  |
Victor Papanek led the Design for Need movement of the 1970s, arguing that designers should focus on creating products that meet the basic needs of all people rather than the desires of the affluent minority. (courtesy University of Kansas School of Architecture) |
| "There are... professions more harmful than industrial design,
but only a very few of them." In 1972 designer and educator Victor Papanek published Design for the Real World, in which he advocated that all design be anchored by ecology and ethics. The book was controversial; many designers took up Papanek's challenges with enthusiasm, but even more dismissed him as a do-gooder with a limited understanding of the realities of running a profitable design enterprise. As an industrial designer, I too was put off by the book's sometimes strident language, but I was also sympathetic to his ideals. Papanek's death this year caused me to think again about his vision for my profession--and how disappointed he must have been. Today, those who align themselves with Papanek and the ideals of the 1970s Design for Need movement are rarely heard. Mainstream interest in design issues is on the rise, but in magazines like Business Week the interest is more about boosterism: industrial design is portrayed as an uncritical ally of business rather than as a discipline driven by its own view of the world. There are more eco-design opportunities than ever before, thanks to the progress made by the environmental movement over the last quarter-century. But it must have saddened Papanek to see so few of us integrating eco-friendly practices into our work. Nor have we picked up his ethical torch--there is little debate about taking greater responsibility for our choices of clients, products, materials, and manufacturing processes, even though we know these choices affect the environment. Our clients trust us to live up to contractual promises, and that sometimes implies keeping quiet on ethically troubling issues. Indeed, in Secular Vocations (Verso Books, 1993), a study of intellectuals and professionalism, Bruce Robbins writes that "ethical responsibility . . . is assumed to be located elsewhere, at some higher level (the motives of the employer or of society as a whole) where the professional need not, should not, and perhaps cannot allow himself to be distracted by it." By this standard, acting on ethical beliefs makes me an "unprofessional" designer. Though clients may not expect talk of eco-friendliness from us, some industrial designers have learned how to introduce the subject. Ziba Design in Portland, Oregon, has steered some manufacturers toward producing more ecologically friendly products. Firm principal Sohrab Vossoughi believes that designers "have a tremendous opportunity to affect products' environmental impact because we are often up front in the process." But industrial designers cannot take a holier-than-thou approach. "It's a patience game," Vossoughi says. "You push as far as you can go without jeopardizing the relationship so that you can improve things further on the next project." For a computer peripherals-maker, Ziba created a design solution that reaped both financial and ecological benefits by reducing parts, materials, and inventory needs. Gentle advocacy is one--slow--way that designers can satisfy ethical and financial imperatives. Another is to emphasize our skill at creating products that provide meaningful experiences. New York--based Smart Design strives to create products that their owners will want to use for a long time. The firm's chunky Oxo Good Grips potato peeler has more personality, is more ergonomic, and is far more durable than the flimsy peelers many of us purchase again and again--it's a better investment for users and the environment. Being an ecologically aware designer depends on a continual learning process. Fortunately, information about materials and processes abounds; concrete data geared toward product-design considerations has never been more plentiful. Large firms are doing their own research and sharing it via internal networks and the Internet; for individual practitioners and small firms, resources such as Material Connexion in New York are beginning to provide unprecedented access to materials and their makers. Using that information to present pragmatic green design concepts to corporate decision makers is still critical, but finding ways to show bottom-line potential has grown easier as the data has grown. Once energy- or materials-efficient strategies have been in place for a few years on an old project, designers can point to real savings during discussions with new clients. The bravest among us use this information to start our own companies and work with unconventional clients. Wendy Brawer of Modern World Design in New York created the Green Map system, which allows communities to graphically inventory their environmental resources (in print form and, increasingly, on the Web, where information can be efficiently updated). Brawer's clients are the communities, and by designing the system--instead of a resource-consuming product--she is helping propel a green agenda. Throughout his career, Papanek believed fervently in the power of design. And he was certain that ecological concerns could, in fact, strengthen design. "Design, when nourished by a deep spiritual concern for the planet, environment, and people, results in a moral and ethical viewpoint... [which] will provide the new forms and expressions--the new aesthetic--we are all desperately trying to find," he wrote a few years ago. Papanek's passing should serve as a reminder to industrial designers--and designers of all stripes--that we are still doing too little. The opportunity for us to lead has never been greater. Adam Richardson is a senior design associate at Praxis Product Design Inc. in San Mateo, California. His writings on design theory and criticism have appeared in Design Issues and other publications. |
Keywords:
Victor Papanek, Design for Need movement, responsible design