What Do We Mean: The Language of Design for Sustainable Practices

Gooding, Luke and Baurley, Sharon and Boxall, Emily and Knox, Daniel and Nordmoen, Charlotte and Phillips, Robert and Shepley, Alec and Simpson, Tracy and West, Sarah and Wright, Joanna (2024) What Do We Mean: The Language of Design for Sustainable Practices. In: P/References of Design. Cumulus conference proceedings series, 1 . Cumulus Association, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, Budapest, pp. 1677-1692. ISBN 978-952-7549-02-5

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Abstract

Design research has metamorphosed over the last ten years, with discipline titles becoming muted and complex. Discipline terminology previously dictated outputs, for example product design included artefact outputs, but now includes strategic direction, highlighting the importance of clear communication. This change serves as a catalyst for enquiry, not only in what design is, but shifting the speculative realm of what it can do, cultivate, or foster. This position paper underscores the importance of language in shaping sustainable futures diverging from conventional paths. Climate change impacts all life forms, and design has a dual role as a solution and a challenge in confronting climate-related issues (Godelnik, R. 2021). The distinction between participation and empowering individuals to have agency emerges as pivotal in this context. This however is reliant on the systems, interventions, and agency those individuals are empowered with. Emphasising language's significance in post-participatory activities - the shift in how we can think about design methods, moving beyond typical user involvement to empower communities and foster more inclusive, dynamic results, bringing agency, choice, and citizenship. This article addresses how language has been underexplored within "design for sustainable practices" compared to its prevalence in "design for inclusion" (Nuñez, 2013; Reed and Monk, 2006).

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