The Designer: Reclaiming Design

DS 62: Proceedings of E&PDE 2010, the 12th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education - When Design Education and Design Research meet ..., Trondheim, Norway, 02.-03.09.2010

Year: 2010
Editor: Boks W; Ion, W; McMahon, C and Parkinson B
Author: Arthur, Leslie John; Crisp,Alan; Dale, James
Section: NEW PARADIGMS AND APPROACHES
Page(s): 156-159

Abstract

Historically and contextually, the designer’s role has changed and it continues to evolve and adapt to today’s demands in industry and higher education. Historical conservatism, social sciences
theoreticians and linguists have continued to develop our understanding and definition of design. The authors assert that design has rapidly become associated with style and populism, rather than design. There is a need to re claim the concept and definition from the glitz and glamour and return to sound products, the articulation of aesthetics and a positive correlation between the arts and the sciences, based upon methodologies with substance, methods of working that are innovative, valid and contribute to best practise. It is of importance to professional designers that the ‘designer’ label, assuming it exists, possesses gravitas. It is asserted by the authors that the styling of products will equalize design to the extent that design itself will become standardised, inconsequential and will mean little to the designer or discerning consumer. Design will become bland, rather than challenging, innovative and reflective. The professional designer has to have a sound knowledge base of skills and intellect; who also has the ability to apply these attributes appropriately in the process of designing to redress the balance and the practise and profession of design and reassert real values and imbue them into the systems, processes and artefacts produced by Designers.

Keywords: Adapting, ownership, innovation, progress, professionalism, training and education

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