doomed
Really?
That's up to you.
Design
(v.) The act of making things pretty and nice looking and attractive and pop and jazz and fun.
(n.) The discipline that seeks to humanize.
Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started, wait The earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool Neanderthals developed tools We built a wall (we built the pyramids) Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries That all started with the big bang! Hey!
then
Design had its humble roots in typography and architecture and has branched out to an ever-rising number of fields and areas of application, but has always had the same motives; solve problems, address needs, humanize. Initially, design was used in methods of preserving and transmitting knowledge in the forms of manuscripts and encyclopedias, evolving with the changing techniques and technology of printing and type setting. With the onset of the industrial revolution, new jobs such as advertising, book publishing and art direction, allowed designers new ways to broadcast information of otherwise machine-made products. The industrial revolution also brought about industrial design as a means of addressing a variety of human problems with speed and mass production. With the advancement of technology, design as a discipline widened, fields of Interaction, Ergonomics, Service (to name a few) came about to address a variety of different and evolving user needs.
Or did it?
now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now
now
Today, design is used everywhere, from designing more humane prisons, to making space travel safer for astronauts. On the other side however, is where design is seen as a box to just check off, a way to bring in more revenue, provide a competitive advantage or make something more addictive. With job descriptions demanding software skills rather than analytical skills, conflicting articles either in support or outright discrediting formal education in design (with claims that bootcamps will help you be a certified designer in a month) and the barrage of memes about the plight of designers where they merely make things look good or how they’re just “hand-tools” to the client, make it look like design is more of a thankless pixel pushing job than a discipline with intention of addressing humanity’s concerns.
Or is it?
Oh, it's crashing... oh, 4 or 500 feet into the sky, and it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. There's smoke, and there's flames, now, and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast. Oh, the humanity, and all the passengers screaming around here!
Doomed ./?
Is designed doomed or is it all just unwarranted hysteria? Dunno. And that’s kinda the problem. Designed Is Doomed takes a pessimistic approach to addressing this question and assumes that it is, with the intention of making sure it doesn’t die. Design Is Doomed consist of two Artefacts, the first, is this website that informs the audience that design might be in danger. Visitors can take the test to see if they have pushed us further towards doom or pulled the hand back and saved the discipline. At the end of the test, you will find ways to improve based on the answers you have provided. The second artefact is a card game based of the ever-popular party game, Cards Against Humanity. This game provides designers a way to have fun as well as provoke conversations about the condition of design. So, is design doomed?