There is a new buzz term in the industry and its called Design 2.0. I see and understand the implications and even some of the reasoning behind calling this trend something new. But I find so much of what is being talked about as hype and hyperbole that it is hard to not laugh when the phrase is spoken out loud. A friend of mine (Chris Inman from visual riot.com) pointed out an article of one such writer, an editor for HOW magazine (Aug 2008) and what she had to say about it.

“we’re facing a radical shift in the roles designers play… a shift from CREATOR to facilitators of participation, conversation and collaboration … That in the future, designers would become the engineers of possibilities.”

Once in a marketing meeting I was asked to explain why a particular design was arranged in a particular way, in order to justifiy the change in direction on a new product line that I was in charge of developing. As I explained the design process, the copy writer raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. I smiled and continued spreading the manure of life which basically distilled down to “It works, I like it, and in the same manner as the emperor’s new clothes; you should like it too.” It of course was more complex than that. Years of marketing experience and research and trends came into play but the bottom line was; they bought the whole idea and I even heard my descriptions of harmony and balance used in upper level executive meetings where the ties huddle together, and grunt in silver back alpha male bonding rituals.

As I read this quote from HOW, my eyebrow raised and I smiled thinking to myself, “Sounds like the written version of the manure of life. Good for her (the author) … but I’m not buying any today, thank you. I am full-up.

Thousands of years ago an aspiring designer carved a petroglyph on a rock. He created the first branded logo separating his rock from all other rocks and creating a small if significant creative burst of energy that has lasted till today. Todays rocks are a bit more complex in creation and instead of glyphs we call them user interfaces. The tools have changed but I doubt if we are any more facilitators or engineers than that first schmuck who picked up his rock, looked at his carving and said “coooool.”

Of course afterwards he had to justify to his clan why he had done it, so he went about in a eloquent way to explain the process. Which is when the manure of life was born.

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