8749 Design

Design:

   I'm going to "play" with this idea and take an alternative position (as speculation).  Design... is motivated by manipulation...(of course it is!!! but by corporations wanting our attention to get us to think in ways which make us want to give them our money) therefore, does that mean its about control?  (well, actually... yes) Are our perceptions at risk of being shaped by the ideas of designers? (well, actually, yes again, but I don't mean it to sound as evil as I might be implying)
   If we look at the example of the ballot issue in Florida, absolutely... BAD design. Bad on purpose?  (No, Im not a conspiracy theroist, but I do ask a lot of what ifs...) Who knows, but something to consider. Design determines all sorts of things.
   Environments for instance.  Pink makes references to  schools and low incoming housing.  Design affects how a person encounters an experience.  Go to school in a  building with no windows, and based on cultural (conscious or not) associations, students and teachers alike may feel imprisoned.  Is this a nurturing learning environment ? Design influences feeling, interaction and response. Designers influence our sense of wealth and social class, how we look, how we may think about ourselves....
   Other examples again come to the idea that design gives the market the competitive edge.  Money, greed, acquiring stuff... abundance.....Where is happiness really stressed?    Where is authentic living addressed.
   Now granted, I am addressing design from a more global, or at least national perspective , rather than the individual who is making aesthetic decisions for their home (although... yes, even that is likely influenced by larger design manipulations  considerations... ;)  There are natural elements of design which have evolved from cultural ideals and traditions.
    The point is, design permeates our world.  We need to be aware of it and take ownership for what we see and how we respond.  We need to appreciate well crafted design, design created to improve quality of life, enhancement and so on.  For as much visual manipulation that there is, there are the deeper designs which transform how we live for the better, (solar power and so forth).