Design You Can Believe In

Posted by: Colby Waller, Creative Director Mar 16, 2009 0 Comments

In the months leading up to January’s historic presidential inauguration and administration change, a small group of prominent members of the American design community convened in Washington, DC, to organize and formalize the critical role that design can play in America’s future. The group, American Design Communities (ADC), subsequently published a report, Redesigning America’s Future, to outline the proposals for top-level methods with which professionals in design disciplines can help, and be helped, to further America’s position as a world leader. The proposals are ambitious and point to, if implemented, a major shift in the focus on design as it relates to success within an economy, and communication as it relates to a democracy. The proposals are of particular interest to us as a DC design firm, as we strive do our part to engage in effective design and marketing.

The 10 proposals outlined in Redesigning America’s Future are divided into two collections: five proposals that serve to bolster democratic governance, and five focusing on design as it feeds into economic development. The proposals are by no means limited to design as an aesthetic, but focus to a great extent on functional design and well-considered communication. Key elements include guidelines for legibility, literacy, and accessibility for all government communications, funding for design research and innovation, greater inclusion of intellectual property within the patent process, and establishment of prominent leadership positions within our government to oversee design. To see the complete list of proposals, visit www.designpolicy.org.

An underlying theme of the report, and of the movement in general, is the belief that with clear information and easy avenues of communication, people will be empowered to readily engage in the path of their future as shaped by their elected officials. This increased level of involvement and knowledge can in turn lead to greater transparency within government, greater trust among citizens, and more agility at the leadership level as the will of the American people is more accurately communicated.

Equal in weight to this, and timely as we deal with an unprecedented crisis in the global economy, is the idea that American design innovation, if properly fueled, can be the champion of future prosperity. Our country’s core commodity has increasingly become design—innovative problem solving that captures the imagination and results in positive outcomes—while much of the production is outsourced. The ADC’s proposal in this realm outlines funding, measuring, and strengthening this 21st century aspect of our country’s livelihood.

The benefit of formalizing and supporting design as an industry that will play an important role in shaping the future is clear to us at Rock Creek Strategic Marketing. We hope that the federal government will take this and other opportunities to champion its effectiveness.

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Colby Waller

Creative Director

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