Dear Professor Sless,
It is good to know one's professional roots, but also how this will evolve. We debate the future as well as the past. The evolution of User Experience design does not fit with an artisan model, nor the current role of the majority of Industrial or product designers, who have an expert knowledge of manufacture in their product field, but don't physically make things.
It could also be argued that the modern concept and profession of industrial design originated not from makers, but the illustrators in the 19th Century mail order catalogues who modified illustrations of products based on customer preferences, which then altered the physical products made by the factory and manufacturing business.
The term Industrial design has been attributed to Joseph Claude Sinel (NZ) from 1919, but it is likely to have been used in the late 1800’s.
I'm unsure what the reference to tinkers and disease has to do with the discussion of the definition and role of a designer, but it doesn't sound a very positive contribution to the debate.
Best wishes
George
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of David Sless
Sent: 20 March 2021 03:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Designers
Ken, Don, and all,
My own view on this probably well known, but just to reiterate, for the record: I think Designers are first and foremost part of a CRAFT tradition. Whatever else some aspire to make it become, its roots and practices remain within craft. Don’s remarks on Miller’s magical number reaffirm that.
Like all good crafts, we draw on other fields, but at heart we are makers of new things whether material or conceptual.
Our closest cousins are tinkers who move from village to village mending the pots and pans. So, as we move from one village to the next we need to always remember that we unknowingly carry on our boots the diseases and pestilences we picked up in the last village we visited.
Please take all of this as literally or a metaphorically as you like.
David
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