david berman do good design

‘do good design: how designers can change the world’ author: david b. berman forewords: erik spiekermann, min wang and ric grefé publisher: new riders, in association with AIGA design press year: 2009 format: 13,5 x 20,5 cm features: 180 pages, b+w images, paperback ISBN 13: 978-0-321-57320-9 ISBN 13: 0-321-57320-X http://www.peachpit.com

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at the recent icograda world design congress in beijing, the canadian communication designer david berman presented his book  ‘do good design: how designers can change the world’. a chinese edition was released.

designers create much of what the world sees, wants, buys, uses and experiences. at this time of unprecedented environmental, social and economic crises, should we be creating the deceptions that encourage continuous consumption or figuring out a way to help counter it?

in this provocative and dramatically-illustrated book, david berman argues that global branding strategies are the most powerful tools used today to encourage over-consumption amongst growing developing world populations, the largest long-term threat to global harmony and environment. he believes that communications professionals have more conspicuous power than they realize, and play a core role in helping some corporations mislead audiences in order to invent unfulfilled ‘needs’ in larger and larger markets.

portrait © designboom canadian designer david berman, author of  ‘do good design: how designers can change the world’

david berman signing the book

berman’s main thesis is: ‘rather than sharing our cycles of style, consumption, and chemical addictions, designers can use their professional power, persuasive skills, and wisdom to help distribute ideas that the world really needs: health information, conflict resolution, tolerance, technology, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, human rights, democracy …’

‘in my 30 years of running a design studio, I have come up to the conclusion that there is one thing we can do that nobody can stop us from. we alone decide ‘how we work’.  (…) charity starts at home.’ excerpt from the foreword by erik spiekermann, german information designer and typographer, founder of metadesign and fontshop.

‘we think of ourselves as designers, not decision makers; lacking a strong voice to change society’s behaviors. we fail to admit our responsibility for the decline of the natural environment. we must reevaluate, and discover our share of influence.’ excerpt from the foreword by min wang, dean of the CAFA central academy of fine arts school of design and design director for the 2008 beijing olympics.

content (here are a few titles of chapters) beyond green: a convenient lie; the weapons: visual lies and manufactured needs; where the truth lies: the slippery slope; the design solution: convenient truths; why our time is the perfect time; how to lie, how to tell the truth; how we do good is how we do good; …

is it for me? this book aims to help readers to responsibly identify then fulfill business objectives, through strategic consultation, communications design, facilitation, training, and systems development. in a world where design has become a recognized corporate asset, designers and their clients have the opportunity to use their persuasive skills responsibly and to accelerate awareness.

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