Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People by Emily Pilloton, p. 1-9

a. designers need to be change makers instead of “stuff makers”
b. design for social good

What motivates people?
a. Nike + iPod Sport kit: advertising, lifestyle, and tribe-making
b. Zipcar: save fossil fuels, leverage economies of scale

Goals:
a. do a lot with little
b. challenge the status quo
c. economy of materials
d. clarity of purpose
e. delight in use

Method:
a. what is the object’s intended use?

Problems:
a. market forces alone are not adequate to address social problems

Components:
1. form
2. function
3. beauty
4. ergonomics
5. accessibility
6. affordability
7. sustainability
8. renewable energy
9. green materials
10. cultural appropriateness
11. responsible labor practices
12. respect for the user

The Practice of Design
1. interconnected
2. global
3. consequence creating endeavor > toxicity/pollution/social inequality or, a force for positive change

Challenge your notions of designers:
1. don’t just blame designers for negative externalities, many set out wanting to make the world a better place
2. design is not confined to certain professional credentials: grassroots efforts can lead to design any volunteers, handy-people, poets, etc. can be designers

Areas of design:
1. architecture
2. engineering
3. products
4. transport
5. fashion
6. graphics
7. multimedia
8. information technology
9. social services
10. disaster relief, etc.

Important concerns:
1. social vectors
2. accessibility
3. affordability
4. empathy
5. social currency
6. respecting ecosystems

Our “movement”
“immune response”, a rising action against the ceaseless assault on the natural and social environment
1. arts activism
2. sustainable forestry
3. eco-labeling
4. industrial ecology
5. pollution remediation
6. green-banking

Be hopeful, be optimistic, solve problems, and celebrate life!