Design as a Culture

Design activity is more a form of subjective qualitative redefinition of science and technology, especially on the novelty values offered in every work that is full of tradition and cultural relativity. Here, tradition and culture should not be interpreted as something static and locked. It must be seen as a process of thinking and acting creatively that is nonlinear and dynamic. Raise locality contextually.

Design and Social Change

Design as a study
Doubts about design as an academic field, especially in Indonesia, have been an issue for a long time. One of the things that causes this is basically the design process is divided into two major parts. First, that design is seen more as a professional field that relies on one's talents. Second, in the process there is a type of 'black box' which is not easily seen as an academic activity in the positivistic era. However, around the 60s academic writings in the field of design and architecture began to emerge. The issue of this edition proves that design is a field of study that has an academic basis.

design is an everyday problem, which covers almost all aspects of life

There are various problems in the design process. At least the issue can be divided into 3 major groups, the emphasis on creation, then the compromise between creation and production, and finally how the compromise can be adopted by society. Meanwhile, most of the design education still emphasizes the problem of creation, or goes straight to commercialization without seeing how the production aspect actually greatly influences the price feasibility and often demands changes to a creation.

This issue will be raised in this edition, hopefully the existence of design in Indonesia will show its touch in the real world

Without realizing it, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced people's way of life and perspective to change. On the one hand, apart from the various problems that arise due to the pandemic, it is a must for every human being to adapt to this situation, as well as the work practice of the designer profession. As a creative field, there is ample evidence to suggest that there will always be opportunities that a designer can cleverly spot. The issue in this issue shows that the design field has the power to always adapt to any situation, because creativity is the main weapon of a designer.

Humans must be able to adapt, it is a human obligation because they have reason. The constant thing in human life is change itself, and therefore humans will always be required to always adapt to something outside of themselves. Changes that occur will greatly affect behavior, attitudes, and values. The adaptability of humans also shows their ability to seek compromise values. The field of design is required to not just adapt or compromise, this professional field is required to read the changes that will occur, and the extent to which people are predicted to be willing to compromise on these changes. Designers are required to have this ability.

June 29, 2022 marked as World Industrial Design Day (WIDD) in commemorating 65^th years of World Design Organization (formerly known as ICSID - International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. Aside relative lacks of popularity on industrial design profession and knowledge in Indonesia, the day still worth to celebrate by every Indonesian design practitioners and academicians to show that industrial design plays important roles in making a better future. As mentioned by Robert L Peters (1993) ‘Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future’.  So, why this is important? Its because as a visioner, an industrial designer works to create innovative product that fulfill needs of man at homes, offices, public services, hospitals, schools and other man-made environment. Design touchpoint with the future needs of man makes it widens its scope into intangible objects that previously served as only artistic imagination. This, in turn, shifts our understandings of design scope.  The old credo that designers are practitioner in creating innovative, functional, and aesthetic product is no longer adequate to challenge the future of man. Today’s designer is required to know reliability and usability concept behind its product creation, its relation to inter-product system, its impact on services, and the appearance of product-users’ interaction. Therefore, today’s designer shall be more than a product creator and/or maker, he/she shall serve as a researcher of product, user, and the interaction between. Key to the future of design is thinking not just intuitive drive, therefore to design is to dwelve more into thinking for elaborating, knowing and understanding the essence of man-made product. ‘Thinking about Design is hard, but not thinking about it can be disastrous’ (Ralph Caplan in NSEAD, 2022).

Mobility and transportation are one of the biggest and more extraordinary influences on the formation of civilization in the world, including in the field of design. Mobility and transportation actually have a simple goal which is to help a person efficiently get from one point to another. Recent developments in mobility and transportation have undergone rapid and significant changes, especially with the introduction of automatic transportation (autonomous) and electric-based vehicles which will ultimately demand many changes in the industrial world and of course the human attitude in driving itself, including the new business side.

DISCURSIVE DESIGN focuses on issues pertinent to values, ideals, and/or certain messages of a designer to the consumers or society in general. The object of discursive design is somewhat similar to those of artworks albeit one fundamental difference---objects of design must serve utilitarian purpose not just merely aesthetic. Discursive design opens room for breakthrough, ideological, and even controversial discussions or debates on object of design as an artwork.