There are those, charlatans one must say, who claim that design only exists in the here and now, that design is, by definition, new, contemporary and innovative.
It isn’t of course.
Design in all its facets is a continual progression.
In the 1980s Peter and Alison Smithson advanced their theory of three generations, a theory developed for explaining and contextualising the Italian renaissance but which can be freely applied to the progression of most any design movement; in 2005 Steve Jobs reminded us that “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”, admittedly we’re using the quote somewhat out of context here, but the logic is freely transferable; and even Piano Man Billy Joel knows we didn’t start the fire. It was always burning. Since the world’s been turning.
Or almost.
And so to both celebrate design’s proud heritage and help place a lot of modern “innovation” in its historical context, to help connect the dots as it were, we have decided to publish a sort of “Design Calendar”, a record of days and events relevant for international design. Yes there will be celebrations of designers birthdays. But not just.
The posts won’t come daily, they needn’t, but will come with a cheeky irregularity befitting the spontaneity of the creative process.
Please let us know what you think.
