designers are specialized for hand-to-mouth-grasping and object manipulation

earlier this week designobserver published murray moss ‘design hates a depression’. an essay written in reaction of the new york times article ‘design loves a depression’ by michael cannel.

we agree with mr. moss. criticism of this sort is dangerously close to meaningless. ‘designers and their true supporters have fought hard over the last fifteen years to expand the definition of design, not shrink it. and … we should not hesitate to challenge those, like mr. cannell, who would somehow, mistakenly and punitively, equate the current global economic meltdown with design’s recent surge. … of course, design will of necessity respond creatively to an economic downturn. it always has.’

surely there are some inappropriately equipped individuals cranking out poor designs in a commercial setting, but the problem here is not the aesthetic choices they’re making (quality varies in any profession). good design is based on good thoughts and good concepts, and therefore it’s true, good design never goes out of style. there is a constant swell of new designers arriving everyday, inexperienced and fresh from school, carrying with them a different spin on design you may have never thought of before. remember when you were young and all you needed was your imagination to make something possible? young designers haven’t made all the mistakes we have yet.

designers should take more social responsibility. hopefully we will be able to free our minds to solve old problems in a different way. problems like alienated labor, overproduction, … view designboom’s interview with enzo mari where he states that as a consumable, design is less about pleasing the user, than the factory workers who make the products.

(octoape graphics by jason santa maria)