Glen,
I do not beilieve that the demand for designers located in the west will shrink as quickly as you suggest.
It will take Chinese designers longer than 2 years to understand Western culture as it did for the Japanese before they can design products which will sell in western markets.
I think that designers eventually follow manufacturing geographically and manufacturing is unlikely to totally disappear from the west. Good design is coming out of Taiwan, Singapore and a number of other Asian locations with mature manufacturing industry.Large objects which are expensive to transport such as cars white goods and furniture will continue to be manufactured in the west. Many Asian Manufactureres have US studios. Industry in Japan and Korea have actually led to a grater demand for designers in the US. We are training a lot of Asian Students at CCS. Car factories in the US are being geared towards far greater flexibility. At a conference in Michigan last week of 1500 auto execs Nissan indicted that their newest factories are being geared to simultaneously manufacturing six models with far shorter lifecycles. These more flexible factories may lead to a greater demand for design and for designers who understand global and regional cultural differences.
______________________________
R o b C u r e d a l e
Chair Product Design
College for Creative Studies Detroit
201 East Kirby
Detroit MI 48202-4034
Phone: 313 664 7625
Fax: 313 664 7620
email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.ccscad.edu
______________________________
>>> <[log in to unmask]> 07/28/03 09:25AM >>>
Ken,
Sorry,
have been travelling (a lot) and sent my too strong a message after
reading the list. Please could you forward your replies as they for some
reason didn't get through - probably were deleted with a lot of junk email.
Design chasm had evolved into the same old stance - and it ignited the
original 'turf' passion again - and that's what engendered the weak retort
about leaving design to the professionals.
On top of this - two recent trips to top design agencies - and
conversations with professional designers (European) have me convinced
design as a profession in the west - is about to go down the tubes.
Why?
1. Chinese have come a very long way in design - almost self sufficient -
will be in two years, (this view was repeated).
2. Design in this environment is total commodity. Like tooling, injection
molding and assembly it will move offshore.
3. We are training designers for a workplace that will probably shrink by
90% in 2-5 years.
4. What do we do?
When I use the phrase commercial artists - I mean maybe we (as designers)
should look more to self expression as a way forward.
If we make beautiful artefacts, interfaces and objects - that hopefully
appeal - maybe there is life in design.
We are returning to an arts and crafts mode whether we like it or not.
Glenn Johnson
Industrial Design Manager
Industrial Design Studio, B/E Aerospace Inc.
1455 Fairchild Rd. Winston-Salem NC 27105-4588 USA
Tel. (1) 336 744 3143 Fax. (1) 336 744 3207
B/E Industrial Design Studio
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