The impact of cultural values on professional design today

Matthew McCallum CCDN371

1

Essay One CCDN371 Anne Galloway 21 March 2011

Matthew McCallum CCDN371

2

Which three cultural values do you see having the greatest impact on professional design today? (Do you agree with them? Why or why not?)

What cultural values inform your personal design ethos?

The three cultural values I see having the greatest impact on professional design today are modernization, high technology and consumption.

I believe that modernization, technology and consumerism are all important values for design and society. To support this argument I will discuss the role of the designer and their efforts to uphold these values most important within the realm of professional design. I will describe the positive effects of designed technologies on global culture. I will also highlight the unique difficulty created by the professional design process to solve problems without creating new problems. I will finish by discussing these values and their importance to my own design ethos.

I believe that modernization is a constant influence on professional design as it strives to prevent “cultural stagnation” (Wylant, 2010). To achieve this professional designers create new objects and experiences that confront traditionalism (ibid.). Design and its “wilful drive to create, in spite of any oppositional condition” (ibid.) provokes consumer activity and cultural diversity as a bi‐product of the innovation process (Anne Balsamo, 2010). Fashion is a good example of design modernization and its ability to create diverse cultures through its constant aesthetic evolution. The professional designer achieves this by thinking solely about the object rather than its relationship to the world (Gasparski, 2003). However, this ambitious design process often draws criticism for being socially irresponsible and not considering the “well‐being of people(Redstrom, 2006). For the most part I disagree with these critics because most of the time new products are just replacing older ones in a new form such

Matthew McCallum CCDN371

3

as pre‐packaged frozen vegetables. This criticism can be more extreme when introducing products with no known practical use such as television that will later become commonplace our everyday lives (Pantzar, 1997).

For these reasons I believe modernization is very important for the future of both professional design and society yet, must be applied sparingly.

Technology is another factor that impacts professional design today and works hand in hand with modernism. Technology often acts as a link between a designers ideas and their reality (Balsamo, 2010). The potential of new technology is often only discovered once it is in product form (Pantzar, 2000) “Designers work the scene of technological emergence; they hack the present to create the conditions of the future” (Balsamo). The role of the professional designer is often to domesticate innovative technology for use in society.

Professional designers take new technologies and make them recognizable and understandable yet different from what already exists (Balsamo). An example of this is the microwave oven; the product is technology is made to look similar to a regular oven yet is far more efficient. The design of technology plays an important part in the modernization of society by enabling things like global communication and trade. However, the very concept of modernization is self destructive as demonstrated by the rapid rate in which consumer electronics are surpassed by new models (Wylant, 2010). Whilst companies might think this is great for their profit it is creating a new challenge for designers in the form of electronic waste or E‐waste (The Cradle to Cradle Portal website, 2011). I believe this challenge creates new opportunities for amateur designers to repurpose

Matthew McCallum CCDN371

4

these old technologies gaining vital experience for becoming professional designers (Cross, 2004).

Another major impact on professional design is consumerism. The professional designer not only designs new objects and experiences they foster relationships between their commodities and the consumer (Pantzar, 2000). The novelty of a new product or experience is usually enough to spark this relationship for instance the Apple iPad. But, over time this novelty wears off and the user becomes more critical of a products function and reliability. A good product must then perform to the expectations of its user to avoid them questioning their dependency and subsequent lifestyle the product has fashioned (ibid.). The balance of this novelty and functional dependence is an important design factor for this creates a socio‐cultural atmosphere that also serves as the products lifecycle (ibid.). As the products of design evolve so do their consumers; their wants and needs are constantly changing. The professional designer therefore must be an expert of “consumer configuration” (Pantzar) in order to produce successful innovations (Pantzar). Effectively a professional designer creates “new uses and new users”(ibid.) by ignoring existing consumers to create new needs and a reason to make future of objects and experiences. However, this area of the professional design process receiving growing criticism for being market‐ centered as opposed to user‐centered. This criticism is exposing the gaps in the professional designers identity and their purpose in today’s society. A common professional designed object known as the sports utility vehicle or SUV is an example of design creating a new user and subsequent culture. This culture is known as the ‘school run’ and involves the collection and transportation of

Matthew McCallum CCDN371

5

children to and from their school. Yet, some people question the need and function of the large SUV for such task in a dense urban environment. This demonstrates the complex relationship design has with the consumer and its impact on society. I think it would be beneficial to professional design to be flexible from the constraints of the commercial market in order to discover a better purpose than generating profit for brands and companies (Ilstedt Hjelm, 2005).

Whilst I agree with these cultural values being the greatest impact on professional design today I think it is important to question the extent to which they are used within design. I believe it is important for designers to use these values in moderation to prevent the isolation of design from society. Design to me should be a benefit not a burden to society for example E‐waste a bi‐product of technological innovation. However, problems such as E‐waste could be unique to design due to the design process itself (Cross, 2004). This is because expert designers often try to define problems with iterative solutions rather than first understanding the problem fully (Ibid.). In society this process is represented by many variations of the same product that all have a common goal for example the household vacuum cleaner. Designers created vacuum cleaners to help create a cleaner home environment. But, does the vacuum cleaner really solve the problem? If so, why the need for additional filters and brushes for the removal of pet hair and other allergens? This indicates a potential oversight into the exploration and definition of the original problem.

In conclusion I have discussed the impact of modernization, technology and

Matthew McCallum CCDN371

6

consumerism on professional design today. I to achieve this I described their mostly positive effects on society and culture. I have also talked about some of the unique problems that face the professional designer such as their design process and role in society. I also described my personal design ethos and its shared values and areas in which I believe professional design needs to define or be changed.

Matthew McCallum CCDN371

7

Bibliography Balsamo, A. (2010). Design. !International Journal of Learning and Media , 1 (4), 1‐ 10.

Cross, N. (2004). Expertise in design: an overview. Design Studies , 25 (5), 427‐ 441.

Gasparski, W. W. (2003). Designer’s responsibility: methodological and ethical dimensions. Design e­ducation: Connecting the Real and the Virtual , 12 (6), 635‐ 640.

Ilstedt Hjelm, S. (2005). Visualizing the Vague: Invisible Computers in Contemporary Design. Design Issues , 21 (2), 71‐78.

Pantzar, M. (1997). Domestication of Everyday Life Technology: Dynamic Views on the Social Histories ofArtifacts. Design Issues , 13 (3), 52‐65.

Pantzar, M. (2000). Consumption as Work, Play, and Art: Representation of the Consumer in Future Scenarios. Design Issues , 16 (3), 3‐4.

Redstrom, J. (2006). Towards user design? On the shift from object to user as the subject of design. Design Studies, , 27 (2), 123‐139.

The Cradle to Cradle Portal website. (2011, February 19). EPA E­Waste Bust; Responsibility, Design and Laws To Blame. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from The Cradle to Cradle Portal: http://www.c2cportal.net/2011/02/epa‐e‐waste‐bust‐ responsibility‐design.html Wylant, B. (2010). Design Thinking and the Question of Modernity. The Design Journal , 13 (2), 217‐231.