529
Social Design. the Use of Design in Response to the Challenges of Modern Society
Abstract Submissions Closed
RC43 Housing and Built Environment (host committee)
Language: English
Session Type: Oral
Contemporary understanding of design goes far beyond the creation of luxury goods. Design is a vision, Design is a process, Design is a result (Wolff M.). It is one of 50 different definitions offered by well-known designers, business people, and politicians published in a brochure printed by Design Council (1995)
From the beginning of the 21st century, there has also been a strong shift in design towards the use of design skills for social issues. This time the type of social involvement is different than in the pioneering years of industrial design, when it focused rather on creating mass products than minimize social diversity. Today socially engaged designers are more reacting to the negative consequences of what mass production has brought in the social, cultural and environmental dimensions (Papanek V., 1971).
That is why it is worth discussing the application of design to social issues, especially in the context of post-crisis reality and global processes of social and cultural changes. We would like to discuss the contemporary understanding of design and its perception in the wider social context considering the following issues:
- What is the role of design in contemporary society?
- How can design be used in solving problems related to social and cultural changes (demographic changes, modern technologies, etc.)?
- What is currently being done in this area and what can be done?
- How can the perception of designers change, showing examples of socially responsible design?
- How to involve institutions (local governments, entrepreneurs) in the process of socially responsible design?