Dear Yoad, Terence, Gunnar, Ken,


First of all thank you for your input, highly valuable for me, as it is, I'm sure, for many silent voices in the list,


The research you mention and the findings of hundreds of design categories it only adds to my argument.

In my previous post (31st August) I tried to make a point about the broad meaning of design (under Simon's definition) and that the differences lie in the sub-level categories of professions and their specific knowledge and skills, besides the type of problem defined, etc. (Schön arguments). When describing design, Papanek (1985) makes an analogy with electricity, is not necessary to be defined, but described as a function, and its values expressed in terms of relations; in the case of design, he states this relations to be: human ability and human needs, designer`s skills the former, the problem defined the latter.

It seemed an interesting opportunity to me sharing this with the others because in the conversations, it appeared to me that some of the colleagues are not aware or simply too closed to broaden their mind upon the issue, or at least that is what I perceived.

It shocked me too because it is the first contest I see with some many categories and seemingly unrelated themes (but I acknowledge that I don't care that much for design contest and don't follow them at all, specially before being part of one of them). 

The knowledge that can be found in scientific journals is normally not very close to the general design community of practitioners; the rhythm of life and business hardly allows them to follow such deep and complex issues, I clarify before any controversy: the only evidence I have for this, at the moment, is my 18 years of professional practice in Industrial and Transportation design in five different countries; if some one could share more information I would be more than grateful. I just wonder how sensible we are to the emergence of this type of phenomena in design practitioners and even more interesting, the causes of it. Here is where Thackara's (2005) quotation entered in my previous post: "we are waiting for our spirits to catch up with our bodies"; as he says, is not the speed that should worry us, is the acceleration.

Lastly, dear Yoad, about the politics of the fee per category, please don't think I'm that naive, in my post I might had been not clear enough, but I referred to the ethics behind the contest (if any), precisely thinking on that. What they offer and what the participant really gets, and the exploitation of the designer's desire to stand out from the crowd.


Please receive all my best regards,


Victor G. Martinez

Post Graduate Researcher
Centre for Design Research
Department of Design
Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences
Northumbria University

www.trophec.com
www.vgmtheory.com


Please think if your really need to print this email

________________________________________

Schön, D. A. 1983, The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. Basic Books Inc. USA.

Simon, H. A. 1996, The science of the artificial. MIT press, Cambridge, MA.

Papanek, V. 1985, Design for the real world, human ecology and social change. Academy Chicago Publishers. USA.

Thackara, J. 2005, In the bubble: designing in a complex world. MIT press, Cambridge, MA.

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