to contact for this help and support. There is also a suggestion of potential places to meet outside of university and space to set a time and place for regular meet-ups, should the students wish to do so. I don’t necessarily expect that the brochure would be used in its entirety (knowing students!), rather it is intended to make the students conscious of the value and importance of developing community, irrelevant of the tools ultimately used.

Images of draft brochure:

References:

Bloch, M. (1999).  Commensality and poisoning. Social Research, 66(1), 133-149. Retrieved  from https://search.proquest.com/docview/209667289?accountid=14782

Buch, K., &  Barron, K. E. (Eds.). (2012). Discipline-Centered Learning Communities:  Creating Connections Among Students, Faculty, and Curricula. Jossey-Bass.

Ernst, B. K.,  Wonder, K., & Adler, J. (2016). Developing a University Learning  Community of Critical Readers and Writers: The Story of a Liberal Arts and  IEP Partnership. TESOL, 7(1), 67-97. doi:10.1002/tesj.191

Fischler, C.  (2011). Commensality, Society and Culture. Social Science Information, 50(3-4),  528-548. doi:10.1177/0539018411413963

Giacoman, C.  (2016). The dimensions and role of commensality: A theoretical model drawn  from the significance of communal eating among adults in Santiago, Chile. Appetite,  107, 460-470. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.08.116

Hattie, J., &  Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational  Research, 77(1), 81-112. Retrieved from  http://www.jstor.org/stable/4624888

Herman, C. P.  (2017). The social facilitation of eating or the facilitation of social  eating? Journal of Eating Disorders, 5(16).  doi:10.1186/s40337-017-0146-2

Kamihira, T.,  Aoki, M., & Nakano, T. (2011). Building a Shared Cross-Cultural Learning  Community for Visual Communication Design Education. In K. M. (Ed.), Human  Centered Design. HCD 2011. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Vol. 6776,  pp. 397-406). Berlin: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-21753-1_45

Mennell, S.,  Murcott, A., & van Otterloo, A. (1992). Commensality and Society. Current  Sociology, 42(92), 115-119. doi:10.1177/001139292040002016

Rosenberry, J.  (2010). Virtual Community Support For Offline Communities. Journalism  & Mass Communication Quarterly, 87(1), 154-169.  doi:10.1177/107769901008700109

Rowe, A. (2011).  The personal dimension in teaching: why students value feedback. International  Journal of Educational Management, 25(4), 343-360.  doi:10.1108/09513541111136630

Zhao, C., &  Kuh, G. (2004). Adding Value: Learning Communities and Student Engagement. Research  in Higher Education, 45(2), 115-138.  doi:10.1023/B:RIHE.0000015692.88534.de

[fluxdesign]

“Are you comfortable? Things designers could be addressing instead of designing another chair

Overpopulation, Global Warming, Refugees, Poverty, Education, Healthcare, Clean Water, Mental Health, Terrorism, Obesity, Gender Inequality, Malnutrition Ageing Population, Racism, Homelessness, Food Security, Disparity, Inequality …”

Chair designed as a critique of the misuse of talented and skilled individuals in the design industry, making unnecessary and unneeded designs while there are a huge array of real world problems that could be addressed. Designed as an exhibition piece that appears centred around frame on a wall, encouraging viewers to sit and view. When seated, the viewer feels the words sticking up out of the chair. The words create physical discomfort to match the moral discomfort that I am trying to generate through the statement in the frame

[fluxdesign]

Exploration of night photography, particular focus on the impact of unnatural light on the natural world. Plants, like most animals, enter a “sleep” phase during night time, where different processes essential for growth occur. In urban areas, where plants are exposed to light 24/7, what impact does this have?

[fluxdesign]

Creative nonfiction of an ethnographic study of the meaning of “play”

(names have been changed for anonymity)

Sarah

Sarah sits perched, like her beloved cat, on a chair in her family’s dining room, attentive but with one ear for the brownies baking in the adjoining room. Her tone is cautious, testing out the water with her answers, entirely conscious in her resolve to use the most adept words. “Play is….. uuuuum…. Play is being active, having fun. Going out and doing something, not just sitting around watching netflix!” She offers, all of a sudden confident. 

“So does play have to be active?” 

“…. Depends” Sarah replies with a laugh. “You could be playing on your computer”.

Pressing her to elaborate, I ask if playing on the computer is play, what makes watching Netflix different? She seems less sure of her initial statement now, admitting that Netflix can share a lot of the enjoyment and fun that she initially associates with physical play. To her, it’s all about the context, the environment, which allows something to be play.

“It’s a perspective”.

Sarah comes from a teaching and sociology background, so she has a strong appreciation of culture and its role in children’s education. Her other passions include cats, baking, cats and tv shows. And cats.

As a child, Sarah conformed to most of the stereotypical play of a young girl, playing pretend, dressing up with friends and watching Saddle Club; “Saddle Club was the shiiiiit”. As we discuss this her mother pipes up from the lounge “Barbie dolls!!!”

“MUM this is being recorded! SERIOUSLY”

Initially Sarah seems confident that play has changed significantly with age for her, that adults follow a similar routine, but “grow out of being imaginary”. She mentions going out with friends and going into town as examples of adult “play”. I question whether dressing up and going to town is different to dressing up as a kid.

“Yeah….. My style’s improved” she laughs.

With a bit of prodding she admits that a lot of how she plays now is still similar, just in an alternate context. “It’s the same thing, it’s just in a different kind of….” She gets stuck here, grasping for the right word. “Like obviously I’m not going to dress up my Barbie dolls and take them to town”

“Why not?” her mum pipes in again.

Sarah rolls her eyes.

“It’s more of a growth … When you become an adult you conform to society’s idea of fun”. Now the sociologist training comes through, “You follow what your society or your culture expects how you’re meant to play”

But can play be work, and can work be play, I question. Sarah laughs and mentions the Kardashians, “Like if I was being paid to make appearances at 1 Oak that would be great”

“But I think when you bring money in it starts to change, it becomes more of an occupation. But it would also depend on the environment, like when it becomes negative then it would stop being play”.

Sarah seems confident that choice plays an important role in play, reasserting that

“If you’re choosing to do something you enjoy then that’s play”.

Whereas she feels things that you are forced to do would no longer be enjoyable, “so that’s not really play any more”.

Play is seen as an escape from the “stresses and structure of everyday society”. Sarah pauses, “It’s a chance to break free from what society expects”, a way to do what you want to do. She recognises that in itself play can be structured, in the sense that you can plan or schedule to do things, “but it’s more informally structured”.

Sarah is careful to reiterate how this is merely her opinion of play, and she appears well aware that this may not necessarily reflect others opinions. “Play is very individual… I think it’s specific to each and every person”.

A buzzer goes off. The brownies are ready.

“Drop Mic”

 

Anne

Anne stands at the otherwise deserted Lotto desk, a small heater at her feet fighting a hopeless battle against the gusts of wind curling into the supermarket foyer. In comparison to Sarah, Anne is quick to respond. Her lack of a filter isn’t always so desirable in her customer service work, but is perfect as an interviewee.

“Play is definitely something childish…. Like make believe. I guess in general it’s quite physical”, she suggests. “It’s something kids do for fun”. Short, sharp, precise.

As a child playing, Anne used to run around outside, dress up and (of course) the obligatory Barbie dolls. She seems very confident that as an adult this all changes. “Because you grow up”, she states confidently. “When you dress up as a kid you’re pretending to be someone else”

I laugh and ask, “Do you not dress up and wear make-up when you go to town?”

She smiles, conceding that this is still similar. “True… I guess you do the same things but with different motivation…. As an adult you need a reason. An excuse.” 

And in that lies Anne’s core understanding of how play applies to adults. “It’s not socially acceptable for an adult to be seen as playing… At some point you’re told it’s not acceptable at your age to be playing”.

Despite this, she is quick to reflect on how play is still a core part of adult life, it’s just a change in labelling. “You play but you don’t realise… You don’t call it play”. Words like “leisure”, “socializing” and “hobbies” are used to justify play in adult life.

She pauses and considers her own play activities, “I think people continue to play without the intention of playing”. Adults just simply do things for fun and enjoyment, without the association that it is play. “Play is almost a label that we’ve created to group those activities together”, as if to easier distinguish them from work and “necessary things”.

“It’s ended up having quite negative connotations in adult life”.

In saying this, the ways that people play don’t have to be socially acceptable, as they’re individual and specific to you. “Play is something you are interested in… not just following what’s socially acceptable”.

“So like-”, I gesture at the lotto terminal, “Is gambling play?”

She nods, “Yeah definitely. It’s something that people enjoy the thrill of. You’re choosing to play with the odds of winning your money back and more”. And it’s not always socially acceptable she reflects.

Anne can see how being paid to play could still be enjoyable, but “only to a certain extent”. 

“When you have to continue beyond choice it stops being play”, and so at that point it solely becomes work. But she definitely sees a cross over between the two, and an ability to earn money from “playing”, with sportspeople and musicians as examples.

Play and entertainment are indistinguishably intertwined for Anne. Entertainment to her is a big factor of play, including the entertainment of the environment or interactions, “if you’re not being entertained then it’s not play… Entertainment is the fun, the enjoyment of play”.

She also sees play as crucial part of daily life, as “Play keeps you happy… keeps you social”. Play is an instinctual thing that we all unconsciously strive for. 

“I think everyone does it, in one way or another. And whether they recognise it or not.”

Anne also sees that through play your life is ultimately richer.

“It’s something that fills up your life – In a good way”

As I start to get up, I pause, offering her one last shot to capture the essence of play. She thinks for a few seconds and surprises me when she quips;

“Play is the spark inside of you… the child inside of you”.

Alright.

[fluxdesign]

Design Manifesto

This is not a call to action.

This is not a recommendation of change.

This is a blood and sweat stained shout into the void.

No one is listening.

Design must create beginnings, not just solutions

Solutions are expedient. Design has the sublime power to shape this world, to build it or destroy it. And yet it seems many of us choose the latter. Caught up in a vain, self-centred strive for the new, design has fetishized consumerism. Design has become ever more temporary, while the increasing waste created remains permanent. Industrial design’s outputs have been feeding the fire beneath our feet, and we are left dancing in the ashes of our own causation.

Design must grow – in importance and value

Rebel against the planned obsolescence that has condemned many of our existing products to an early grave. Embrace repair, renewal and re-birth. Processes such as Japanese gold joinery or Kintsugi provide valuable precedence for celebrating the poignant beauty inherent within impermanence. The impact of design extends beyond purchase and even eventual disposal, to when it is broken down and recreated into something else, be that organic or manufactured.

Design must connect, not divide

The reality is we are not living in a perfect world. We live in a world where the rich get richer and the poor, poorer. Design can act as a great equaliser, yet often it merely accentuates and accelerates the growth of this divide. We, as designers, as privileged, as consumers in the first world, hold great moral responsibility. We hold in our red hands the power to amend our course, to confront the tragic division we have created.

Design must learn, not teach.

Ears and eyes over voice and hands. Don’t fall into the self-absorbed trap of telling others what they want, what they need. Listen. Observe. People know their own lives better than you do. Learn their quirks, their uniqueness. Learn what matters. Discard your assumptions, your biases and most importantly, never, ever, stop learning.

Design must facilitate

The real value of design lies in its ability to bridge the gap between the hard (Material/Technology) and the soft (Non Material/Culture). By facilitating the development of connections between people and their environment, design offers great potential to significantly improve people’s lives. This is only possible through engaging people in the design process, helping them to access and utilise their own potential to create change. Co-design is a vital tool to create, and more importantly sustain, improvement in people’s lives.

Design practice must be re-aligned

Create and exemplify an epitomical design practice that seeks to drastically improve the lives of the majority, rather than indulge in the ever changing whims of the few. A design practice that is not consumer driven, but rather human driven.

This is a blood and sweat stained shout into the void.

No one is listening.

Are You listening?

[fluxdesign]

Speculative Product “Stress Shot”

This project developed a speculative product that consisted of a self-injector of the hormone responsible for a stress response in humans. The product claimed to provide a short term boost to productivity and memory function, but also contained a long list of the long term side effects of remaining in a stressed state.

This product aimed to critique the way society accepts and in many ways encourages stress, despite the well known negative impacts.

[fluxdesign]

Multi material 3D printing, experimenting with the ability to print interlocked parts and with two materials. White is solid plastic, Black a soft, rubbery plastic.

[fluxdesign]

Flower photography, practicing aperture and focus abilities

[fluxdesign]

Progress

noun        prog·ress

- a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal)

- gradual betterment; especially :  the progressive development of humankind

- a critical essay by David Duggan

Written for Victoria University of Wellington CCDN 331, 2017

Progress. The ongoing development inherent within all modernity. Driven by changes in technology and environment, human society evolves through a seemingly never ending march into the future. Design itself is key to these changes, with design in its most simple sense being the “conscious effort to impose meaningful order”. Through imposing meaningful order, the designer develops new, exciting propositions, promising a brighter future. But I would argue that the intoxicating appeal of the new often blinds us to lessons and learnings of the past.

Moore’s law refers to the exponential growth in computing power, but I would argue that this reflects a more holistic exponential growth and development of technology. Technology in a modern world is developing at such a rate that it is being replaced almost as soon as it has been created, succeeded before its own potential has been explored. The momentum of progress crushes any attempts to truly take advantage of the now.

It is this lack of utilisation of the now that restricts design, and as an extension society, from true, valuable, progress. Caught up in a vain, self-centred strive for the new, design has fetishized the future, with little reflection on the past. I believe that design would benefit from a stronger connection to the now, to the past, and with a more balanced view of the future.

For the sake of this essay I will personify progress, with the rationale that progress is merely the output and intent of those who strive to push onwards.

Progress is self-centred. Absorbed in the euphoria of innovation, progression often occurs for the sake of progression, rather than responding to the real needs inherent within society. Pelle Ehn refers to progression manifesting as the “logical follow-ups of earlier technological innovations rather than results of a deeper understanding of user situations and profound human needs”. Many technological advances occur within an echo chamber of like-minded designers, each trying to one-up another, but with the risk of ignoring and failing to respond to a wider society. Often also a reflection of the wealthiest 1% designing for the 1%, progression has been inherently elitist. While focusing on the desires of the privileged, progress often ignores the needs, and further takes advantage, of the marginalized. This is largely a reflection of the capital driven society that we live within, one that values profits and status over a global societal gain.

Progress is ignorant. Progression commonly forgets or wilfully ignores the cultures on which it builds upon. No design occurs in a vacuum, but it seems some design is set upon discarding the cultural context. In particular, I would argue that modern design, in a push to be an “International style”, commonly lacks cultural reference. To be modern is far too often associated with removing any trace of the cultures from which it has been born. The Bauhaus movement itself drew great influence in its early years from the German Werkbund and the British Arts and Crafts movements, and yet later became a synonymous with minimal, industrial styled design. I would argue that post-modern design has taken this ignorance to the point where it has developed its own culture, characterised by its lack of reference to its own cultural roots.

Progress is inhuman. Often progress is recognised through newly mechanised labour, where new technology allows the replacement of human labour with a robotic counterpart. I would argue however, that the reduction in human input is directly related to the reduction in meaning inherent within the outcomes produced. In fact, the nature of mass-production is in direct contrast with the cultural significance of handmade, crafted objects. Diehl & Christiaans refer to how “ethnic-cultural variation is seriously conflicting with the uniformity principle of mass-production”. Uniformity lacks meaning, the labour becomes invisible and thus the outcome is absent of valuable cultural reference.  To err is human, so removing this element of inconsistency in turn removes the human nature. This is significant as it means the outcomes become less valued, encouraging a growing global transition from users to consumers. Outcomes become more temporary, while the increasing waste created remains permanent.

Progress is detached. Many developments and new technologies are disassociated with the impacts of their creation. Child labour, Climate change and a sparsity of natural resources all owe their creation to an unsustainable rush to the future. Where progress has met limitations of cost of labour, it has found ways of outsourcing to developing countries, where child labour is common. While there has been significant public backlash when cases of these come to light, often the impacts are hidden from consumers in the first world. These developing countries are also frequently being stripped of natural resources to meet the demands of a growing global society. While these resources offer a quick profit to the locals, this is an unsustainable practice in the long term, damaging and destabilising landscapes and accelerating the velocity of climate change. Design itself is directly responsible for this, through the demand for tropical timbers and rare earth metals.

When progress moves onwards without recognising the implications of the progression, I would argue that this is not true progress. While moving onwards, society is not moving forwards, rather it is regressing.

Regress

noun       re·gress

- movement backward to a previous and especially worse or more primitive state or condition

Regress is a lack of accountability. One of the most pressing impacts of progress has been the growth of climate change. Through use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses, humans are having a significant, measurable, impact on the global climate. Design is contributing to a global consumption cycle that threatens to make species extinct, remove ice from the poles and, in turn, submerge entire low lying countries. Extinctions of species are not new to humans, with at least 322 known extinctions in the past 500 years. But rather than address the progress that has contributed to the loss and significant change of habitats, the majority of society has merely stood back and watched as our wealth of wildlife has diminished. Progress has marched on, while the wildlife and environments have suffered. To truly move forward as designers and as society, we must take accountability for the impacts of our actions.

Regress is divisive. By encouraging a capitalist economy of supply and demand, progress has contributed to a growing gap between the rich and the poor. The wealthy, who have control over this system, utilise it to further their own wealth, at the expense of the lower class. Where first world societies have been championed for progressing in their sense of internal equality, conversely they have instead begun to oppress other nations and regions. Where slave labour in the first world was abolished centuries ago, the labour ingrained in the production of many mass produced goods today amounts to little more than a re-emergence. Ethically and morally, this should not be an acceptable part of design practice. To develop and progress forward, we must strive, much like a Marxist dream, to unite the workers of the world in the ideal of a global equality.

Regress is expedient. To progress is easy. To meaningfully progress is much harder. I would argue that many designers take the easy route, that big issues seem too hard and too long term to address. And that is not to deny the real complications. Poverty is a big issue to solve. Climate change will not be solved overnight. And both of these cannot guarantee their developers income in the short term. But the collective power and ability of a world full of designers offer great potential to impact upon these issues. And even small changes in the short term can significantly benefit those involved in the long term. To ignore and delay addressing these issues is to regress to a less conscious society, one that is more self-absorbed than self-aware.

The vanity of progress threatens to condemn our global society as a whole, to a much shorter and less meaningful lifespan. By promoting excessive consumerism and capitalism, progression has brought about a society intent on stripping the world of its natural resources, all the while initiating a change in the global climate that threatens to wipe entire species, entire countries off the face of the earth. Our goods are becoming less meaningful, and the society in which they are manifested more divided. To live in a modern society increasingly is synonymous with a regression towards an individualist, self-centred approach to both design and the world as a whole.

What I am proposing is a modern enlightenment. A recognition of what was, and what is to come. A truly progressive society that is fully aware and concerned with its numerous and long lasting impacts. I believe this can be achieved through craft, through social design, through the devaluation of a capitalist agenda. By becoming human-centred, rather than profit centred, designers as a whole can create a valuable legacy of positive change. Through this realignment of values, society as a whole will benefit from what it has been seeking all along. Progress.

Today we live in a world where much of the change surrounding us is falsely labelled as progression. In truth, much of the “progress” is regress. A backwards step in values, morals, ethics. We, as designers, as privileged, as consumers in the first world, hold great responsibility. We hold within our hands the power to make choices that change the direction of society, a return to progress by returning to the roots and value from which we came. Our past offers us much to learn from, both of successes and failures. The onus is upon us to take advantage of this power, to right a sinking ship before we too are forced to mutter the words of Winston Churchill once more;

“When the situation was manageable it was neglected, and now that it is thoroughly out of hand we apply too late the remedies which then might have effected a cure”.