This isn’t a book about sustainable design.
Instead, it’s a book about how
the design industry can approach the
world in a more sustainable way. Design is
interconnected—to engineering, management,
production, customer experiences, and to the
planet. Discussing and comprehending the
relationship between design and sustainability
requires a systems perspective to see these
relationships clearly.
I hate discussions that start with definitions,
but the truth is that the terms “sustainable” and
“design” at the beginning of the 21st century
are both malleable and subjective enough to
warrant an explanation. However, I’ll try to get
the definitions out of the way quickly and efficiently
to get to the larger discussion.
Product design can have a tremendous impact on the world in terms of usability, waste, and resources. In Design Is the Problem, Nathan Shedroff examines how the endemic culture of design often creates unsustainable solutions, and shows how to ensure that design processes lead to more sustainable products and services.
TESTIMONIALS
"If a sustainable world is to be less about stuff, and more about people, what should designers design? Nathan Shedroff challenges designers to focus on what the experience of a sustainable world can be like. I hope every designer will read this book: they ll be inspired to learn that even as they stop creating stuff, there s still a lot of work for them to do."
John Thackara, creator of the Door of Perception conference, author of In The Bubble
"Nathan Shedroff has demonstrated a new discipline as a design deviant. He deviates from the norm of cause (perceived need) and effect (delightful fetish) to question whether we can design to fulfill experiences or true needs by crafting not what is simply less, but something different. This is an opening volley for the next new economy."
Ric Grefe, Executive Director, AIGA
"Design is the Problem illustrates that, when done intentionally and thoughtfully, design can be the solution to our most pressing social and environmental challenges. The book is a comprehensive primer for anyone interested in redesigning not just products, but the way we do business, the way we address problems, and the way we envision and forge our future."
Simran Preeti Sethi, co-host/writer of Sundance Channel s "The Green" and contributing author to Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy
