On several occasions, craft has been has been relegated to a secondary position in the public debate, according to the director of Danish Crafts, Birgitte Jahn, who holds this month's baton in our ongoing debate about the expanded concept of design. Nevertheless, she predicts that designers' mastery of their material will be even stronger in five years' time if the current trend continues. A thorough mastery of a practical discipline enables one to challenge the material as well as other disciplines.

By Hans Emborg Bünemann

What is your view of the expanded concept of design? What does it mean to you?
I guess the expanded concept of design expresses the need for more strategic and process-oriented thinking, and that it is oriented toward immaterial design. The introduction of the concept reflects a desire to expand the design discipline to include other solutions than the traditional approaches and to take on the major challenges of today, such as environmental and social aspects.  
 

Birgitte Jahn is the director of Danish Crafts, information centre of Danish crafts and design Photo: Dorte Krogh

As I see it, the point with introducing the new expanded concept of design was to establish a new mindset that gives the designers new and expanded opportunities in the workplace. Where design solutions previously sprang from the individual national cultures, we now see a growing need to adapt solutions to a world characterised by cultural encounters.

However, the conceptualisation of this expanded design concept also means an unfortunate shift in the focus of the educational institutions. Obviously, something has to give when a more theoretical approach gets a higher priority in a curriculum. With the unemployment rates among designers in mind, there has been a choice – a short-sighted one, I think – to emphasise what appears to be in demand in the private sector. In the longer term, I think that decision-makers will regret de-emphasising the artistic aspects of design.

What is the consequence of the expanded concept of design for the way in which we think and talk about design?
In the world of craft, which is where I belong, we are currently seeing an elimination of the disciplinary boundaries between art, craft and design. But the strong core competency is still maintained as the basis for this form of interdisciplinary approach. A thorough mastery of a practical discipline enables one to challenge the material as well as other disciplines. Here I see a parallel to the expanded concept of design, which also characterises the interdisciplinary approach. I see a risk of giving students an inadequate grasp of the core competencies while aiming primarily at teaching them to use support disciplines. We should aim for a meeting of core disciplinary competencies – whether they are of a material or a theoretical nature – and that can only happen if they continue to exist and grow.

As I said earlier, a discourse has been established in recent years that turns away from the classic design discipline and toward, for example, immaterial process design. Consequently, for a while classic design has been relegated to a secondary position. On several occasions, craft has been labelled the reactionary element of design. I believe, however, that the free, artistic, explorative, experimental approach that characterises craft is gaining ground again. I see many indications that point in this direction. I believe that the negative effect that the expanded concept of design has had on craft is receding.

Five years from now, the craftsperson's or designer's grasp of their material will be even stronger than it is today, if the current trend continues. I like to use to very simple and illustrative example from Danish Crafts’ theme magazine "Fokus", where designer Erik Magnussen explains that his ability to design the vacuum jug that he designed for Stelton, and which is functional, aesthetic and easy to produce, springs from his background as a ceramist. He is trained to exploit the opportunities and limitations posed by the material.

I agree that we need an updated concept of design. And we need to have an international outlook, also in our educational system. We also need to use design with a societal, social perspective, as we saw it in Index, for example, with the theme Design to Improve Life. The schools need to provide the students with theoretical tools, but the design talent may suffocate if the theoretical aspect is exaggerated. It would be a mistake for the schools to shift their focus too far away from the classic design concept – if workshop lessons are replaced by theoretical studies to an excessive degree.

What is the consequence of the expanded concept of design for the way in which we perceive and approach design research? What challenges does the expanded concept of design entail?
The main issue is to make sure that we don't lose the DNA of Danish design, which is characterised by a strong craft-based tradition with a free, experimental approach and by a stringent design expression.

Naturally, the expanded concept of design also makes good sense in many respects, and it may help make designers more business-oriented and more interdisciplinary in their approach, and this is a trend that I welcome. And when classic designers work with ethnologists and psychologists they may discover new ways to use their products, and they may be able to develop new products, tangible as well as immaterial.

Nevertheless, I maintain that in order to do this they have to master their own trade to perfection. We need collaboration between specialists, not an army of generalists.

Next month, we pass the baton to Erik Stolterman, Professor and Director of Human Computer Interaction Design, Indiana University, USA.

Mind Design #9, 2008