Are Design Manifestos Still Relevant?

All designers have at one point read Dieter Rams’ Ten principles for good design, Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto for Growth, and the Bauhaus Manifesto by Walter Gropius. They are well known manifestos introduced in school, often in correlation to a art/design history course.

In my last year of school, I had to create my own design manifesto and besides the obvious examples listed above, I didn’t have many examples of how I might present my design values to a specific audience or the general public. With this post, there are two main questions I would like to tackle:

  1. Are design manifestos still relevant?

  2. Where are these manifestos?

Are design manifestos still relevant?

Yes, they are! Alexandra Franzen aptly describes a manifesto as, “A written statement where you publicly declare your intentions, opinions and vision.” The authenticity of these personal and emotive manifestos is partly why they are still a popular tool. At this time, particularly for millennials, people want to feel connected to the people or companies they’re interacting with. A manifesto can act as a window into the designer/company’s DNA, allowing for the transparency everyone seeks.

Where are these manifestos?

Manifestos are being created by many different individuals and groups: artists, designers, politicians, corporations, agencies, non-profits, etc.. In response to people's’ desire for more authentic relationships to the brands they associate with, many companies are trading their mission statements for manifestos. The tricky part is, the statements or artefacts aren’t always “called-out” as manifestos. For example, the online retailer Everlane, has a manifesto of three bold statements: Know Your Factories, Know Your Costs, Always Ask Why. A manifesto hidden in plain sight? The beloved Lululemon shopping bags.

There are still plenty of manifestos labeled as manifestos. If you know where to look, they are wonderful sources of inspiration, particularly on those days when you need that extra creative boost. Below is a list of articles filled with lists of wonderful manifestos. Binge on them now, or savor one manifesto a day… It’s up to you!

Books as manifestos

Lindsay Schultz
Researcher at CHOi Design Inc.

----

Click here to connect with us regarding your next design program!
 

 

Inclusive Design

The inclusive design philosophy is important because the intention is not to have many different product variations as a result of user disabilities, or lack thereof. Rather, the objective is to gain a knowledge of user diversity and to design products that respond to as many of their difficulties as appropriate.

The British Standards Institute (2005) defines inclusive design as: 'The design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to, and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible ... without the need for special adaptation or specialised design.' This definition is important because it supports the fact that inclusive design is NOT designing for disabilities. As discussed in Human Factors in Product Design: Current Practice and Future Trends, the inclusive design approach can eliminate some of the social stigma associated with products used by the disabled. If you are looking to learn more about designing for disabilities, I highly recommend reading Graham Pullin’s book, Design Meets Disability.

OXO Good Grips is a great example of products designed for inclusivity. Sam Farber, the founder of OXO, began his journey of changing the kitchen utensil market after observing his wife struggle with kitchen tools due to her arthritis. The gold standard for inclusive design that the OXO Good Grip brand represents is that each design brings additional value to all parties; the tool heightens comfort for everyone while simultaneously alleviating the difficulties from users with limited dexterity. These products are not designed for a specific disability; the design is a reflection of a diverse range of users with many different abilities from which a solution can positively improve the experience for all.

A quick thing to note is that on the OXO website, their design philosophy is referred to as universal design. While often used synonymously, the inclusive design research centre at OCAD University has identified the similarities and distinctions between Inclusive and Universal Design methods. They summarized the two similar factors of these design methods so well, it is worth repeating…

The common notions between universal and inclusive design are:

  1. Designing systems so they work for people with disabilities results in systems that work better for everyone.
  2. Segregated, specialized design is not sustainable and does not serve the individual or society in the long run.

Want to learn more about inclusive design? I would recommend looking through two different design toolkits that include an in-depth look at the design principles and processes of inclusive design:

  1. Inclusive: A Microsoft design toolkit

  2. Inclusive Design Toolkit, developed by the inclusive design team at the University of Cambridge Engineering Design Centre
     

Sources:
1. Green, William, and Patrick W. Jordan. Human Factors in Product Design Current Practice and Future Trends. Illustrated, Reprint ed.: CRC, 1999. Print.
2. "What Is Inclusive Design." Inclusive Design Research Centre. OCAD University, Web. <http://idrc.ocadu.ca/about-the-idrc/49-resources/online-resources/articles-and-papers/443-whatisinclusivedesign>.


Want to learn more about working with CHOi Design on your next program? See our work samples or connect with us.

 

Happy New Year!

CHOi Design 2018 New Year

Our team at CHOi Design is excited to welcome 2018! The New Years is a great time for reflection and setting both personal and company goals. We are looking forward to further dedicating ourselves to finding the time for critical thinking, and continuing to provide engaging, positive experiences for our clients.

If you are looking to partner with a talented, energetic design team, give us a call! CHOi Design can help you reach your own 2018 goals with amazing product designs across the consumer, medical and commercial industries.

A special thank you to all of the wonderful clients we have worked with this past year. We can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together in 2018!

What Designers can learn from the OODA Loop

Our team at CHOi Design found the topic of conversation at the last IxDA Chicago meetup to be very interesting and we wanted to share it with our followers! The topic, A Designer’s Guide to Thinking like a Fighter Pilot, was researched and presented by Daniel Orbach, a designer at Mckinsey & Company.

Just as Daniel began in his presentation, I will mention now that I am not a fighter pilot nor do I know how to fly any type of plane. The talk was the result of Daniel’s interest in fighter pilots and his observations of the parallels between a fighter pilot’s and a designer’s processes.

So why should a designer be interested in the thought process of a fighter pilot? Well, we have many common themes to our work, including frequently working with incomplete information and using structured thinking to solve problems. The key difference between our professions, as it pertains to this topic, is the fact that fighter pilots have to think about problem solving in seconds… SECONDS!

The evolution of fighter pilot strategy is owed to the genius of John Boyd (Top Gun, anyone?). A United States Air Force Colonel and military strategist, John Boyd is known as the “Fighter Pilot who changed the Art of War”. In the 1950’s, Boyd developed the O.O.D.A. loop, a model for explaining how we go through the process of reacting to stimulus, or our human reaction time. Becoming skilled at using the OODA loop allows for efficient internal analysis and synthesis, which was instrumental for Boyd to gain the advantage against his opponents. Daniel highlighted the likeness of the OODA loop to the design process; besides the time of the cycles, they are strikingly similar.

OODA Loop and Design Process

The likeness between the 2 processes above shows that there is always time for structured thinking. Our team is always working to bring thoughtful, innovative attention to each phase of the design process, while also providing our clients with the best experience. Thinking about the OODA loop has inspired us to seek more opportunities for strategic thinking and to incorporate rapid iterative loops earlier in our design process.

If you want to learn more about the product design process, give us a call! We would love to talk with you!

Lindsay Schultz
Researcher at CHOi Design Inc.
12/21/17

Our Holiday Gift Guide

It's finally feeling like winter and the excitement of the holidays is in full swing! Many of us are still hunting for the best gifts for our friends and family; but let's face it, we are also looking for presents for ourselves! At CHOi Design, we aren't lacking gift ideas that call to our inner design nerdiness. Take a look at the products we would love to see under the Christmas tree this year!