Civility in Design
Cultivating Social Responsibility in the Design Studio—A Case Study
Brooke M. Davis, IDSA | University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Introduction
Design education faces a difficult task: balancing the needs of industry with cultivating a student’s design philosophy. Each year, a multitude of ID professionals weigh in with their opinion of the latest skills that should be taught in the studio. Each design institution must pick and choose which innovations and skills they can afford to include into the core of their Industrial Design programs. With the world in a constant state of change, often design philosophy is lost in meeting the demands of technical proficiencies. At the core of design is an innovative calling to utilize design to make life better; a noble sentence to structure a philosophy around. However, the interpretation of this has grown loose with mass consumerism rising over the last century. All too often this sentiment is sacrificed for a more practical profit motive. When the emphasis becomes quantity for profit over quality, the market gets inundated with cheap expendable goods. While this model is good for immediate sales, the long term effects of this raw consumerism adds more to landfills than to the quality of our lives. A new generation has called for an innovative answer: one that speaks of social responsibility.
 Ross Bartels |
 Carole Bilson |
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 Brian Harris |
 Eric Chan |
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