TED Conversations

Aimee Brennan

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Is design knowledge dying? Will we learn more or is the rest set to be appropriations?

I would like to know peoples opinions on knowledge, how it relates to design and if people think that there is still more to be learnt, if they believe there is still originality in design, or if they see it as different approaches to previous works, in the way of appropriations, parody's and pastiches'. Any answers would be helpful.

0
Share:
progress indicator

  • Robert Galway 20+

    • +1
    Mar 9 2013: Design knowledge is not dying. There is more knowledge available now than ever before and with the internet makes much of it more easily accessible. The issue now is trying to filter too much information. However, the the role of designer in many industries is diminishing in many countries.

    The largest contributing factors are loss in opportunity to learn properly then practice, to gain the skill set needed to be a good designer and then maintain proficiency. The trend now is to blend of roles such as draftsman, cad operator, or engineer into some designer hybrid. There is also a loss in opportunity to gain manufacturing knowledge in many industries due to outsourcing.

    A good designer will have many skill sets. They need to start somewhere, so they need the ability to use experience and precedents, design principles, heuristic, information and values (e.g. technical data) as initial assumptions and guidelines. They need to have good technical knowledge of the area in which they are designing. They need knowledge of and ability to use methods, following the methodical instructions under controlled conditions, and eventually learning them well enough to use them intuitively-for diagnostics, analysis, experimentation, information searching, representing (in sketches and computer models), creativity, innovative thinking, and systematic synthesizing. They need ability to see beyond the immediate task, analytically/reductionistically and synthetically/holistically, to take account of the complex situation and its implications, for example life cycle engineering. They need including team work, people skills, transdisciplinary cooperation, obtaining and using advice. They need to understand manufacturing processes and end uses for what they design (Check out Elder and Hosendl's Design Engineer's Handbook for more).

    Fewer industries seem to be willing to invest in building a design workforce today because it is a long term investment.
  • thumb

    Gail . 50+

    • 0
    Mar 6 2013: Knowledge in our culture is dying - not just design knowledge. Our educational paradigms are ensuring this because they support corporate profits rather than people.
  • thumb

    edward long 100+

    • +1
    Mar 5 2013: The state of the Design craft in America today is far inferior to what it once was. The suits have been given too much influence in the product configuration arena. Things are designed for Manufacturability, not for optimum functionality, reliability, durability, and efficiency. Products are designed to last a specified period of time. Quality has been redefined to mean nothing more than what the customer wants, which sounds OK at first, but causes a glut of cheap, unreliable products because what the customer wants is a product which sells for a REALLY LOW price. So long as Design departments are run by Business majors in suits the downward spiral will continue.
  • thumb

    Fritzie Reisner 100+

    • 0
    Host
    Mar 5 2013: We have three hundred TED talks on the tag design.

    I would have thought that design ever reaches into new areas with new strategies, technologies, and materials. Some examples are IDEO's human centered design, the application of design principles in solving human problems. In fact one hears people across fields talking about "design thinking."

    Are you familiar with MIT's Media Lab? The reaches of design there of an innovative sort are inspiring.

    What is your opinion on this question you pose?
Showing all 4 comments