Cult of Materialism
The question of responsibility for a designer is a complex issue shrouded in a tangle of moral and objective beliefs. At the heart of this question is consumerism and materialism. Two linked areas of our society that many would argue demands reflection and reform.
Whilst I would not describe consumerism or materialism with grotesque face many activists paint them with, I do still believe that if left unattended and ignored, then the cancerous qualities of materialism will damage our society and our planet beyond the point of restoration.
Moral ambiguity is a topic that stretches into everyone’s working lives, choosing to be part of a workplace or business that aligns itself with different stances on issues to that of your own is a question of morality even if it is easy to quietly disassociate yourself from that in sight of your salary. For designers, this is a little more difficult. As a designer, your name is attached to every piece you create, making it hard to hide behind a corporate identity.
Whilst not directly linked to materialism, the bus featured above is a prime example of morality in design. This simple bus graphic was proven to mislead Brexit voters in the 2016 referendum. The statement was identified to be a false claim and as such was branded manipulative and malicious by the public who felt as though they had been cheated with a ‘leave’ vote.
A public common misconception is that designers have the choice to feed the consumerist machine or to attack and protest it. Design can do more than that, design can marry the accessibility of a consumerist culture with a planet friendly solution to an everyday issue, such as a waste recycling system which is ever more important as the rate of which we consume climbs year on year.
I believe that design has the power to re-brand consumerism into a positive culture. The pressure to counter act and change how people perceive consumption has been applied through recent decades through the types of products we have on offer and the artwork that features in our galleries.
One of the more famous examples of this is Barbara Kruger’s “I shop therefore I am”, this graphic piece featuring oblique Futura challenges the viewer to rethink consumerism and the values people may hold regarding them by referencing the famous “I think therefore I am” philosophical proposition.
With art aside and looking towards products, designers are working towards a sustainable future by developing products that help make materials like plastic redundant in our everyday lives.
With a fully recyclable packaging and biodegradable product, Eco straws is a shining example of conscious design done right. These straws are made from 100 percent bamboo, sourced from forests in China that Pandas do not inhabit, therefore these straws are of no harm to any ecosystem. With longevity and repeat use in mind, the straws can be easily cleaned by hand or even in a dishwasher and given their wooden core, can be tossed in compost waste when they reach the end of their life cycle.
