MANIFESTO
The design does not seem to have a fixed definition. In my opinion, there can be as much of a manifesto that designers exist, which can be confusing for people to understand the meaning of this word when they are not part of this field.
First of all, we should know that it is not an adjective, or at least not as it is currently used in our language, that is to say for marketing purposes. The "design" chair has only seen this qualifier appear with the desire to sell better compared to a "non-design" chair in advertisements. Yet it too was drawn by someone. Indeed, everything that exists, everything that is made by man, has been thought out, drawn, designed by a person, whether or not he bears the title of designer.
So what is the meaning of the word design as it is used by designers?
Historically, the primary meaning of the term design is that of project. The project is therefore the invention of a division of labor: that of conception and implementation. The two meanings of internalized concept and externalized drawing are found melted in Italian disegno and in English design. In other words, design is originally the term that unites these two fundamental dimensions of any project.
We now speak of design as a method of developing a project. This prompts us to perceive it as a discipline where many branches, ways of thinking and movements have been deployed. Some visions face or complement each other.
For me, the designer must show adaptability. He evolves in a world where he must be aware of the main issues. The designer's mission is a way "to improve or at least maintain the livability of the world in all its dimensions" as Alain Findeli said. It is therefore important to analyze our environments, our interactions, the events and the people who revolve around us.
Today we live through a period swinging between great moroseness and a frenzy of pleasure. We are daily exposed to crises. Faced with this, we become afraid, downcast, sometimes even resigned. When reaching the limit of the intolerable, Human is faced with a choice: surrender to despair or fight for an improvement in his condition. If solutions seem out of reach, we will seek to flee the tragedy and find solace. We are therefore in pursuit of pleasures, satisfactory contributions; however these strongly look like impulses. These are the limits of design, mainly due to the industrial aspect of it. The difficulties that we note are the manipulation of desire, the danger of frenzy of consumption, unnecessary overload or even the superficial aspect of objects, unlike lasting satisfaction. Indeed, design appeals to desire, it is for the user to have the pleasure of buying, using or offering something. Although satisfying at the moment, the pleasure is running out of steam and is accompanied by a new search for pleasure. This effect pushes individuals towards a static and repetitive existence; once this functioning has been assimilated, it can be reused for enslaving ends because desire can be perverted.
We are constantly looking for what will make us happy and are constantly encumbered by an unsatisfied ego. This dissatisfaction is nested at the very foundation of our modern societies. We are then saturated with material goods and ephemeral pleasures.
Faced with this observation, we should rather focus on things that are genuinely and lastingly satisfying, things that help us progress in life: in other words, strive for improvement. The crisis, although difficult, allows man to desire a better life. The role of the designer, as I see it, comes with listening to this research. The designer's approach is that of a quest for an existence that is no longer tragic or vain, but meaningful and fulfilled. It therefore seems to be intrinsically linked to the notions of research, creation and truth.
I can conclude my thoughts by theses sentences: “I position the design part as a discipline in favour of life; with the ambition to make the world more liveable, our lives more pleasant and more responsible. Becoming a designer is a way to take part in current issues, while having the hindsight and the humility to position ourselves as an aid, a rich possibility in perspective rather than a miracle cure. For me, it is about developing an innovation, small or more ambitious, with a sensitive approach.”