Once upon a time, a king ruled over the most beautiful kingdom in which good
design and aesthetic beauty was valued most extremely. Designers were
regarded as of the highest status amongst all professionals and were proud
they could insist that only trained designers were allowed to design
anything. The city was wonderfully planned and every item was a joy to
behold and use in their eyes.

 

In this realm of beauty in which everything is by law professionally
designed to the highest standards, a young homeless single mother created a
shanty hovel for herself and her children in a hidden space in the gaps
between two buildings. With the kindness of neighbors, and applying her
intelligence and hard work, she created a comfortable and wholesome, though
rudimentary, environment for her little family, in spite of having no easy
means of earning a living.

 

Eventually, her illegal home was discovered. She was arrested and dragged to
the King by the leaders of the designers. Her crime of designing her own
house and belongings was so severe: the only punishment was death.

 

'The electric chair' suggested one designer.

'Hung in the central square' proposed a second designer.

'Put photos of her corpse round town' said a third

'She is ruining the HISTORY of our beautifully designed city' yelled someone
from the back of the group. 

 

'Perhaps offering her a way to fulfill her potential, earn sufficient money
and take care of her children would enable her live within the laws of our
King' offered a designer from the sidelines.

 

At that point a stranger entered. Your majesty' she said, ' Everyone opines
in accord with their permanent hidden prejudices'. 

 

'The first suggestion was from an electrical product designer. For him every
solution  is an electrical solution, the second designer is a public
relations and advertising designer. The third is a graphic designer. The
fourth is a design historian. Each of them sees the solution only in terms
of their hidden  prejudices. '

'The fifth designer has made a study of the design of policy and
organisational design and therefore can see to the root of the matter. His
design for a solution to the woman's situation is based on deeper insights'.

 

The king reflected carefully and then pronounced that the young homeless
mother be employed as the new Chair of Domain-Free Design - in light of her
skills in designing across so many of the design professions and different
domains in creating a home for her family.

 

The designer who had studied policy and organisational design was awarded
the post of the king's personal adviser.

 

And the stranger? The story of that life can be found elsewhere. As can the
changes to the lives of the other designers. 

 

The subsequent changes to the city can be seen through the increasing
numbers of new openings in the city walls.

 

Best wishes,

Terry

 

 

(Based very loosely (!) on a story about Bakhtiar Baba from Korasan reported
in Shah, I (1973) 'Tales of the Dervishes' Frogmore: Panther pp 195-197. The
original has different meanings.