Paradigm Shift: report on the new role of design in business and society

As leading businesses and global organizations started gaining new understanding of the value of design, their internal culture and attitude towards design began to change. Financial companies and management consultancies that have never before been associated with design are now creating their in-house design teams and including design in their portfolio of services. Large corporations that in the past used design in a limited capacity now rapidly increase their in-house design capabilities and appoint designers in executive roles. Venture capitalist firms and start-up companies also started recognizing the value that designers can bring to the business development stages of their investments. Even global organizations and international foundations started placing design on their agendas. All of this is causing a paradigm shift in the field of design. This study examines some of the latest corporate investments in design and reflects on what this means for the field of design. The focus of this study is on the key trend indicators that are defining the current landscape of design and its role in business and society

Advertising, Public Relations and Social Marketing: shaping behaviour towards sustainable consumption

As the world struggles to sustain mass consumption as a lifestyle of choice, the need for sustainable behaviour becomes increasingly evident. Even though there are already a number of technical and legislative solutions underway, we still need to work on changing our consumption habits. This calls for social marketing strategies that can lead to promotion and acceptance of sustainable behaviour on a global scale. The problem, however, is that social marketing for sustainability that dominates the media today is ineffective and even counterproductive. In this study, I will examine what drives consumerism, and argue that sustainable consumption could be promoted as an alternative lifestyle, based on the same strategies that have successfully established mass consumption as a way of life. Countering the claims made for traditional social marketing, I will suggest that appealing to people’s innermost desires in the same way commercial marketing does, is in fact a more effective means of behaviour change than the negative information campaigns that are prevalent today. This calls for a different type of social marketing—one based on positive appeals related to subjective wellbeing and self-fulfilment, and not on scare tactics and dull educational campaigns

The burden of ethics: the use of design and architecture as political propaganda

In the face of an underlying theoretical structure that links the subjects of propaganda and politics with architectural and design practice, it can be argued that both designers and architects often use ideologies (self-invented or borrowed) to shape their communicative and design processes. It is their beliefs and dialogues that condition what ideals may lead to a better society and how these ideals can be put into practice—often for the benefit or to the detriment of the society at large. In most cases, these practices are juxtaposed with moral and ethical issues that are too great to be ignored

The use of built environments in the formation and change of national identities: the case of Macedonia and ‘Skopje 2014’

While the expressive power of architecture as a signifier of social, economic or political authority during times of prosperity is recognised in the literature, its role during times of political crisis (such as during times of critical national restructuring) has not been fully studied or theorised. This paper aims to address this gap and will argue that built environments, if used as a tool for national propaganda, can act as a signifier of national identity alongside other signifiers such as the language, flag, emblem or anthem. A particular case that will be examined includes Macedonia and the controversial ‘Skopje 2014’ government-funded project for the redevelopment of the Skopje city centre

[Gjoko Muratovski: student of design]

Abstract not available

Entrepreneurial universities meet their private partners: Towards a better embedding of the outcomes of cross-sector collaborations

In the past decades, universities’ involvement in socio-economic development, which goes along with their teaching and researching activities, has defined a new role for them in society’s ecosystem. This new role is often referred with the term of “entrepreneurial” university, whose objectives are positive societal, economic and environmental impacts. In order to fulfil such objectives, entrepreneurial universities might engage in cross-sector collaborations with external organisations. Despite the great contributions that cross-sector collaboration can give to the partners involved, the outcome is mostly unfocussed and rarely embedded. This paper explores the outcomeembedding in the cross-sector collaboration between entrepreneurial universities and the private sector. To this end, we provide the case of the collaboration between a Dutch airline company and four Dutch entrepreneurial research and teaching institutions. We aim to uncover hindering andenabling factors to the outcome embedding in order to design an interaction platform, design it together. This platform will be a tool to encourage the outcome embedding, moving from being inspired by to the actual implementation of the cross-sector collaboration. In order to fulfil this goal,this study employs a research through design methodology. This approach is a generative process, where cyclic loops of iterations and evaluations with stakeholders tend to the research goal. The solution is a digital platform, co-created with all stakeholders. This study can inspire practitioners and future research on the problem of unsuccessful cross-sector collaborations, betweenentrepreneurial universities and external organisations, with more emphasis on the value of embedding and translating the outcomes

Design for better comprehension: Design opportunities for facilitating consumers' comprehension of really new products (RNPs)

Developing successful RNPs can bring competitive advantages for companies. However, the success rate of RNPs are relatively low because consumers often feel resistant to adopt them. One reason for consumers’ resistance is their lack of comprehension of RNPs. To facilitate consumers’ comprehension, this paper conceptually discusses the opportunities related to designing the appearances of RNPs. More specifically, to facilitate consumers’ internal and external learning, this paper explores four underlying mechanisms: 1) product appearance as a visual cue to trigger category-based knowledge transfer, 2) to trigger analogy-based knowledge transfer, 3) product appearance as an information carrier to communicate innovative functionality directly, and 4) product appearance as a way to trigger congruity with innovative functionality of RNPs. The rationales for each underlying mechanism are conceptually discussed, supported with relevant empirical evidence and examples found in the markets

Developing DIVE, a design-led futures technique for SMEs

Futures techniques have long been used in large enterprises as designerly means to explore the future and guide innovation. In the automotive industry, for instance, the development of concept cars is a technique which has repeatedly proven its value. However, while big companies have broadly embraced futures techniques, small- and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) have lagged behind in applying them, largely because they are too resourceintensive and poorly suited to the SMEs’ needs and idiosyncrasies. To address this issue, we developed DIVE: Design, Innovation, Vision, and Exploration, a design-led futures technique for SMEs. Its development began with an inquiry into concept cars in the automotive industry and concept products and services in other industries. We then combined the insights derived from these design practices with elements of the existing techniques of critical design and design fiction into the creation of DIVE’s preliminary firstversion, which was then applied and evaluated in two iterations with SMEs, resulting in DIVE’s alpha version. After both iterations in context, it seems that DIVE suits the SMEs because of its compact and inexpensive activities which emphasize making and storytelling. Although the results of these activities might be less flashy than concept cars, these simple prototypes and videos help SMEs internalize and share a clear image of a preferable future, commonly known as vision. Developing DIVE thus helped us explore how design cansupport SMEs in envisioning the future in the context of innovation

Towards Design and Making Hubs for People Living with Dementia

This paper reports on the authors’ Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded work that is developing and implementing innovative design interventions that encourage people living with dementia to remain creatively active, promote dignity, and encourage independence. This work examines how the integrative, inclusive, and collaborative actions of co-design and design disruption as theoretical approaches, involves people living with dementia in rethinking and reshaping or circumventing existing forms of dementia care. Moreover, this work seeks to change mind-sets and extant prejudiced ideas about what people living with dementia might be capable of undertaking. The inclusive activity of collaboratively designing with people who are not designers themselves, seeks to challenge and alter preconceived ideas about the capabilities of people living with dementia. The paper highlights a number of innovative interventions showing how people living with dementia can be empowered by design and how they can be supported in informing conditions where their personal identity, values, knowledge, skills, experiences, perspectives and thoughts are integral to the production of new ideas and ways of thinking and doing co-design

Realising the potential of people living with dementia through co-designing and making interventions

The UK has an ageing population where there are now more people aged over 65 than those under the age of 16. The impact of this creates increased pressures on the National Health Service (NHS), and on local and regional health and social care services. Key concerns in regards to this aging population include the prevalence of the five most common chronic conditions among the over 65s—arthritis, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia—with the latter expected to increase 25% by 2020 and more than 50% by 2050. In order to counteract the increasing pressures of aging health and mental healthcare issues current government policy aims to encourage people to remain active, engage in regular exercise and refrain from behaviours that could have a detrimental effect on their health. The research, presented here, focuses on developing and implementing innovative design interventions, that seek to encourage people to remain active, promote dignity, and encourage independence particularly for people living with dementia