By Jeanne Tan / 15-09-2010

I must say, I am a little concerned right now with the latest trend in design: no it’s not a mutation of the neo-baroque craze that slammed us at the beginning of this millennium nor the proliferation of using naked women in design advertisements. Actually, what’s bothering me right now is that it’s SO HOT RIGHT NOW to CARE – and use all the other C words associated with it. 

I spent two days last week in The Netherlands at two separate symposiums which revolved around the current tide of change that’s happening now in the design industry. To cut a long story short, after a period of serious hedonism – and spurred on by the collapse in the financial system - design feels the need right now to do good and make the world a better place for humanity and the environment.

Both events left me confused, I kept asking myself: how do I know what’s good anymore, and what is the right way for me help the planet and its people?

Held at ArtEZ Arnhem, Designboost revolved around Design for Life, creating better lives through design. Ineke Hans modestly placed her work in the context of products through history, commenting that in this way her designs are not so special. Her interest is also in the ‘potential use’ of products. Satyendra Pakhalé said that we can’t afford to buy cheap products anymore and discussed the need for manufacturers to invest in serious product development to make products better and more accessible. Real estate developer Rudy Stroink asked designers to ‘connect with their ears’ and ‘maverick’ Joost Alferink, well, he didn’t really care about the theme nor did he believe in the future. Richard Hutten wants designers to engage in more ‘serious play’ and have more fun with design. He gives users options and is most happy when people can own and use his products, even in the most unusual ways that he wouldn’t anticipate (for instance a dog using his Domoor mug as a play toy). UK designer Flora Bowden from the SEED foundation presented a project for recycling green waste from a block of London flats, into compost to be used for growing vegetables on the estate grounds. However – judging from the complexity of the project, and we didn’t see images of the vegetable patches nor of the compost itself - was the project more about the design process for the designers or actually designing for the people? And the sheer size of the metal compost machine - The Rocket Composter – looked pretty scary. One of the speakers questioned if we really needed another chair? If this really matters, why does the industry keep worshipping the world’s biggest design circus every year in Milan? I took the train back to Amsterdam asking myself, are designers only changing the tune they’re singing just to keep up with the trends? Is it all about theory and little practice?

The next day, it was off to Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) for the symposium Questioning Time which opened the new academic year. DAE director Anne Mieke Eggenkamp urged everyone to rethink time, admitting that in the past couple of years, she felt that someone else owned her time and her most commonly used phrase was, “I don’t have the time.” She stressed the importance of having time to breathe, several keywords summed up her message:  spiritual, sustainable (finding a balance), surprise (laugh, play!). First speaker of the day was New York-based doctor Jay Parkinson who with his innovation consultancy for health and happiness The Future Well, aims to redesign healthcare by making it more transparent and relevant to today’s lifestyle. With a specialization in preventative healthcare, Parkinson spoke about it’s actually how we spend our time that kills us: “As a 400,000 year old species, in the past 50 years, the exercise we’ve gotten has migrated from our arms and legs to our fingers.” Designers in his eyes, could play a big part in redesigning services and experiences for the healthcare system. Next up was Michael Braungart, otherwise known as one half of Cradle-to-Cradle. Braungart addressed defining ‘where you want to be’ in the next ten years. We shouldn’t be thinking of time in terms of efficiency but more in effectiveness. Don’t talk about ‘green’ design, only good design, and if you think you’re taking a step in the right direction in helping the environment by being less bad, think again. He says we’re not too many on this planet, we’re too stupid. Holding up the DAE symposium program, he pointed out that printing it on recycled paper was futile: he could still smell the toxic chemicals in the ink. Braungart pointed the finger at designers – packaging designers were the worst of the lot – but I don’t think it’s that simple: it takes two or more to tango. I learnt that drinking champagne, not prosecco is better for the planet as it has less carbon footprint, and being carbon neutral is rubbish, as our existence already makes that impossible. His advice in having more time: have children. It gave him more chance to prioritise what was worth spending his time on. Last speaker before lunch was artist Joep van Lieshout. Rambling on about his projects, from houses based on human organs to a cradle-to-cradle human recycling project to his bio-gas factory powered by slaves, it was clear that Van Lieshout wasn’t addressing the theme at all. With regards to sustainability, his opinion was that, his furniture pieces were so expensive that no one would ever throw them away, and this was also good because it’s taking money out of the system which would have been used to buy more crap anyway! Unfortunately I only stayed for the first half of the program as I myself didn’t have the time to stay the whole day.

After two days of listening to all these ‘experts’, what I had actually learnt? Firstly, it seemed like some of the speakers weren’t taking the themes seriously at all; don’t waste people’s time if you’ve nothing meaningful to say. Secondly, I thought, I want to do good, I want to contribute, I want to be a better person, but how do I do that? After Braungart’s lecture, I felt more like a burden on this planet, after Parkinson’s, I left stupid that so much of my time is spent chained to the computer and after Van Lieshout’s, well, I didn’t really feel like eating anymore (which is better for the planet right?). We hear so much about what’s (supposed to be) right these days that we don’t know what to think anymore. In terms of environmental sustainability, is bio-plastic better or not? Is recycling totally pointless? Is recyclable better than bio-degradable? What do all these new environmental classifications mean? Is organic always necessarily better? It’s great to discuss these problems, but it feels like there is more talk than action. We need more concrete direction from the experts. In fact, someone should write a self-help book for designers. Thirdly, after speaking to designers later in the week, they mentioned that when it really came to the crunch with getting products made in a more environmentally friendly way, it came down to the dollar. Sustainable=more expensive.

After much pondering, I came to the conclusion there’s no single right answer or one-liner quick-fix (sorry Mr Braungart) to address these issues. Sustainability – relating to economy, environment, community - should be taken seriously but first we need to think about what it really means to us and take the time to educate ourselves properly about it.

Obviously, there needs to be some pretty big re-definitions of basic systems in which design operates. For example production methods, distribution channels, the role of the design and designers etc. While we're waiting for the future to arrive, might it be an idea to first look to ourselves and in our own backyards before we can tackle these bigger issues or even try to be better designers? Emily Pilliton from Project H, a US-based design studio at the forefront of humanitarian design, summed it up perfectly, “We all have to learn how to be citizens again: citizens first, and designers second.”

So with this in mind, I’ve got some keywords of my own for getting back on the good track:
Common sense
Curiosity
Simplicity
Challenge
Sincerity

I hope this need to care isn’t a trend. Dutch designers, if you’re doing work that sincerely cares, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email and prove me wrong: editor (at) design.nl

My last words: the colour green or dropping the word ‘eco’ or ‘green’ (or cradle-to-cradle), using pictures of trees or babies on advertising campaigns or decorative plants on stands at furniture fairs should be banned unless it’s really intended meaningfully.

On another note: there’s been a really interesting online debate going on about whether humanitarian design is doing more good than harm. Follow it here on the website Change Observer.

Main image and image 3: Michael Braungart
Image 1: Anne Mieke Eggenkamp
Image 2: Jay Parkinson
Image 4: Joep van Lieshout
Images courtesy of Design Academy Eindhoven. Photography: Niels Huneker

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