Nussbaum, "Designers Suck"

Design Discussions general design discussion
1

Have you seen Nussbaum’s latest?

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2007/03/are_designers_t.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_nussbaumondesign

What do you think?

2

There is a lot of truth there, but I don’t like his generalizations about designers. Even less when he is provoking to promote his site and magazine…

3

He’s right on.

This is the “third era” speech again, and NextD says it best: http://www.nextd.org/

I sent this article to my staff and to my boss, because it reinforces our message about adopting FORMATIVE and PARTICIPATORY methods in design. The era of “waving the magic wand” back at the design studio is over!

4

makes me think that i’ve finally arrived.

5

Its interesting. I would like to understand what rings so true about what he says? I read it and here’s what I take away:

  1. irritation from the self promo aspect of this (as cuototo aluded to)
  2. Talking out of both sides of his mouth - How can “Designers Suck” when he seems to be promoting the idea that everyone are designers. Taking a Fisking tack on this…if what he is saying is true, then everyone sucks.
  3. Who, exactly, is lashing back at design? Anyplace I have encountered the “designers are arrogant” issue suffers significantly from having no interest in having Design “integrate” into the process. More specifically, I see Management wanting to control Design and squashing the collaborative nature of design. Old School Top Down Mangement style that believes in the Golden Rule method of decision making. There is nothing collaborative about it. I read the backlash as sour grapes, not constructive “conversation”.
  4. Design, more specifically Industrial Design, MUST be a collaborative process. IDers absolutely must integrate from multiple disciplines.
  5. The term “conversation”, or “community” in context for design has officially jumped the shark…right along with Web 2.0

I am sure that’s enough for now.