Victor Papank: The Politics of Design

My dad was in advertising. He is one of my biggest influences and the primary reason I became a Industrial Designer. I used to think that I was ahead of other designers as I have advertising blood running thru my veins. So naturally, when I read the first line of Victor Papanek’s seminal “Design for the Real World” where he states that Industrial Design may be the most phony profession on earth besides only advertising, it hit home. Papanek had insulted not only my entire life path, but my late father’s as well. Needless to say, I needed to know more and kept reading. I made it through the book quickly and I was hooked on Papanek’s intense and demanding instructions on what design is, what is should be, and most importantly how to do it.

The Politics of Design is the follow up to Real World, and at 400 pages long, it makes a giant thud on the table as you set it down to read. Like Papanek, the book is unapologetically heavy and engaging. As I lugged the monstrosity around the house, most everyone who saw me with it asked “What ARE you reading” usually adding a “geez” or a “yikes” along with the inquiry. I did my best to give a quick answer, something like “Its about a design critic who’s also an amazing designer” People usually didn’t ask again, designers included. And this response is why I liked the book so much. Because I knew it was rare to take on such a complex designer and his ideas. Most people would avoid this sort of undertaking.

This is what I enjoy best about Papanek, how he was an outcast during his time and persisted on. I mean can you imaging the guts it takes to land a job working in Raymond Lowey’s firm, meet Lowey himself, but then quit because you didn’t like how his response to one of your designs! In the book you learn about how Papanek did this and more! The Politics of Design, we learn all about the criticism he faced almost constantly throughout his career. And you get an idea of the kind of challenges ahead from designers aimed in a similar direction. But you also get a much better sense of who he was as a person. You get to see in his personal sketchbook and read his precision built lecture notes. You learn about his almost non-stop speaking schedule that continued to nearly his last day alive. And beyond all else you hear from a carefully curated selection of other designer who, like me, have studied and embraced his work. You get insights from current designers exploring topics and social issues Papanek had brought light in years past and are only seeing the light of day now. You hear from a forward thinking intellectuals like Dori Tunstall and Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg who has picked up the torch lit by Papanek’s difficult work and are carrying it into today.

The book closed out as Victor would have wanted, inspiring you with a amazing selection of work from designers who, like him, aim directly at educating people to what is around us everyday but rarely seen. His legacy of inclusion and world wide collaboration alive and well and ready for more of us to carry it on for generations to come. I enjoyed the book as much as it weighs and even as much as the weight of the ideas inside.

Superintelligence

I first became interested in AI from the book Homo Deus where Noah Yuval Harari makes the claim that we are in the midst of creating a new species on the planet with Artificial Intelligence. Harari does a good job of laying out the existential risks of our attempts and it sparked my interests enough to look further into the subject. I’m also a big fan of Sam Harris. In his book Making Sense he interviews Nick Bostrom and the discussion of his book Superintelligence was intriguing. In the segment titled “Will we destroy the future” Harris almost demands that his listeners read the book and I took the bait.

From my perspective as an industrial designer, I’m constantly thinking about the future. I’m also concerned about the existential risk of the continual creation of stuff and the consequences of our consumer culture. Recently though, I’ve began to wonder if something else might beat us to the punch. As brick and mortar retail is dwindling and “product design” shifts from the creation of physical goods to digital ones, I see a shift in the wants and needs of people in our modern culture from tangible to intangible things. Along with this shift comes more and more interaction with Artificial Intelligence. As a designer, you are constantly on the lookout for new trends in how people are living. I think it’s important to learn as much as possible about what is on the horizon of creation. AI fits the bill and will no doubt continue to be the driver of the future and therefore Superintelligence found its way into my stack.

Superintelligence is an IN DEPTH overview of current AI trends and how it may become super intelligent in the future. The book goes into extensive details on how humans should react and what we will be up against once, as Harari suggests, we are sharing the planet with this new species. Bostrom lays it all out in the book: How the superintelligence will learn, how it will grow, how it will think, what will motivate an AI, and then once fully realized, how it will globally coagulate into a single unstoppable entity or Singleton. Throughout the book, it is clear Bostrom has put more thought into this topic than most. I was skeptical and found myself trying to disprove his arguments on several points. The idea that an AI could become unstoppable and outside of human control is an example. If you’ve ever spilled a pint of beer on your laptop as I have, you know it doesn’t take much to kill a computer. Although, Bostrom is quick to provide a response to the typical critic. In the case of spilled beer saving the world, the suggestion is made that a superintelligence may become so smart it takes on a “Decisive strategic advantage” above all other intelligent beings giving it the ability to reformulate matter to build its own hardware from beer proof materials. Humans are currently reforming matter into a myriad of things. Just look at anything made of modern plastics or have a glance towards your local neighborhood oil refinery to see our capabilities in action. A super AI would have all the abilities of humans and so much more. One of the challenges of the book to really understand the true capabilities of a untethered AI to extent that Bostrom does. As a human myself, it’s hard to imagine life beyond human existence, although in this book, that scenario is fully flushed out and and carried hundreds of thousands of years into the future where a Super Intelligent AI could flourish moving on from the initial takeover of our little blue dot and then to the entire Universe which surrounds us and beyond.

I will think twice before taking on any more recommendations from Sam Harris’ podcast. This book was a chore and It’s a lot of “what ifs” and I was looking more for a better understanding of where the technology is at currently and particularly how it’s being used within the context of Industrial Design and Product Development today. Jeremy Rifkin does a good job of this in his book “The Third Industrial Revolution” His descriptions of “Smart Technology” in use today are much more my speed. It took me the better part of 6 months to push through this book. Still, there were some interesting ideas to consider and I enjoyed the grandiose nature of the ideas Bostrom presents. Once I was able to shake off the technical aspects of the book and bring it down to the level of a good episode of Ancient Aliens I was able to move though at a better pace. I found myself dreaming of how fun it would be bump into the author at a spiritual retreat or free thinking place like Burning Man, sitting around the campfire, I’d love ask him silly questions like “tell me more about what happens when the whole world turns into paperclips” There’s a lighthearted nature to this apocalyptic book that is hard to find but very much there. If you decide to take it on for size, I truly hope you’re able to find it.

Who Owns the Future

I will admit that for the majority of the time I spent reading this book, I was lost. I even cheated and went online to watch the corresponding talk Lanier gave in Berkeley to promote the book. The digital equivalent of crib notes. I found myself having to repeat the title of the book over and over in my head to maintain even the slightest grip on what was being discussed. Lanier goes on and on about side notes and inside jokes only he knows, leading the reader into the deep end of a very complex world. Somehow with each turn of the page, he pulls it together in the last few sentences leaving your head spinning but still somehow clear on his point. So you read on. Towards the end of the book Lanier describes his work of designing video games, and the difficulty of mixing reward with challenge in just the right way so the user can stay engaged and get hooked, This is Who Owns The Future.

Overall, the idea is simple and easy to spit out. Describing it here is not a spoiler because the book contains so much more than just this hypothesis. 380 pages of every possible detail which would need to be considered to answer the question: What if people were paid for using the Internet?

He really does go all in on this and manages to tease out close to all the details necessary to consider this alternative reality seriously. It is impressive how his mind works. His ability to see the idea from a complete 360 degree perspective despite that idea being rather farfetched in this reader’s opinion.

As with all my book reviews, my goal is to somehow tie into the world of Industrial Design. With Who Owns the Future, I will admit, it’s a stretch. But what Lanier does best here is dream. He flips the whole world on its head. He makes gigantic, bold claims that seem unfathomable to even consider in today’s reality. The world he imagines is not like anything we have in our sights. Oh, the money I would pay to sit in the corner during the meeting where Lanier flips aside his dreads, blowing into his Khaen before laying into Jeffery Bezos about why he should start making less money for a little bit. Good luck!

What makes the book attractive to design is that the ideas are outlandish and fantastical. In my opinion, that is just what the doctor ordered in the realm of ID. There are too many designers out there content with merely sticking to the program, landing red dots for slightly better toaster ovens. We have bigger fish to fry! Lanier reminds us to unhitch ourselves from the norm and take off into the ether of free thinking. He holds the door open to allow the reader to gleefully run into the impossible. This is what the future of design needs most. Can I recommend the book? No. Would I recommend Lanier as a person to follow, as a luminary and an inspiration, absolutely.

At Home

Anyone out there who is interested in the idea of Design Thinking and IDEO style design research should get this book. Why? Because Design Thinking, also known as Human Centered Design, is the study of how people live their lives. I think people make the assumption that we all live very unique lives, individual, and off center from how so called normal people live. But, in fact, when you read At Home, you learn that modern life is quite standardized, and many of us are doing the same things at the same time all the time for the time we’re living in. In this book Bryson peels back the façade of individuality and shines a light on how people live by revealing the surprising and entertaining history of what traditions and events shaped the typical day to day actions of modern life as we know it.

How can this help me as an Industrial Designer you may ask? Well doesn’t life and how we live define our needs? Isn’t it the struggles of daily toil that persuade us to take up arms with the latest and greatest gadget of convenience? Absolutely! In At Home, you not only get an in depth history of what past issues lead to the ubiquitous products we all take for granted today, but also the book gives us a new recognition of the progress we have made as humans beings and gives us a glimpse of what it really is that makes modern life truly magical.

Do you like flushing toilets? Have you considered the luxury and convenience of not having to burn coal in your living room for heat? Have you ever felt an deep sense of gratitude for being able to read a book or play a game in your living room without the use of a slightly rotten beef tallow candle to provide light? After reading only a few chapters of At Home, you will. Then, as a designer you’ll put extra consideration into that ultra sleek desk lamp your hoping gets picked up by Design within Reach.

If you want to see the future, you have to look to the past. At Home delivers that past in a witty, entertaining fashion. This is not a stuffy history book, its a quaint little joy ride down the very bumpy road that leads to the life of comfort we all live today. As Byson steps through each room of the home and walks us back though each little detail, you start to see a hope and admiration for modern life that so many, myself very much included, unfortunately overlook.

I can’t recommend this book enough. I read it twice on Audible and I’m moving quickly though the paperback for a third round. Marking up and dog earing countless tidbits along the way. Please do yourself a favor and get this book today.

The Genius of Design

Easy to digest and filled with a good collection of glossy exciting images. Big fonts allowing for an enjoyable and entertaining account of the history of Industrial Design. This is the second history of ID book I’ve taken on and each time I get a little bit more out of the story and this book was no exception.

From the kickoff of the coal powered Industrial revolution to the heyday of the roaring 20’s to the depths of the Second World War and back up and out again to the multicolored land of candy coated plastic everything. The pages turn quick when superstar postmodern showboats like Sottsass, Graves, and Wanders barrel onto the scene trying their best to flip the whole thing on its head. Luckily for everyone, the 80’s finally come to an end and local heroes like Esligner and Jony Ive pull back the curtain and reveal the accoutrements of the brave new world. Like most of the research I’ve done on the topic of Industrial Design history, the story ends with the unfortunate topic of climate change. I’ve been on the hunt for a less depressing theme to the current state of design but sadly, Sparkes doesn’t provide one here. Still a good read and a staple on my recommendation list for years to come I am sure.

Creativity Inc.

At the time of this review, my daughter Bernadette is 4 years old. This means that for about the last 2 years solid, I have watched nothing other than Pixar Movies. I like to think that she thinks, I’m doing this for her, because I’m a good dad and I want her to be happy. But in reality, its because I love literally everything Pixar has ever done, period. I’m like the kind of fan boy that makes an extra few loops around the block when I have to go out to IKEA in Emeryville just to see if I can catch a glimpse of anything cool happening on the campus. I’m a Pixar creeper. I would not be surprised to learn that Pixar security has a photo of me in their kiosk, with the words NO, written in big red letters over it. So naturally when Creativity, Inc came out. I got it right away.

This book is inspiring to me as a designer in a lot of ways I wasn’t expecting. To start, it taps into a very self conscious part of myself that I try to avoid thinking about. Then it makes that nervous, unsure version of me feel ok and reminds me that all creative people feel that way, even the president of the greatest company in the world, Pixar. Creativity, Inc also makes it into my top ten because it’s so focused on the trouble the people of Pixar faced as the company was being formed. As an Industrial Designer, I am laser guided to problems and dedicated toward their discovery and solutions. Creativity, Inc gave me all I could ask for and more. It humanized the company and revealed that the people behind this outfit are the same as me. We are strapped with the idea that we are out of place, impostors in a world of god like creative geniuses. We try and fail over and over to get things right, then when things go south even further, we continue to push for more. This book taught me that when your feeling uncomfortable and out place, your likely on the right path. I learned to look out and look forward to this feeling as it was the sure fire way to know progress was being made.

Beyond the doom and gloom of success and failure I found this book enlightening in how it revealed that creativity is not something only available to “artists” but really anyone. From computer programmers, Gift shop cashiers to an HR manager, creativity is available and can be applied to better the organization.

Much of the book is about how to be a better creative manager. Below are a few notes I found along the way. There are tons more in the book and if you are a design manager of any sort I highly recommend you try the book on for size. As a freelancer, I am my own manager so many of the lessons available landed well in my own practice. Have a read and get in touch if you have found the book to be helpful in your own work.

“You need a great team to fix mediocre ideas”

“Never be convinced your right, its shuts down creative input from the team”

“Never downplay problems, sharing them is an act of inclusion”

Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal

This may be as far as anyone needs to go if you’re headed down the rabbit hole of Climate Change education. As my investigation into the history of design moved forward the connection between Industrial Design and the heating of the planet has become more and more solidified. Therefore this book was an easy choice. For those familiar with Chompsky and Pollin’s efforts over the last 50 years, you won’t be surprised by their flat out unflinching and fully understood portrayal of the detrimental maneuvers human beings have made to bring about such a gloomy forecast as what’s presented here. The book presents a bleak future with the opportunity for people to make the right move described as “shaky at best”. Although, also in typical fashion, Chompsky’s thoroughness and intelligence somehow come across as optimistic. His complete 360 degree understanding of not only the negative prospects of climate change but also the positive and encouraging activities of the younger generation who lead the charge towards a carbon free future are presented in just the right way so that as you close the book it is with hope and optimism for a brighter future in mind.

My goal with these book reviews is always to find inspiration for Industrial Design. It’s hard to say if this book has much to offer in this area although if you look closely there is a new direction for the profession being outlined. I see the opportunity for design in our ability to educate and inform not only the general public but also other designers about their role in aiding and abiding the problem. Many don’t want to hear it. Throughout the duration of this reading I found many colleges and friends unable to understand why I would venture down such a dark topic. I had to remind people that it is not that I have chosen to learn about this topic, I have only been following the history of design and this is where leads as you reach present day and peak over the horizon into what the future holds if we continue doing what we’ve been doing without adjustment. The opinion seems to be that as designers, Climate change is not our problem, but I disagree and that is why picked up this book. When reading through the book one thing becomes undeniably clear, the primary issue holding back real change is people’s mindset. Designers who fail to see their role in shifting and shaping people’s mindset reveal a foundational ignorance of what Industrial Design was built on. Widgets aside, Industrial Design is about understanding how people live and how to shape that experience. To ignore that function of the job is what defines bad design more than anything else.

The good news is that overall designers are optimistic, dedicated, and increasingly aim for a better future. In this book, we see into the future bit and doesn’t look good. Although. as designers do, we see problems as opportunity. Opportunity to design products that communicate a relationship to what we use its effect on the environment. Opportunity to collaborate and convene with a cohort of corporate interests Like Amazon and Jeff Bezos, who after considerable public pressure from both inside and outside the company, set up the 5 billion dollar Earth Fund focused on shifting the negative effects of climate change. It will be challenging for new IDs struggling to get a foothold in the notoriously competitive landscape of design to consider turning away opportunities from the more nefarious corporate characters despite their lucrative salaries and greenwashed appearance. But in this book we learn why this sort of action is nothing less than mandatory if the human race will have any chance of avoiding a complete collapse of our ability to maintain organized society. In this book we learn how turning ourselves towards opportunity like Boyan Slat and The Ocean Cleanup Project have, which aim to undo the damage done after years of global neglect are a better path.

This book inspired me and I’m happy to communicate what I’ve learned from it. I’m eager to move forward in my design career with new direction and inspiration. I’ve found a new focus to advocate for creating a better world through design where the full capability of the human race can continue to grow and learn more. If this seems like something you’re missing in your own design practice, then I would definitely recommend this book find a way into your stack soon.

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

One thing everyone can agree on is that 2020 has been a rough year for the people of planet earth. Covid-19 has taken its toll on all of us in one way or another and finding a bright side is challenging. But if there is one, it must be that for once we have been forced to come together as species to collaborate on a single shared experience.  As dark as its been to have pandemic as the thing to bring us all together it shows that its possible for people work together to make a difference and that is good news! Unfortunately, there are other issues still on the table that need this sort of global collaborative response, global warming taking the prize for the number one slot.

As an industrial designer, my role in global warming has become unavoidably clear recently as I have dug in on the history of the profession. When I made this discovery I knew I needed to understand the problem more in order to shift gears and begin to make a difference. Reading this book is my initial attempt at gaining that new understanding of the issues that have been created since the Industrial Revolution and hopefully a glimpse into some of the issues that need to be addressed. Not surprisingly, Gates does a good job in the book of laying out just that. There is a very clear laymen vibe to this book and that made it easy to digest and eye opening as I am sure it was intended.

I was swayed early on as I was given the New York Times review by 350.org boss and noted climate change activist Bill McKibben. He didn’t have a very good review. I’m not surprised there’s is a clear divide between billionaires and environmentalists. McKibben’s critique makes the claim that Gates skirts the very important aspect politics plays in effecting climate change and he is correct. Gates does seem to only brush up against this topic as opposed to pushing it up to the front of the line in terms of importance. McKibben also states that information Gates presents in the book is quite behind the times. Again I think he is correct here. The book feels like an introductory guide to climate change as opposed to a genius level instruction manual for getting to 0. As a climate newbie myself, I found the book to be very informative. I think this is McKibben’s biggest mistake in his review. Despite his divorce and sordid past it cannot be denied that Bill Gates is an above average intelligent human. Beyond that he is surrounded by and has access to the world’s smartest people as McKibben points out. “Why doesn’t he know more” McKibben whines. But clearly Gates is no dummy. This is not meant to be a genius level instruction manual for getting to zero. This is a public service announcement. It’s a dumbed down refinement of some very complicated topics written to be inspiring, educational, and accessible to the masses. I don’t think an additional 100 pages on politics would fit here. Honestly it could have been a deal breaker. McKibben should understand this and lightened up his review. His misunderstanding of the books aim lead to criticism that almost completely turned me off from the start. Luckily I was able to look past it and give the book a chance.  I learned a lot, and actually found myself more engaged with the topic when I finished. Something I am sure McKibben would be happy to hear.

If you’re like me and you need a beginner’s crash course on a serious issue that affects us all I would highly recommend starting here. If you’re expecting this book to hold the golden ticket to solve the world’s problems, you’ll still have some searching to do once you’re done. As the head of Stanford’s D school Bill Burnett tells us “Start where you are”. No matter where that is climate change is real and I am positive both Gates and McKibben would agree, we are all going to need to get involved immediately.

Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

It seems mandatory that as an industrial designer you must be a dedicated fan of Buckminster Fuller. As someone who had the exceptional opportunity to study under Jay Baldwin, one of his assistants, it seemed to me that I better know more than the average joe. After looking into it, I realized I actually knew very little.

I was also quite inspired by Design for the Real World by Victor Papaneck. He mentioned this book as a go to resource for everything Bucky and more. So I picked up this book as a first step to learning more about the man after realizing that beyond the Geodesic dome, I actually knew very little of Bucky’s work.

Well I was floored on the cadence of this book from the minute I opened it. Bucky is not one to ease into a topic. I would say he goes from 1 to 100 quickly, but actually he skips right over that and starts at 100. Then from 100 to 10,000 in a few sentences and off into space and clears the limits of the known universe over the course a single chapter. Be prepared for a ride. Hold on tight and keep your head down. Bucky moves at light speed and does not slow down for anyone.

The book is a interesting overview of the history of Humans on earth and their typical flawed ways of living along with a expansive declaration of how a myriad of things from our ideas of what true wealth is to an intriguing idea of synergy and global collaboration could be the key to finding a sustainable future for all of mankind.

The Third Industrial Revolution

Nothing has been more influential on the history of human beings on this planet than the Industrial revolution of the 19th century. Besides birthing the profession of “Industrial Designer” the Industrial Revolution remains today, an unparalleled and monumental example of human capability and innovation. From Henry Ford’s ground breaking method of assembly line manufacturing to the chemistry which produced the title wave of bright and cheery plastic everything that washed over the planet during the 1950’s. These key events in human history undeniably shifted the way in which we live on the planet and are very much still in play today.

These revolutions redefined how almost everything on the planet is made and motivated a flood of new cultural ideologies around personal ownership, property, comfort, class and caste. It changed how we eat, how we move, and how we power our lives. Since its inception, the coal and gas powered industrial revolutions fueled new heights of luxury and and ease of living that got literally everyone onboard.

In this book, Jeremy Rifkin brings us to the sobering and mildly terrifying consequences of these unfortunately unchecked actions. Despite the enormity and existentially detrimental nature of his subject matter, Rifkin’s delivery is calm and direct without the forcefulness or aggressive tone of most environmental activists. As an economic theorist and political advisor to some of the world’s highest ranking politicians Rifkin highlights a number countries around the globe who are taking action. He’s keen to what’s hot with the youth and accurately forecasts something many of us over 40 have missed, a laterally distributed internet of things based sharing economy which define the Third Industrial Revolution. Based around 5 pillars of revolution, Rifkin lays out a “guardedly optimistic” roadmap for how to latch onto this up and coming disruptive phenomenon and move society into the future.

As an industrial designer, I feel very much tied to the negative effects of the industrial revolution. The relationship between design, manufacturing, and fossil fuel is undeniable. What I like best about this book is its ability to refocus our attention towards future technologies that allow for real world wide impact. I also enjoy how the tactics for moving forward are never presented in too daunting of a way that it feels impossible but instead Rifkin is optimistic showing how change is already underway, all we need to do it get onboard.

I think that one of the most unique characteristics of industrial designers is our drive to solve problems and make the world a better place. We use innovation and empathy to achieve this and these traits are needed now more than ever. Rifkin’s ideas shine a light on the path towards undoing the missteps of our past and building a better future for everyone living on the planet but the also the planet itself, something every designer around the world would agree is a goal we share.

The Industrial Design Reader

I won’t lie…if you’re not seriously interested in a deep dive into the history of Industrial Design I would do as I did as a mediocre design student and cruise through the assigned chapters of this reading and put it down for a few decades. But, if you can press through the long winded oratory laid out by Eastlake, Morris and John Ruskin to summit the 19th century, you’ll be surprised at the inspiration gained.

You land smoothly in the roaring 20’s where America seriously lucks out with cool cats like Raymond Loewey and Henry Dryfuss setting up the entire foundation of the industrial design profession. Meanwhile Bauhaus luminaries fly in to start showing off while local heroes like Frank Lloyd Wright and “The Raven” aka Le Corbusier battle it out to define literary everything else that isn’t hand held.

Then, in a stunning twist, the depression hits, war breaks out and everyone goes broke. But never fear! Like some sort of miracle, Charles and Ray Eames stumble out of small apartment in LA wearing funny hats and start schooling the whole lot on how bring the whole country back together using steam bent plywood and everyone is happy again. In the end of the book, household names like Dieter Rams and Don Norman chime in to send you home smiling, reminding us that common sense and simplicity remain the best plan in any case. I closed the book eager to keep learning and ready to make the world a better place. A great book!