The ANTIDESIGN

Since the term "design" is one of the many English words that has no true and agreed upon meaning, the topic of "design in society" is an intensely broad one. In our world, we can witness design in several ways that are immediately recognizable; things like architecture, fashion, websites, jewelry, and other objects we use in our lives and consider to be of artistic or creative value. There is also the less recognizable design, the objects that aren't considered of any large scale artistic value, but are designed to make life easier.

For my sake, I am limiting design to what I'd consider to be successes in society. This doesn't necessarily mean only objects and designs that have been recognized by society to be of merit, but also designs that I personally recognize as having potential to add value to our world.


If design was a cupcake, art would be the frosting. Art in itself is something difficult to define as well, but there is no disputing that art and design overlap in a major way. To me, design also seems to envelope a large mass of things that are not considered art. For some people, the terms 'design' and 'art' are entirely interchangeable, but for the sake of getting a closer hold on the meaning of design, I am limiting art to aesthetics, where i find design to be rooted much more in reality, in that it can be found in things that cannot be seen.

Sometimes the definitions aren't important. Most of us can tell when something is or is NOT design related, but I might argue that everything has the potential to be used in design. To me, design (loosely) is the process of taking from x to idealize y. In terms of design in society, this relates to almost everything that we do, regardless of the field. Creation is part of humanity, and to create we first have to imagine it into existence. That is where I see design, right in between seeing something new and having created something new.