6. Corruption and Design

With design it is very easy to forget that although many great and good things have been done with it there is also lots of bad things, especially when looking into corruption. It is hard to find many big brands that have not had some kind of controversial or corrupt past and as a designer I think that it’s important to remember that a design can have a negative impact on the world. Many people continue to support brands that have bad effects on the world and our society such as cosmetic brands like MAC and NARS that test on animals, yet these brands and many more still make millions through peopl purchasing.

One of the most notable ‘design for bad’ situations in history is when Hugo Boss design the SS Nazi uniforms. The uniforms were made in slave like conditions for the labourers and Boss was said to have not only taken the contract to increase his sales but also because he strongly agreed with the values of the Nazi party. After the release of these uniforms his sales went up and people still continue to purchase his products even today.

This is an example of consumers not being aware of brands they support, I think its both our jobs as designers and consumers to make sure we don’t give these corrupt brands an even bigger platform by purchasing.