In the world of “DIY Design” there is a broad spectrum of quality. Polished projects like SketchBot, an “urban vinyl” art toy created in off hours by a skilled animator exist at the high end. Low end examples include the macaroni and glitter monstrosities found deep in the bowels of Etsy. With ever expanding mass customization options it seems inevitable DIY design will proliferate, but the question is how.
The Industrial Designers Society of America is attempting to answer that question, building its annual conference around the theme of DIY design. An impressive roster of speakers will be covering topics ranging from empowering technologies to the social aspects of handicraft.
The fundamental problem I see in a DIY world is between ever expanding access to the tools of creation with a no scalable way to teach people how to make “nice” things with them.
3D Printers, CAD, laser cutters and other tools are becoming more available, but artistic training is still esoteric. Aesthetics are teachable as Kimberly Elam’s excellent “Geometry of Design” shows, but it is one book. I feel like we need a shelf of similar titles covering color, form, composition, and the myriad of other conceptual and practical skills successful designers bring to their creations. The design world needs an equivalent to tech publisher O’Reilly Media. Where billion dollar companies have been founded based on knowledge picked up in O’Reilly publications, The next design masterpieces exist in the pages of these unpublished resources. Make: is a great start, but is more of a lifestyle publication than an instructional resource. If we are all going to design the future, a few refresher courses are required.
Based on the talks that have been announced there is a bit of disagreement on the role of the designer in a DIY world. Some see it as the end of a profession ala telegraph operators in a telephone age. Others see DIY tools as a way for designers to directly interface with their audience the way musicians now bypass record labels. There is no doubtthat more people participating in manufacturing is a good thing long term. We just need tools to help prevent the “Blink Tag” of the physical world.
