I've enjoyed this discussion. Jacques, I found myself nodding my head in
agreement as I read your post--I think your question "whose best practice
are we talking about?" hits the nail on the head.
On the other hand, I'm intrigued to hear George's response suggesting that
there are already standards--ISO 9001 and the BS 7000 series--that guide,
or could or should guide, the decision-making processes of design managers.
The question I have is whether most designers (I'm asking here about the
USA) have ever even heard of ISO 9001, or have any idea that it might apply
to them. In large industrial design firms with designated project managers
and compliance officers I'd bet the answer is yes, but I have never heard
anyone at a small graphic design firm, for example, mention creating an
audit trail to comply with ISO 9001. I also doubt most undergraduates in
American design programs could tell you what ISO 9001 is, or how it applies
to them or their profession. But maybe I'm wrong: I'd love to hear from
design faculty who do teach their students about ISO 9001, and/or about
creating an audit trail.
George, I'm also skeptical of the claim that "All designers trained within
the School in which I lecture are fully aware of the consequences of their
design decisions." I doubt that reading Papanek is enough to ensure that.
Can you explain what you mean?
By the way, I did read the NEA report last night, and will try to compose a
post in the next few days that highlights what I thought were some of the
more interesting things about it. I do think it paints a different picture
of the profession of industrial design in the USA than most IDSA
salary/demographic reports do, not least because the NEA draws on an
entirely different set of data (whereas I believe IDSA relies primarily on
self-reported information from its members).
Carma Gorman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Design Division
Department of Art and Art History
The University of Texas at Austin
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