Industrial Design and Crime

In recent years here in Australia the state government has funded a research centre at the University of Technology Sydney called ‘Designing Out Crime’ that focuses on solving social problems similar to what you describe. Its run by people with industrial design / research based backgrounds with many of the projects already manufactured and implemented.

Here’s the website for more info (http://www.designingoutcrime.com/).

A good example of a completed industrial design project done by Designing Out Crime are the bins installed across Sydney railway stations.
Designing Out Crime — Design Innovation Research Centre & Designing Out Crime — Design Innovation Research Centre

Wow thank you so much! I have so many links to look at! :laughing:

Maybe I’m going to a phase. I feel like everyone has their own experiences in life so thats what makes people so unique on what they want to achieve in their lives.

Thank you Lmo, Im hoping to read this soon and reading more about Victor Papanek. And my old professor also told me something very similar. He said to build my experience and reputation as a designer in order to work for projects against violence and poverty.

Yo, that is very true, and that is the reality of it. Thank you for the article.

Im really interesting in reading further more about Harlem’s Children’s Zone. Because I also have my own beliefs on how to fix the education system in the south side of Chicago. It has been a big deal here lately with many teachers were protesting in the beginning of the school year.

Thank you for the links dodano. Design Out Crime is a really cool group. Im really loving what they do!


And thanks for everyone being so supportive to a fellow designer.

My strategy is to have clients that are using design not only to keep profits coming, but to bring better products to the world also. But I define “better product to the world” as new technologies or any honest innovation as well as social explicit woks.

I like a lot Fuseproject’s portfolio: good aesthetic work with social meaning or technological breakthrough. To me one of those 3 aspects have to exist: Innovative, Technological or Social. Because, as happened to you, I soon realize that the briefs more often than not don’t evolved real innovation. A lot of design work fits exactly where the client doesn’t want to make bigger product changes, so he uses design to enhance the impression of change. So its profit for profit sake, witch for me doesn’t work. To aim at those 3 aspects doesn’t mean that aesthetic is to be neglected, on the contrary, aesthetic is the glue: present in all jobs, and the big responsible for make things work.

Right now I´ve been working in a Medical Device and in structural components for roofing. I feel very good doing this. BUT I am not earning enough money yet! So I really don’t know if this is going to work. I still accept any kind of product design briefing and try to gain loyalty from the clients I like.

I always take the viewpoint that all of these projects will be done with or without me. Therefore, the best thing that I can do is be at the table and fight for the best design possible. Every job I left has proven that theory to be true.

Plus, I’ll remind you of something that I’ve seen Yo! post quite a few times: “Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.” (or something like that). Whenever I get frustrated with where I’m at, I just think of that phrase and the progress I’ve made so far. Today, we may not be in a position to run the projects the way they should be, but keep learning and you’ll be ready when you get the chance.

Because of some of the other topics on here recently, I’ve been thinking back on my career so far. If a punk Mr-914 had landed a design director position after 2-3 years experience, I would have been awful. I wasn’t detail oriented enough and that’s where most of the difference lies.

Don’t loose heart!

I should reread this book again. But, I’ll tell you…I have always been the one that sits on the side of the fence that found Papenek to be nothing but a pretentious asshole. My memory of his book is that he is writing about a Utopia that is not feasible in our world and he did it in such a condescending way that he shaped my belief in design…but in quite the opposite manner than I think he was trying to.

We’re INDUSTRIAL Designers. Fundamentally, we’re designers of things to be mass produced. To be consumed. Papenek’s book is for artisens and Libertarians who are looking to live in the woods and shun civilization.

Now, the fact that we’re designing things to be mass produced doesn’t preclude us from considering things for sustainability, recyclability, etc. But the premise that cell phones should be made out of hemp and that’s what is going to make the world a better place has always made me bristle.

(Full Disclosure: I am also a Purdue Graduate…albeit a few years after LEW…and had Papenek jammed down my throat for my tenure there.)

That’s always been roughly my take on it as well Jon.

A lot of designers love it though. Whatever works for you I suppose. I just found it to be a little too much talk.

Jon: In his defense, I remember Papenek saying that designers should take 1 year every 5 to do pro bono work to help people. I don’t think he was too far out of touch. My only problem with it would be where do I find this pro bono work?

Really? That’s not out of touch?

1 year out of every five to do “free” work.

It’s good for the soul, etc. But it isn’t realistic.

I understand his message…trust me, I struggle with this every day and I am even actively trying to do something that I believe can change the world (www.kijanitechnology.com). But, c’mon. 1 out of every 5 years?

Besides, why does it have to be pro bono? Design has the capacity to create jobs. It has the ability to develop new industries. It can teach and inspire. This can all be done AND put food on the table.

I would say it is optimistic, not out of touch. If I planned it, I don’t think I’d have trouble taking a year off every five.

As for the ‘pro bono’ aspect, it has to be if we make the assumptions that Papenek did. His assumptions were that the kind of designs that would really elevate people’s standard of living in the developing world are never going to be done because the people in need don’t have the money to pay for it. Furthermore, he assumed that these people in need were lacking design in order to truly solve their problems. Looking back, I would say he’s right on the first part and wrong on the second. However, I’m sure I would have fully agreed with him in 1971.

Lastly, he was an advocate for a certain kind of change. As such, he overstated things. That’s what advocates do.

From everything else that I’ve read and seen he seemed like a very creative designer and someone who got a lot of difficult projects done. That’s what makes me pay attention.

Nice piece of positive design work.

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/12/a-tumbleweed-like-toy-detonates-mines-in-afghanistan/266113/

very cool.

saw this on Boing Boing this morning, fits into the Papanek theme:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/53588182[/vimeo]

Cool little product.

Poverty, gangs and crime are cultural problems.
Their root causes are much deeper than design can handle.

There is really no solution to this, specially not a morally or politically correct one.

Design can improve on sustainability, cost efectiveness etc. But this all has to come gradually step by step while still increasing profits and making the clients happy.

I am a firm believer that design methodology can be applied to create solutions to complex problems, including those outside of producing a product.

I certainly think it is a superior methodology to the scientific method as it isn’t necessary to test one variable at a time that is the heart of the scientific method. It is extremely difficult to quantify complex problems/issues as stated in the OP. A design approach or a qualitative approach can look at the problem as a whole and is more likely, I think, to succeed with potential solutions.

Well put and absolutely correct.

The older I get, the more and more I find that the design process can be applied to nearly any problem that exists in the world, whether simple or complex. Sometimes I find myself over-thinking extremely trivial matters around the house, drives my girlfriend nuts. Occasionally she appreciates it though. Pick your battles I suppose, haha!

A professor of mine at SCAD told us a story from a previous ID position she held. For whatever reason, she had about 3 months of no real ID work to do. Perhaps something to do with their manufacturing schedules, budget for new products, etc. So she was just earning a salary, sitting at her desk, being told to not actively develop new products at the time. Every day she drove into work, she and all the other employees would have to deal with this horrendously designed parking lot. Fender benders were a common occurrence. Water cooler discussions were always about “that damn parking lot”. Just poorly designed, so I’m told. She spent the next several weeks designing and perfecting the parking lot layout. Ultimately everyone loved it. Just an example.

Here’s a design solution for the gang violence:
backwardsgun.jpg
If you feel insecure about design now, just wait til you visit a Chinese factory! :smiley:

There is life after design. I felt the same way about designing mass produced landfill, so I wound up quitting my job and returning to the family bicycle business. I could not be happier, and the cool thing is all my experience with graphic, interior and industrial design has helped immensely when it comes to running the store and building a brand. I still do a lot of design work, developing our website, t-shirts and other marketing materials. I’ve designed and built custom bike stands, re-designed the sales floor and I’m constantly evaluating and improving our store’s look and efficiency. I’m even producing a television commercial!

I know it isn’t exactly solving the world’s problems, but I feel much better selling people health and fitness instead of nick nacks and other crap. So keep in mind the skills you have developed can be used for more than just mass production.