What is the end of design? Local studio Widgets & Stone believes it is, ultimately, to improve lives. Later this month, they're setting out to discover whether design—and a day of hard work—can do just that right here in downtown Chattanooga.
The Widgets and a group of local architects, planners and community leaders, along with collaborators from GOOD Magazine and Project M, will initially meet to discuss a specific challenge facing downtown. But according to organizer Joseph Shipp, it's about more than words and ideas—it's about action. So after the meeting, the group will break up into two teams—design and implementation—and spend 12 hours the next day developing and working towards solutions to that challenge.
The culmination will be the "End of Design" event on June 17th at green|spaces where the group will give a presentation about their ideas and work in Chattanooga. Casey Caplowe, Creative Director of GOOD Magazine and John Bielenberg, founder of Project M, are also scheduled to speak about "the power of design to shape positive change."
According to Mr. Shipp, The End of Design is inspired by similar events held by GOOD and Project M. GOOD Design: LA brought together "the city's brightest designers" to discuss possible solutions to a variety of problems facing the city: tacos, traffic, ugliness, pollution, isolation and acts of God. The designers, as well as their ideas, were described as "wonderfully diverse ... fun, serious, and occasionally totally outlandish." Project M Reykjavik, a "48 hour design blitz," was a collaboration with the Iceland Academy of the Arts that addressed everything from better bus stops to noise pollution to sustainable housing and pole dancing.
Mr. Shipp said, "GOOD and Project M have proven a model that works around the world - from Los Angeles to Iceland. We're delighted that they've agreed to visit our city, inspiring us all to help make Chattanooga a better place to live."
Who: Widgets & Stone, GOOD Magazine, Project M
What: The End of Design
Where: green|spaces, 63 East Main Street
When: Wednesday, June 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Admission: Free, open to the public
John Hawbaker
Justin Kropp on June 10, 2009
I had the privilege of participating in one of John's Think Wrong sessions recently and it was incredible. I would encourage everyone to attend and engage in anyway they can, not only for the greater good of Chattanooga, but to further understand the power of graphic design and design thinking as a necessary catalyst for social change.
I also wanted to point out two other groups of incredible talent and integrity: Architecture for Humanity (http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/) and Project H Design (http://www.projecthdesign.com/).