Why Design? 

“Design” has taken on the role of a universal solution to any problem—the power of design to create innovation and develop new industries has been eclipsed perhaps by only the conceit that design can save the world from the ills that innovation  has created. “Design thinking” proposes a world where design is a frame for understanding the world through the eye of a designer and, in this mode, creating  a better one. Lost in all this is what design is for, who should do design, and why  design matters. We ask: “why design?” not to question the value of design and its practices, but instead to prompt reflection on the role and power that design has— and may not have.  

In uncertain times, the relevance of design can be easily questioned. Geopolitical instability, anthropogenic climate change, and biodiversity crises may signal that the role of design is limited—or possibly causal. Still, design remains fundamentally optimistic. Core to design is the idea that by making something, we can change the  world for the better, and it contains the belief that this is possible. At the same time,  this can be argued to be a productivist understanding of progress that renders a  one-dimensional interpretation of how current challenges can be responded to via design. To be able to ‘move’ on requires design to respond differently to matter better in times of crisis.  

This conference theme asks, “why design?” In the following ways: 

    What is design good for? Where can it be used to engage with contemporary troubles? 
    Who designs? What does design look like when everyone designs? 
    How does design produce knowledge? How can that knowledge feed back into the troubles and uncertainties of our world? 
    What kind of design strategies, methods, and approaches can be used to respond to current issues? 
    How can design imagine new relations to ourselves, our societies, and the environment? 

When looking and tinkering with designerly alternatives to respond to “why,” we might not have to think of radical replacements, to start from nothing, but instead from within design to project alternatives and more livable futures.  

Here, realms of the less productivist and rational inherent within design, such as play, experiences, and art, could be considered as adequate resources to develop other sensibilities concerning what innovations should be made possible. Design reflects a willingness to engage with materials for serious purposes but in whimsical and emergent ways. ITU’s expertise in games and play is reflected in a new track for DIS: the Play track. This track combines art, posters, and installations with a  playful bent to produce a curated component of the conference that emphasizes the role that play can take in design practice and research.  

By asking, “why design?” we hope to position design as a force for transformation in times of uncertainty. We encourage submissions that reimagine or critique taken-for-granted forms of designing, as well as suggestions for undisciplined, playful,  open, and pluriversal design approaches to respond to “why.”

Taking place at IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark, July 1st-5th, 2024

https://en.itu.dk/
IT University of Copenhagen
Rued Langgaards Vej 7
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Denmark