Introduction v01.01

[section 01] - 1st draft

This research is about finding a space where action can bring about change and how design can have an impact in the form of a new design praxis. While there exists many spaces in which a new design praxis can operate, this research is socio-political in nature and specifically focuses on the area of global social justice.

Some might immediately question what kind of role design could possibly play in the process of creating formative change within the area of global social justice. This is understandable, as many people have only vague and often antiquated ideas of what design is. In fact, even designers have difficulty defining what design is. Often design is understood by the qualifier that comes before it — communication design, graphic design, industrial design, environmental design, architectural design — the list goes on. But as Walter Groupius wrote, “design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life, necessary for everyone in a civilized society” (20).

This frees design from the above constraints and allows for a new design thinking that ” lies in a concern to connect and integrate useful knowledge from the arts and science […] in ways that are suited to the problems and purposes of the present” (Buchanan 06). As John Thackara writes, “In an economic world dealing in knowledge, the secret to success is the re-combination of different types of expertise in a productive manner. This new kind of design sets out to increase the flow of information within and between people, organisations and communities” (qtd. in Cottam & Leadbeater 28). Speaking to this notion, Thackara also quotes Victor Papanek as saying that “design is basic to all human activities — the placing and patterning of any act towards a desired goal constitutes a design process” (Thackara 01). As a designer who was educated in multimedia, I am particularly interested in these more open notions of design practice. Design should not be about the confined spaces of technical activity but rather about recognising where problems exist and addressing them, utilising a broad base of knowledge and practices.

[section 02] - 1st draft

As a contribution to praxis, what is being offered here is a comprehensive systems model for the  design and strategic implementation of a large-scale regional project for social progress. Its realisation will be found through new ideas and approaches in design practice, and it will be informed by the growing body of knowledge within the wider design community and other relevant fields of practice. My hope is that this thesis contributes to that body of knowledge and, in some small way, helps to shape growing perceptions of design as a new avenue for social praxis.

[section 03] - 1st draft

In the following page, the structure or architecture of the implementation model will be explained and an argument will be made for it’s utility. This will be followed by an identity approach that utilises a syntagmatic matrix, offering flexibility through paradigmatic variability, depending on considerations such as region and audience. Finally a possible approach to implementation will be elucidated using the region of Chiapas and the Zapatista organisation as exemplars.