I have created this blog in response to a requirement for a class that is titled Social Design and Entrepreneurship, or as my professor refers to it "Design Like You Give a Damn".
In high school I was extremely into art, in fact I toyed with the idea of majoring in it, but during one of my first semesters at college I took an Intro to Cultural Anthropology class and decided that it was a far better fit.
I am now in the fall semester of my senior year of college, and for the first time since freshman year of college I am revisiting the creative.
Our first assignment in the class is to make a list of the ten social issues that are most important to us.
This turned out to be far more difficult than I had planned.
Do I pay attention to global issues? Or issues facing the US? Do I pay attention to widespread issues, or more focused topics?
This is the list I came up with, but ask me tomorrow and it may have changed.
1)The number of and conditions in which orphans live all over the globe
2) Coal/ Mountain top removal/ Energy consumption
3)Lack of access/uneven access to clean drinking water
4)Food/Land sovereignty: Displacement/Destruction via Corp.
5)Hyper Urbanization caused by displacement, and resulting in an array of issues
6)Corporate Culture: Neoliberalism, Privatization, Cost/Benefit analysis
7)Time/Space compression Theory = Uneven access
8) "American Dream" = Entitlement, Greed, Over Consumption
9)Lack of Awareness = Western lifestyle, Western Media, blind to reality
10)Stigmatization of Poverty= poor are current day lepers in society
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Social Design: What it is & Why it matters
Social design can be defined as a movement to create socially responsible products that in some way improve life or adapt existing habits for the better.
By creating awareness about social issues, or products that can be used to solve social issues, the creative community is stepping into a new realm of activism and awareness.
Good designers possess certain skill sets that allow them to be extremely useful in addressing social issues.
Designers:
-Think outside of the box, allowing for new solutions to old problems
-Incorporate context, assuring thorough examination of the problem being addressed
-Have Passion, creating an attachment to the issue they are working with
-Work as a team and be self-aware, which provides a stronger front when tackling social issues
Resources:
http://www.socialdesignsite.com/
http://www.design21sdn.com/design21/about
http://www.good.is/post/can-schools-teach-designers-how-to-solve-the-world-s-problems/
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ken-musgrave/thinkdesign/beyond-design-10-skills-designers-need-succeed-now
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb402959.aspx
By creating awareness about social issues, or products that can be used to solve social issues, the creative community is stepping into a new realm of activism and awareness.
Good designers possess certain skill sets that allow them to be extremely useful in addressing social issues.
Designers:
-Think outside of the box, allowing for new solutions to old problems
-Incorporate context, assuring thorough examination of the problem being addressed
-Have Passion, creating an attachment to the issue they are working with
-Work as a team and be self-aware, which provides a stronger front when tackling social issues
Resources:
http://www.socialdesignsite.com/
http://www.design21sdn.com/design21/about
http://www.good.is/post/can-schools-teach-designers-how-to-solve-the-world-s-problems/
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ken-musgrave/thinkdesign/beyond-design-10-skills-designers-need-succeed-now
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb402959.aspx
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