WORKSHOP IN DESIGN STRATEGY IN KHiO

Strategy as a term actually comes from military origin and refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal or goals. An identical definition has often been used to define design. The dictionary says for the term ‘design’:

  1. To conceive or fashion in the mind; invent: ‘design a good excuse for not attending the conference’
  2. To formulate a plan for; devise: ‘designed a marketing strategy for the new product’
  3. To plan out in systematic, usually graphic form: ‘design a building; design a computer program’
  4. To create or contrive for a particular purpose or effect: ‘a game designed to appeal to all ages’
  5. have as a goal or purpose; ‘intend’
  6. To create or execute in an artistic or highly skilled manner.

So strategy and design are actually terms for very similar activity, while design schools and design practices have traditionally aimed at making cute and simple solutions and objects. There have been very formal activities in terms of physical and mental form rather than conceptual. This focus has changed radically during the last decade and today the greatest demand for design skills is in services, human interactions, social solutions and environmental change – not in form giving.

It is the policy of the design faculty to inform so that the graduates will be better prepared to participate in future solutions, in industry, business or  in global or national governal activities. It so happens that more than 50% of the users of design today live in the developing world while we have were previously teaching our graduates to design things that are only vialble in Western society. The term Design for the Other 90% has become ever more important for designers, both because of a social and environmental motivations, but also because this sector is the fastest growing economic sector.

The design faculty participates in strategic design projects in various local and global locations and has a direct cooperation with the new Academy of Arts in Mozambique where the students participate in design strategic development work.

The course will introduce these projects and demand from students to initiate ideas for such strategic work.

March 11, 2012   Posted in: DESIGN, PONDERINGS, SUSTAINABILITY