A scribble on the edge of a notebook, a soliloquy in the shower, words exchanged on a late night phone call or a social media post to which no one responds. The 'inconsequential' things that, unless someone dares to listen and write them down, will probably be forgotten, never to be recorded in history. But they are something that they are driven to express, even though no one is asking them to.
This course deals with such things that seem to be unneeded by society, but have great significance for certain individuals.
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Design has changed and expanded its role over time. The role of planning and esthetics, giving structure, function, form and colour. The role of communication and decision-making, such as research and prototyping. The role of conceptualising the direction and raison d'etre of an organisation, such as business model building and vision definition. Also, the role of visualising and solving issues such as climate change, equality and community. ......
These changing and expanding roles have generally developed around activities by design professionals. On the other hand, as the phrase 'design is too important to be reserved for designers alone' suggests, design today is also being used as a tool open to the general public, for example in the design of government services, social movements and the construction of autonomous ecosystems.
As the number of people involved in design expands beyond specialists, its social significance is growing. This is because design can provide a much-needed, problem-solving methodology. This can be called design for a 'strong context'. On the other hand, can't design be used for things that are not necessarily needed immediately in society, but that have meaning for certain individuals - 'weak contexts'?
Contex design is a design approach that focuses on the 'stories’ (or narratives) told by individuals and their interpretations of the 'weak context'. It allows for a unique 'story' to emerge from each individual who comes into contact with the design.
In other words, it is a method for 'weaving together', a creative activity in which the writer intends for the reader's proactive involvement and polysemic interpretation to surface. As a result, it is intended that at some point the consumer will turn into an expressive person and the reader into a writer.
We are all born with a wealth of creativity. However, many people, as they grow up, put 'invisible fetters' on their abilities, thinking that creativity is the talent of a select few. What can design do to break these shackles and restore creativity?
Also, what can design do to look at what is often overlooked or hard to find in society and preserve what should not remain?