Rethinking Design: Ethics, Sustainability, and New Practice

Design is the conception and planning of images, objects, buildings, spaces, experiences, and systems. Design is not the province of a single profession such as architecture, graphic design, or interior design; instead, the process of design is intertwined with the artifacts and experiences in human culture and society. Designed images, objects, facilities, and systems influence how we as humans live our lives: shaping values, culture, and society. In many different design disciplines practitioners are increasingly aware that the choices made during the design process often have environmental consequences. Given the design process is an activity directed by individuals, designers have the opportunity to rethink the guiding philosophies of design and to develop models of ethical design and sustainable design that minimize or eliminate adverse societal and environmental impacts. Designers can be agents for change. This paper examines the nature and function of design in the face of profound environmental change, and serves as a "call for action" for designers to incorporate ethical and sustainable design principles into their daily practices.