The Convoluted Existence of Design

Article by Sarah-Jayne McCreath – @panda_mime @embody3d – SJ’s Blog –  18.10.2010

By Sarah-Jayne McCreath

Ask members of the general public what they think design is and chances are you’ll get a myriad of responses. Some leaning towards what we in the business know as graphic design, some teetering on a description that would probably better be served by the title of engineer, some that criss-cross the idea of interior design and architecture and others that assume it is a random offshoot of art with a fancy title to justify a pay check.

Ask members of the general public what they think industrial design is and chances are you’ll simply get a puzzled gaze. Some people give it a red hot go and declare that we make iPods, some people think we create furniture, some people think we create machinery (all valid, but narrow responses) and some, like my confused mother, stare at you blankly and ask if you draw pictures of cranes and sheds.

This has made me wonder if enough has been done by our industry to define ourselves to the greater populace, or even if there is a need to. After all, what does it matter if someone not involved in the industry doesn’t quite understand what we do? On the flipside, most people know what a boilermaker does. What a chef does. What a teacher does. So, by not having a clear public definition of our profession, do our roles become less valid?

The problem with defining our role is that the profession is inherently varied. Even a graduate with a straight up industrial design degree can find gainful employment in a few different industries. A chef is a chef, regardless of the kitchen, but a designer can meld themselves into roles that are diverse and seemingly unrelated.

In my home state (Queensland, Australia… and no, it is not as sunny or beach orientated as advertised), the government has developed the Queensland Design Strategy 2020. This strategy sets out to promote the state as a cauldron of design goo bubbling away and ready to explode on the international scene. Events like the Asia-Pacific Design Triennial and the International Council of Graphic Designer Associations’ Design Week have been held in our fair city in an attempt to draw the eye of foreign admirers.

However, I still see this kind of action as being too insular. Word of mouth in the design world (aided by the internets, of course) is established. We know what we are doing, we know what our work means to the world and we are aware of our triumphs and embarrassments. The world at large, however, can seem unaware of how important we are (yes, I tell jokes) and what the hell we get up to behind closed doors.

Perhaps it is our fault that our industry is so mysterious? Perhaps we keep ourselves out of reach for a reason? Do we like to be misunderstood and does it add to our sense of importance? Or is our broadcast face simply too confusing for the general public to learn from?

But perhaps, as an industry newbie, by the time I’ve been in the game for a while, I’ll just begin to assume that people know what I’m on about. And they will, because I’ll be immersed in a design driven bubble car of a social circle.