me studio

…nor should it ever be a question of attempting to “bend clients” to one’s will, and I would like to be clear that, though I used this phrase ironically in my essay to evoke the mystery of Dutch design when seen from afar, I have never advocated such arrogant and most likely counterproductive tactics. I have been a client of designers many times myself and if anyone were to try this approach with me, I would have no wish to work with them. I do, however, respect the validity and indeed necessity of a designer’s principles and personal position and hope to work with designers where there is a creative correspondence of views. Isn’t this the most that anyone who is sensitive to design, on either side of the meeting-room table, can wish for?…

the ongoing discussion sparked by writer rick poynor, with an interesting reaction in the comments from amsterdam resident ‘florian pfeffer’:

…we do not need to adapt to the market. We need to adapt the market. And this can be done only by being part of it – and not by standing next to it. This is what concerns me about many (not all) expressions of “political design” from today and from earlier times – a lack of real engagement and true risk taking. Making political posters or simply making a “logo” for Wikileaks is not taking risks – it is to reassure oneself about ones own moral integrity (and in how far is this an answer to complex societal needs?). These things make me wonder: “Is that all there is” for design to make a contribution?…