Books
The book “Design Emergency – Building a Better Future” was recommended to me by a friend since I’ve mentioned design, data, visualization or innovation in almost every encounter we had over the past few years. Even though I already have a pretty decent backlog of books to read, this one immediately got my attention.
After the first few pages, I already knew I was going to like the format of this book. Since I try to read as much as possible, but it’s not always my top priority, it’s helpful if the book is structured in a way that allows me to consider chapters as a sort of milestones.
The fact that chapters are standalone, but grouped in a certain category, makes your daily reading goals so much easier.
Here’s a short introduction to the book written by the authors:
“This book shares the stories of some of the gifted and resourceful designers, engineers, architects, scientists, economists, entrepreneurs, artists, and others who have the knowledge, vision and ambition required to deliver the innovations needed to secure our future. They are very different characters with different skills, networks, and objectives, who work in different specialisms and on different scales in different parts of the world.”
The book goes on to say:
“All of our protagonists deploy design not as a commercial tool executed under instruction from clients or employers but as an ambitious and eclectic agent of change.”
At the time of reading this book, I wasn’t familiar with the authors or their work, but I did know a bit about some of the people mentioned in the chapters. I find this very important as it allows me to follow up and learn more about these inspiring individuals.
The opening chapter shares a few examples of design being used in different cases of emergency – ranging from building natural bridges, to helping solve epidemics throughout history and all over the world. As we know, the driving force for many people is to try and make better things and the role of design in emergency situations is to help the population understand that the problem actually exists, then help mitigate it.
It made me curious how many obstacles some of these brave people had to overcome in their attempts to rectify situations that they’ve found themselves in. It’s hard to imagine societies being open to rethink the current state of things, especially centuries ago. Throughout most of history there were conflicts between countries, territories, as well as wars with invisible enemies such as disease.
Speaking of disease, the book shares examples of initiatives by designers across the globe during the most recent pandemic. Indeed, the world was radically transformed during the early 2020s and design played an important role in helping ordinary people understand the magnitude of its consequences if not taken seriously. Solutions needed to be made overnight in some cases, and once again the power of human creativity under pressure proved to be of the utter most importance.
I always have this weird feeling when thinking about the COVID-19. Although it happened very recently, it sometimes also feels like it was decades ago. My country had so many lockdowns but since those are not very happy memories, I must have already forgotten about some of them.
I strongly agree with the conclusion from the book that the entire world was redesigned after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s nice to be able to read about some advancements in the field from the books.
“To reform artificial intelligence into something that decentralized power would involve a profound reinterpretation, restructuring and reengineering of how it works. I say this because artificial intelligence relies on a planetary infrastructure run by an incredibly small number of companies, and shaped by a very demographically homogeneous group. Change requires reconceptualizing how these systems get built, and where and whom they work for.”
– Kate Crawford
Since the book was published in 2022 there is no mention of OpenAI and ChatGPT which once again made me realize I am probably late to the party of being concerned about the implications of artificial intelligence on today’s society. For me, the thought only occurred during 2023 when ChatGPT and other AI tools were already taking over so many industries.
We know about big data, but then there’s also “small data”. What is it, and why does it matter?
“We need both. We need big data because it helps us understand the global picture. Visualizing small data can help us have a deeper comprehension of the topic.”
– Federica Fragapane
How do you see the role of architects changing in the future?
“I think eventually we will have a shift in our field. Material, space, and beauty won’t be ignored, but these won’t actually be the core values of architecture. Architecture’s power is in its capacity to solve problems. Architects can function like doctors, using their professional training to diagnose issues. When you integrate cultural, social, and economic factors together with the beauty of architecture, it creates a new kind of healing treatment. This is more effective than when architecture becomes almost like a piece of jewelry or an isolated work of art.”
– Xu Tiantian
Is there anything you saw in early 2020 that really impressed you, something that you will take with you?
“I go back to the work that happened in the hospitals, for example, to nurses and clinicians taping the floor and creating visual cues so that people know when they’re walking into dangerous contaminated zones. The simple design pamphlets that started coming up for easy donning and doffing strategies, to ensure that people around you are protected. And then the kind of rapid rethinking of the public space around lobbies and restaurants, and the street itself. One of the exciting things I think we witnessed is streets being taken over, in Milan and New York, for instance, and given back to the public. It’s one of these great dreams of the urban design community that we are able to reclaim that public realm.”
– Michael Murphy
There is also a great story about information design work from Mohammed Fayaz on the Safety Planning for Protests guide.
Another strand of your work is to produce information design projects that help people to navigate potentially difficult and dangerous situations.
“One of my favorite slides is the “What to Bring + Wear”. It points out that you should consider things like putting up your hair in a bun, wearing loose clothes, and taking a small bag. That’s the kind of stuff I didn’t always think about when I attended protests, but now I do, and I hope it trickles down.
…
What I love about collaborations like this is that I learn so much every time. Before I did this one, I didn’t know most of this stuff about safety protocols. I didn’t know the best legal resources, or whom to contact if you’re arrested. The information is out there; it’s just that people need to see it better and to see it on an arm that looks like their own.”
– Mohammed Fayaz
I also enjoyed the interview with Alissa Eckert who designed the Covid-19 “spiky blob” together with Dan Higgins. It was fascinating to learn about their approach in making the image believable and making it look like you could touch it and feel it.
How did you come up to be involved with the project and what was your brief?
“The day after the CDC opened its Emergency Operations Center for Covid-19 on 20 January 2020, Dan Higgins and I were asked to create an identity for the virus. Maybe you can think of it as like a mugshot, something that represents what this enemy is.
I think because of our experience in the past, they left a lot of it up to us, but they requested something up close, with a bit of drama, something bold that was going to catch the public’s attention. It’s a public health emergency alert, essentially. We were trying to make something that was going to draw people in and bring them back to the CDC website to learn more about the evolving situation. Not many people knew about Covid-19 at the time, so there were a lot of unknowns.”
– Alissa Eckert
Few more interviews with architects reveal amazing stories about the wisdom of traditional makers as well as innovators.
How did you start building with waste?
“I believe in building with what is available on the land. Laurie Baker taught me what he learned from Mahatma Gandhi: the ideal home should be made using materials located within a five-mile radius. It’s about using what you have and making use of any waste.”
– Vinu Daniel
What do you wish for the future of design education and practice?
“I wish for the ultimate matrimony of nature and culture, of the biological world and the technological world, and of the world that is built and the world that is grown. Reaching this unity requires a lot of humility. Many people talk about advancing humanity, about spacefaring civilizations going into deep space. I don’t think we’ve earned Mars unless we can prove that we can take care of this planet.”
– Neri Oxman
To conclude this list of quotes, here’s one from Dan Pearson, a landscape designer.
“There’s an incredible discipline in Japan called satoyama, which is the discipline of living within landscape and only taking as much as you need from it. Sato means village, and yama means hill or mountain. Satoyama has been eroded by industrialization and mostly lost in Japan.”
For most people, Design Emergency by Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli will be an interesting book to read. You will probably not be amazed by the work of every individual interviewed in the book, but I’m sure you will look up some of them online to read more about their newest accomplishments. It’s a great book to take with you on a trip as well.
The next book I will be reading is “The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization” by Alberto Cairo.