A New Design Philosophy: An Introduction to Defuturing

Rating:
Summary: You need to understand the problem to design a solution
Review: This is a very important book. People these days think that 'only good news sells' and that it is necessary to be positive at all times. Tony Fry's book shows that it is more important to face up to the true extent of the world's current problems. Fry asks: how did we become so unsustainable? His answer is: by design. He looks at key aspects of modern design and finds, rather than something to celebrate, a history of 'defuturing', that is, case studies of how our futures are being taken away from us. In arguing his points, Fry demonstrates an extensive knowledge of the history of design (for example streamlining, the Bauhaus, but also television and computers), and a comprehensive command of philosophy (for example Heidegger and Confucianism). The result is indeed a new design philosophy, one that is urgently needed given how ignorant many designers are about ramifications of design decisions. This is not an easy book, but what it teaches about the way most designed products in turn design unsustainable lifestyles is crucial to learning how to design sustainable futures.

Rating:
Summary: You need to understand the problem to design a solution
Review: This is a very important book. People these days think that `only good news sells' and that it is necessary to be positive at all times. Tony Fry's book shows that it is more important to face up to the true extent of the world's current problems. Fry asks: how did we become so unsustainable? His answer is: by design. He looks at key aspects of modern design and finds, rather than something to celebrate, a history of `defuturing', that is, case studies of how our futures are being taken away from us. In arguing his points, Fry demonstrates an extensive knowledge of the history of design (for example streamlining, the Bauhaus, but also television and computers), and a comprehensive command of philosophy (for example Heidegger and Confucianism). The result is indeed a new design philosophy, one that is urgently needed given how ignorant many designers are about ramifications of design decisions. This is not an easy book, but what it teaches about the way most designed products in turn design unsustainable lifestyles is crucial to learning how to design sustainable futures.