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Blogging the future

Design does not have to be seen solely as creativity applied to the necessities of consumerism. Instead, it should be the vehicle and the expression of a type of thinking, of a formula of creativity that is built on three axes: desirability, feasibility and viability. The future of design must be oriented as such, as the outlook of new designers shift to collaborative “design thinking”.

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In today’s society, it is not farfetched to say that consumerism dictates many aspects of our lives. It is also not surprising that the most profitable products on the market are the most aesthetically pleasing and innovative, thanks to designers whose job it is to make products sell. Tim Brown, the CEO of the firm IDEO, a design and innovation consultancy, believes that this concept needs to change.

Tim Brown wonders when design got so small. By focusing on a design or a singular product, design has become pigeonholed into simply being a tool of consumerism. Design has become incremental and does not make the impact that it could. This does not mean, however, that making products easier to use or more attractive is a pointless endeavor; instead Brown stresses the need for “design thinking” in order to see the bigger picture.

Design thinking begins with integrative thinking, which is the ability to exploit opposing ideas and constraints to create new solutions. According to Brown, design thinking, when applied to design, is accomplished by balancing desirability (what humans needs), technical feasibility, and economic viability. Instead of focusing on the design of a singular object, we should be using design thinking as an approach to solve problems and create new solutions. Brown also believes that smaller design is a recent phenomenon and that design now stands for image, fashion, and aesthetics, when it should stand for innovation.

Is design getting big again? Looking around at the latest changes in the world, one would be inclined to say yes. Design needs to start with what humans need, not just what new objects would look good on someone’s shelf. Thanks to current technology, companies are now able to use design to help tackle world problems by taking into account diverse cultures. While design is useful in both a large and smaller realm, it should start once again living up to its full potential.

More Info:

• http://designthinking.ideo.com/
• http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_urges_designers_to_think_big.html

According to Pete Alcorn, we are only 150 years away from a new Enlightenment period due to a decrease in population and raised wages and opportunities. We should be looking towards the future with more optimism than ever before.

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This is Pete Alcorn’s theory. At the beginning of his explanation, he admits that he was once a follower of Malthus, but now he understands the need to overcome this way of thinking. In 1798, the English economist published An Essay on the Principle of Population, as it affects the future improvement of society, in which he explained his theory that population was held within resource limits by two types of checks: positive ones, which raised the death rate, and preventative ones, which lowered the birth rate. The positive checks included hunger, disease and war; the preventative checks, abortion, birth control, prostitution, postponement of marriage, and celibacy. Population, according to his theory tended to grow in a geometric progression.

Malthus’ theory, while seemingly negative, is not without justification. Pete Alcorn, at a conference held by TED (a non-profit group that organizes events and conferences), invites us to step away from Malthus and embrace his theory on the new Enlightenment. According to economic models, a declining population has two main benefits. One benefit is a reduction in land prices, which lifts a burden off of the poorer populace. Secondly, a drop in population brings about a scarcity of labor, which then creates wage increases. After 30% to 60% of Europe’s population was killed during the Black Death in the 14^th century, Europe saw these changes come about, including technological innovation and the birth of the middle class. The immense decline in population gave rise to a forward social-economic movement in Europe: the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Pete Alcorn, the head of podcasting for Apple, believes that we are only 150 years away from another Enlightenment period.

Alcorn points out that according to the UN’s population data, the world’s population is expected to top off at about 10 billion in the late century. It is also projected that the population will most likely begin to decline afterwards. Although it seems natural to assume that a declining population is a negative thing for our society, it is, in fact, going to lead to positive social movements.

More often than not, we tend to romanticize the past, while fearing the evitable downfall of the future. Instead, Alcorn believes that we need to start romanticizing the future, for he foresees only positive changes for our world. One should consider, however, that it is crucial that people keep a positive outlook; transitions in any form are dangerous times and often lead to rash decision-making. With all of our technological and scientific advancements, coupled with a declining population, we should look forward to the fact that our future generations will be able to benefit from the 22^nd century Enlightenment.

More Info.:

• http://www.ted.com/speakers/pete_alcorn.html
• http://www.ted.com/talks/pete_alcorn_s_vision_of_a_better_world.html

Beautiful, agile, and successful. Aimee Mullins has these qualities and much more. She’s a girl that transformed her weaknesses into strengths. She’s a model and an actress that contributes by giving a new significance to the concept of disability.

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Aimee had both her legs amputated right below the knee when she was one, and from that point on she fought to live a normal life, and to eliminate the word “disabled” from her vocabulary. Aimee Mullins did fashion shows for Alexander McQueen, worked with Matthew Barney, and like the athlete Oscar Pistorius, she demonstrated to the world that she could post amazing results on the competitive level.

The first prosthesis ever created dated back to the ancient Egyptian civilization, and it was slowly improved as the centuries rolled by. In the future however, even more powerful and efficient prosthesis’ will be built. Powerfoot allowed Aimee to improve her physical abilities, it was projected by Hugh Herr, a leader in the biomechanical field at MIT. “The next step” according to Hugh  “will be to completely connect it to the human body. In the future we will be able to implement it with sensor muscles, that will receive commands from the brain like an actual human limb.”

And while Aimee shows the world the vast array of available prosthetics – made from crystal for elegant nights, from wood, or decorated with heels to match a nice dress or skirt – she invites us to reflect on how in this hi-tech era, technology with bring a sense of normality to even the most disabled of people.

More Info.:

• http://www.aimeemullins.com/