ASSIGNMENT 3

My question is “How much does Critical Design affect the market or the mass-productivity?” I wonder   why do we have lots of design nowadays, some of them are so common (might be useless), some are really interesting regarding the future. I don’t think Critical Design act like a massive, conceptual change neither the market nor the industry.

Critical design is all about making something new that make people think about rather than to create a new massive changing design in economy or industry. “Critical design is related to haute couture, concept cars, design propaganda, and visions of the future, but its purpose is not to present the dreams of industry, attract new business, anticipate new trends or test the market. Its purpose is to stimulate discussion and debate amongst designers, industry and the public about the aesthetic quality of our electronically mediated existence.” (Dunne & Raby, 2011, pp. 58). For example the work of Michael Burton (2007), the Race. (Dunne & Raby, text “Design for Debate”, 2008) It make us consider the future with a lot of incurable bacteria, viruses emerge. It is just a future idea for debates rather than a new, big, effective design for go to the industry.

Figure 1. The Race, Foot Growth, Michael Burton, 2007

Critical design is not really acceptable.  “Anything outside of the marketplace is regarded as suspicious and unreal. This state of affairs makes critical positions almost impossible, they are dismissed as elitist. It is almost taboo for an industrial designer to reject what the market wants.” (Dunne & Raby, 2011, pp. 60) We people are hard to change, since the massive used products make us got used to. We barely accept products that outside the market. Dunne and Raby also pointed that “product designers in particular, see the social value of their work as inextricably linked to the marketplace. Design outside this arena is viewed with suspicion as escapist or unreal.” (Dunne & Raby, 2011, pp. 59)

Dunne and Raby compared Critical Design and Product Design in order to show link between Critical Design to the industry. I think Critical Design is not affecting much the industry as well as the mass-productivity. Because it make us think about the unforeseen future to reconsider our present rather than increasing the effectiveness of products.

Raby, D. &. (n.d.). Designer as Author from the book “Ericson, M. (2011). Design act: socially and politically engaged design today : critical roles and emerging tactics. Stockholm: Iaspis.”

Raby, D. &. (n.d.). Dunne & Raby. Design for Debate. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/content/b

Image retrieved April 30th, 2013 from: http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/img/content/image6.jpg