DESIGN2020
16 November 2010
-a response to “Design2020” vision committee questions By Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen •
The concept and definition of design is widening and changing, and opinions on the future nature, role and impact of design differ. Members are asked to give a few examples on how design may influence economic, industrial development or performance in the future.
The concept of design is widening and sometimes to an extent that it is watered down! Design is on the way to becoming everything and, as a result, the designer someone who can do anything. Not least from an educational perspective this is somewhat problematic. If the concept of design is to be of relevance it should be used to identify and describe a delimited part of a reality, of a practice. I hope that we can agree on a design definition which maintains that design has to do with designing, with interaction between people and thus with creating meaning. That design is a tool for making products, services and entire systems meaningful and accessible. This is the core of design and requires strong competences within e.g. material understanding, chromatology, visualisation and theoretic insight into the way people interact with objects, products and each other. To this should be added a before and after: A “design-before-design”/predesign where the primary ingredient is (scientific) studies of market, of users/people (lust, conscious and subconscious needs) and of the cultural/societal context. And a “design-after-design”/postdesign which comprises the experience and the emotions surrounding that which has been designed. These are phases that often overlap and provide the best result if they do. The important thing here is maintaining that what is essential about design is designing, whether materially or immaterially (e.g. computer games). At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that part of the power of Danish design is – and could be even more so – that the work of the designer is based on comprehensive user studies, vast knowledge of technology and market conditions. Hence, that the designer’s approach is cross-disciplinary. Being a professional the designer is the main player of the team creating the core creativity. In relation to predesign and postdesign he may be the main player but often times will not be. Anthropologists, sociologists, economists, psychologists and many other disciplines will take the lead here, although the designer should always be part of the team.
Looking ahead I feel confident that design can contribute to making a huge difference when it comes to addressing global climate issues, problems concerning the elderly and illnesses. First and foremost, by developing systems which are accessible, functional, simple and suitable for mass production. We must take advantage of the fact that Denmark has a number of well-functioning systems that are supported by legislation, infrastructure, educations and civil society for instance regarding elderly care or childcare. Design can be used as a leaver to improve these systems through new products and services. •
Danish design has enjoyed worldwide reputation for a long period after the Second World War but may not be as outstanding today as it used to be. Globalisation also means that design competencies can be found all over the globe. Members are asked to give a few examples on areas where Danish design still has international strength or, alternatively, has declined.
Danish design – rooted in simplicity and functionality – is still strong, but regrettably, the reference is still the fine designs of the Danish Golden Age. We can build on this reference and have done so for instance within the wind turbine industry, the medical industry and the fashion industry but without linking the products and services affiliated with these to Danish design. At the same time we witness significant growth based on the new design disciplines – for instance with regard to games. One new international player is Red Associate; an example of a company with strong focus partly on the user/man (predesign), and partly on the interaction between service/product and man. The experience of a given situation is what is designed as much as it is the product/the service itself. Precisely in these areas Denmark can stand out further and add something new to the perception of Danish design. •
The purpose of the next Danish design strategy should not primarily be to support Danish design or Danish designers but rather focus on how design can help private enterprises to develop, innovate and compete on global markets, and at the same time help public institutions to deliver higher value for money. Can you make some suggestions for where to focus and what to do along these lines?
The prerequisite for allowing ourselves to focus on this is that we have a solid foundation. That the Danish design environment is positive; that we educate excellent designers; that we do research etc. And yes, we certainly have a solid foundation to build on but that does not mean that the foundation can withstand a huge design undertaking. Allow me to suggest that we focus on, among others: 1. The values surrounding Danish design Is Danish design nothing but a dead duck? And should we accept this? I think definitely not. We must push Danish design into the spotlight; put into words what identifies it – and develop it further. In the world, Danish design still
stands for something fantastic – brightness, simplicity, functionality, beauty, great shaping, and user-involvement (see above as well). Moreover, for the part of Denmark there is a direct parallel between the golden age of Danish design and the development of the welfare state. As a concept Danish design was meant to be for everyone. Danish design was democratic. Unfortunately, reality only to a limited extent reached this concept definition. Very quickly, Danish design became for the elite. However, in the world values such as “democratic” and “for everyone” are still associated with Danish design, for instance in relation to Danish fashion. We must reignite these values. We must create a space where we succeed in creating controversy about these values; where we, who work with design, become reconnected with these values. What does modern democratic design look like? In my opinion, connecting mass production and design would be desirable: That Danish design is about creating products, services and systems that are for everyone. Sustainability and social inclusion as well could be values that in future impact and characterise Danish design. Denmark is known for sustainability (wind turbines) and for its solidary way of organising that which we share (the welfare state). Suggestion: Let us set up a laboratory for Danish design where the objective is to render visible and further develop the core values that Danish design should build on in future. A laboratory that conducts research and, on an ongoing basis, performs concrete design professional development work – examples of what Danish design might also be. A laboratory that supports the creation of a visible design environment; makes us sharpen our skills and that for instance could help show that Danish design’s democratic starting point in a new context and a new era means design for 100 per cent of the world’s population, not just 10 per cent. That a value such as good craftsmanship can support the creation of a world that has Cradle-to-Cradle rather than “use and lose” as the driving force of the economy. A laboratory that physically ought to be placed in for instance Asia because a foreign context might make it more clear what is particularly Danish and what could be. The laboratory should attract Danish and foreign design talent alike. What matters is that the designer feels connected with Danish design thinking and the values behind Danish design.(cf. Grundtvig: “Everyone who feels like one of the people is one of the people”. Freely from memory). The laboratory might be run by the design consortium that may be formed as part of the globalisation agreement (please refer to annex 8). 2. The design educations
How do we achieve even better design educations? And how do we ensure that Danish design educations do not send out into the world some make-believe designers who know a little about everything – thanks to the ever-widening design concept? Are there sufficient resources within Danish design educations? How much do the top design educations in Finland, Holland and the UK spend on education and research per design student? How do make sure that some of the design disciplines do not die out? For instance textile design or illustration design? The design environments surrounding these disciplines become increasingly narrow. Despite the fact that illustration design will probably experience a renaissance as e.g. computer games and games per se gain ground. We need to map which design disciplines we wish to preserve or develop in Denmark and investigate what is required in terms of laboratories, material libraries etc. Likewise, there is a need to identify the need for further training of designers and of leaders and employees who need to qualify their design competence. Suggestion: - Comparison of Danish and foreign design educations - Mapping which design disciplines we wish to keep in Denmark and planning how to preserve these - Increased focus on attracting foreign students to the Danish design educations - Mapping of further training needs and planning how to consider these. 3. Research Today, there are less than 50 Danish design researchers. If we compare this number to for instance that of the field of food it leaves much to be desired. How do we redirect private and public research funds to strengthen design research, so our knowledge on the current status of Danish design increases; our knowledge on what is happening in the field at large? Not least, certain sections of the field need to realise the importance of research and development activities. Suggestion: - Strategic research programme for the field of design. 4. Design professional development work Let us establish a counterpart for industrial PhDs and research in the form of scholarships etc. for design professional development work; that is work that is based in artistic practice rather than in research; the textile designer who might be given the opportunity to experiment with the application of textiles for the development of robots; or the design of new materials for the treatment of wounds. There is a need for free funds enabling the designer to explore the field of design – without this necessarily leading to the development of new products.
Suggestion: - Design professional “PhDs” - Free funds for design professional development work (e.g. via Statens Kunstfond/The Danish Arts Foundation)
5. Dissemination Where is the museum, the design workshop that allows us to follow Danish design trends on an ongoing basis? Where is the Danish MoMA? Could we create a design exploratorium where one could test what it is like to be in a Danish hospital that focuses on design or a Danish care home? And where is the Danish design magazine of them all? Or the website? Where do foreigners go when they want to learn more about modern Danish design? Suggestion: - Developing a dissemination position of strength in the field of design possibly based on an existing environment. Alternately, a completely new concept for dissemination, e.g. a virtual dissemination centre which is occasionally materialised in different spots in Denmark and abroad.
6. The food chain Today, children stop drawing when they turn twelve. Municipal primary and lower secondary school does not focus on creativity but on traditional school subjects – reading, writing and arithmetic. If we want Denmark to be not just a design nation but the design nation what would this require from the municipal primary and lower secondary school and the upper secondary educations? Two design educations under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Culture make no design nation. Suggestion: - Complete plan for how to strengthen design in municipal primary and lower secondary school and the upper secondary educations. And once all of the above is ensured – how do we support the use of design in the Danish business community? 7. Lack of knowledge regarding the value of design to the business community The Danish Construction Authority has conducted a number of surveys that document the value of design to bottom line figures. Value growth and export share is
considerably higher for companies that utilise design compared to those that do not. Still, many companies feel estranged towards using design. They do not know what design is. Thus, we need a broad effort that involves the business community in design activities interlinked with research on what actually works. Suggestion: One option could be to set up a test and development programme, which supports the use of design in design-estranged companies – for instance: - Involvement in concrete design activities, e.g. at the design schools - Internship arrangements where companies not utilising design complete internships with companies that do. Or e.g. with the design educations. - Borrow a designer for a week - Get your product design tested - Development of Master’s degree programmes in design management - Positive case stories in the media - Special efforts towards industries that so to speak do not utilise design, e.g. the steel industry - Setting up design clusters
8. Selecting a series of strategic focus areas - a)Welfare design Denmark prides itself of having one of the most advanced welfare systems in the world. Contrary to most, we have a system that works and that we can improve. Let us develop version 2.0 of the welfare state – with focus on design; that is, the humanistic dimension. Robots, electronic hospital records, intelligent beds, new ways of applying textiles. There are plenty of options, not just for designing isolated products and services but for designing for the entire value chain. The policy area of the elderly could be a specific strategic focus area. - b) Green design Denmark is famous for its wind turbines. We can further play the design card and help show how design can be used to seduce man to wanting what is best for the Planet and future generations. Denmark has a chance to become leading in the development of intelligent energy systems that allow optimum utilisation of renewable energy. - c) Design for life Denmark grants substantial development aid compared to other countries. At the same time, a number of companies have specialised in granting aid for third world countries. Denmark could become leading in
developing design for life. Torben Vestergaard Frandsen’s ”Lifestraw” is one example of such a design. Novo Nordisk and many other medical companies very much contribute to solving some of the major issues of the third world countries. Index is an important platform that could be used more strategically (please refer to annex 8). - d) Fashion (and jewellery) Danish fashion is known to be democratic; that is, for everyone. Copenhagen Fashion Week is an emerging dissemination centre. More should be done to create international awareness of the fashion week and thereby Danish fashion. - e) Games Very large potential. - f) Food One of Denmark’s major export revenues remains food. A massive design undertaking would possibly increase the value increment, which today, is very low.