Leonardo

The author discusses the role of industrial design in the generation of the apparently endlessly expanding demand for goods in “consumer societies.” This expansion is seen as situated in the universal socialisation of the possession of consumer goods as embodied surrogates for status. Yet, given inevitable eventual constraints on planetary resources, this expansion must one day be attenuated. Existing approaches to “green” issues in the field of design concentrate on specific technical matters such as the replacement of precious and limited resources by cheaper, more widely available materials, recycling and the like. The author argues that, while these approaches are important, they are only temporary solutions and in the end it is consumer demand itself that must be abridged. This can only be done by changing the role of consumer imagery, so that its symbolism—currently expressive of the values of a competitive individualism—is diverted into expressions of social solidarity.