Designing Pornotopia

Pornotopia hammered home the message that we as designers need to not only change the way we design and produce but also change the way we think about our impact and ourselves. As designers we often undermine our values in communities and our voices in our works. Too often the “consumerist status quo pumps out vast, overwhelming, massively resourced” product creating the mentality within the design community that “design is the end goal”, not the prompt for something more and inspiration for change. Today we are bombarded by ads, logos, and design that seems meaningless, but we can see examples of how design can make an impact. Just look at the Nike logo design or apple. Though those companies create mass amounts of product and consumerism, their logos are known world wide. People forget that those logos were designed they didn’t just appear. But anyone who is wearing the brand or sees a product instantly recognizes who the company is and what they stand for.

What needs to change first is the mindset of designers, we need to change they way we think in order to change how we design. “The first set for the cirizen-designer,” says Sheri Koetting,”is to develop an understanding  of the changes underway in the world and for the many cultural values and traditions that give worth to human life.” She is right that we as designers need to realize the values and different perspectives life and cultures have to offer and seize them as opprotunities to develop our own political stances and voices within communities through design. The article talks about the need for designers to no longer fear politics and criticism when developing our own work and stances, that designers need to speak to their passions and not be afraid of a voice. In order for designers to spark change we must change ourselves and be willing to go against the grain. “Desin is simply a tool to help us connect to our communities and make a difference.” This tells us as designers that designing need to no longer be seen as a prop or end result, but a means to spark something in a community, to reach out and connect to society. It is sad that more often than not space that can be used to send a message or stance is taken up by consumerism ad and eventually garbage. These pieces of ad design should be replaced with messages and inspiration. Design has a greater impact in the world than we as designers realize. It is time we recognize our power to see things differently and problem solve, and be the change in the world we wish to see.