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.)