Comments on: The Manifesto of the New Designer

By: mano

mano — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:34:46 +0000

I realized the value of designers after reading this post….
really great……
thanks for sharing your views..

By: Sport Supplements

Sport Supplements — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:39:15 +0000

Than you for this post. It opened my eyes in a whole new light and really displays art and design in era when others may have lost appreciation for it.

By: Altax

Altax — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:59:31 +0000

Design is the planning that lays the basis for the making of every object or system. Design is a word which cannot be separated from human life. To do something whatever may be we should have a plan and implementation. But for completion we need a design, an outlay on how to do…
Designing often requires a designer to consider the aesthetic, functional, and many other aspects of an object or a process.

By: Website design

Website design — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:08:00 +0000

It was quite surprising to know that the word “design” is used so generally.Manifesto of “The New Designer” made for an interesting reading.

By: Outsource Bookkeeping

Outsource Bookkeeping — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:30:15 +0000

Ken,

After reading your manifesto. What I have understood is that you wish that the term designing should only refer to the designs which you are designing. Nevertheless, I would suggest that your last point out to be the very first consideration a graphic designer should accept. Graphic designers are communicators, first and foremost.

Thanks for sharing this full of knowledge post.

By: Nitzan

Nitzan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:39:17 +0000

Interesting manifesto and interesting comments.
I often think that designers are at a kind of intersection between two different theories of creativity, and two approaches to technology, and it seems to me there are signs of this in the manifesto.

One theory of creativity which has been dominant since the Renaissance endows the individual designer with special powers (of synthesis, of generating beauty…). Another theory (Sociologist Howard Becker’s notably) sees artifacts as the result of collective action. The designer is one actor in network of people (printers, coders, bloggers, people who make coffee at Starbucks…) all crucial to the artifact ultimately being what it is. Or rather, their social interactions give birth to an artifact’s particularity.

As for approaches to technology, Heidegger suggested we usually see technology as either a means to an end or as inseparable from being human.

So (for eg.)
Do we really live in a “technology-fueled age”? What does this mean? Are we masters of our artificial world or slaves of it?
Are landscapes natural or cultural and what does this mean for “sustainable” design? When we think of sustainability, are we trying to freeze progress for our own comfort and security or are we promoting it for altruistic reasons?
If good design is a necessity, should market forces determine its value? Should it be “consumers hungry for new ideas” or the evangelists who might preach to an empty room? Is it useful to think in terms of luxury and necessity as opposed to instinct, survival and pleasure for example?

By: Mary E.

Mary E. — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:57:53 +0000

Ken,
I read your manifesto. It’s a strong term, manifesto. Nevertheless, I would suggest that your last point out to be the very first consideration a graphic designer should accept. Graphic designers are communicators, first and foremost. Technology, while it is transforming our industry, it remains a tool in service of communication.

Mary

By: Learn Spanish Mexico

Learn Spanish Mexico — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:40:21 +0000

The simplicity of design is something that man has been striving for consciously or sub-consciously since the beginning of time. And we can see that the most timeless designs are simple, but functional.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:21:58 +0000

We create simplicity out of complexity. That’s definetely one of the most important factors of a good design. However, it’s not easy, and that’s what makes it art!

By: Dave Holston

Dave Holston — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:08:42 +0000

Hi Ken, I think it’s a great idea to articulate a vision of what designers are/should be. I’m worried though that we often are talking to ourselves. Designers seem to be great at navel gazing. I would propose that designers need to look out to the organizations that we serve, not within, for relevance. I think we could learn a lot from how they describe our discipline.

If you are looking for language to describe the new designer, I would include the following – collaborative, empathic and accountable.

Best,

Dave