Re-educating Designers, Re-directing Design, Design Futures

Abstract

The global impact of ever-increasing mass consumerism set against the reality of finite resources, posits design with the responsibility as well as the ability to influence consumerism at every level, however to do this demands changing the way designers think, which in turn means re-educating, re-directing design and moving to Design Futures. The following quote is taken from a 2010 briefing paper by Professor Tony Fry: "Rather than looking at design education from the perspective of the design industry, or towards it, the Design Futures frame of reference is wider. It looks at it refracted through university education in general, beyond the industry and out into the future. This point of view does not ignore practicalities but rejects the notion that design education is purely vocational and pragmatic. Rather it asserts that first and foremost it has to be an education. Design Futures is firmly committed to the creation of educated designers. What this means is an education whereby the designer understands the world in which they are going to practice - socially, culturally, economically, politically, environmentally. It is predicated on the assumption that they have to know what they are doing, why and with what consequence. More than this, designers have to understand what design is and does in a wider worldly sense, have a basic understanding of its history beyond the narrow characterisations delivered by design history. Above all, graduate designers must realise design's implication in forming futures, and their own responsibility in this context. Students still have to acquire a wide range of technical skills BUT they have to know how to direct them and to what ends. Every educated designer needs to be equipped with a strategic sensibility, so they can steer their career path in ethically and economically viable directions. For this to be possible students need to be adequately educated so that their economic and employment opportunities will expand not contract! A design education has to be understood as expanding horizons and qualifying young people for more than just a conventional design job." The paper will discuss the process of developing an existing 3 Year Bachelor of Design degree based upon the service industry model of the past into a new 4 Year Bachelor of Design degree with embedded honours and the underlying Design Futures philosophy as the foundation of this new degree.