Design by Use: The Everyday Metamorphosis of Things (Board of International Research in Design)

Everyday life as a source of inspiration This publication explores and analyzes a very special kind of design – the phenomenon, as normal as it is wonderful, in which people with no formal training in design take things that have already been designed and reuse them, convert them to new uses, in short, "misuse" them in the very best sense of the word. Non-intentional design (NID) goes on every day, in every area of life, in every region of the world. Redesign through reuse makes things multifunctional and cleverly combines them to generate new functions. It is often reversible, resource-friendly, improvisational, innovative, and economical. It can become a source of inspiration for design, provided professional designers look up and take notice of what actually happens to all the things they design when they are used. * The first scholarly account of non-intentional design * Contains a wealth of new insights for professional designers * Another volume in the series BIRD: Board of International Research in Design Foreword BIRD Fluid Design & Research Design as Research Paradigm Design as a Transitory Discipline The Things in Design The Production of Things Through Use Relevance in Relation to Research Explorations A View of Other Disciplines Use and Redefinitions of Use in Literature A Synopsis of Design History from the Perspective of Use The Cultural History of Object Use Design Publications Use and Usefulness in Sociology Related Strategies of Discovery Art and Literature Architecture Science Intentional Re-Design Design as a Manifesto Scarcity Societies German Democratic Republic (GDR): Instructions for DIY The Post-War Period: Turning Steel Helmets into Chamber Pots “Third World”: Recycling the Waste of the Rich Ecological Design Deliberate Abandonment of Products Commercialization DIYers and Hobbyists Strategies of Appropriation Non-Intentional Design from an Empiricist Perspective Contradictions in the Object: Design Intention and Use Form and Function as Characteristics of Use Dealing with Meaning Everyday Use – Design Intention The Privacy of Home Public Space New Media The Personal Computer NID in the Area of Computer Software – Example: Internet The Subjects: Objects of, and Reasons for, Repurposing Methodology The Sample Spaces and Rooms Gender Comparison of Instances of Repurposing by Room or Space Repurposed Objects Gender Comparison of Instances of Repurposing Personal NIDs and Favourite NIDs Reasons for Repurposing Preferences Gender Comparison of Reasons for Repurposing Exemplary Target Group Differentiation: Nationality, Profession, Age Example: Nationality Example: Profession Example: Age Group The Objects Simple Things Cheap Products and Disposable Products Multifunctional Products Media Products Radio and Television The Car Architectural Elements: Walls, Floors, Stairs The Wall: Noticeboard and Supporting Structure The Floor: Interior and Exterior Seating Alternative The Stairs: A Place for Sitting, Playing, and Sports The Process of Discovery Product Characteristics: Form, Material, Value, and Availability The Time Factor: Finding a Solution and Permanent Changes of Use Reversibility: Returning to the Original State An Example: Rain Protection without Umbrellas Personality: Pro or Contra Types Non-intentional Design in Public Spaces Designed Environments Urban Passengers Objects in Public Spaces Private Objects and Communal Goods Repurposing: Sitting, Informing, Securing Sitting Providing Information Securing Bicycles Constructive and Destructive Repurposing Appropriation Self-Determination Public Man - Private Woman? Design between Subject and Object The Beautiful and the Good according to Plato From Idea to Object: Design From Object to Idea: Non-Intentional Design Design as Applied Philosophy What’s in a Name Authority of Design - Autonomy in Use Non-Intentional Design as a Basis for an Open Design Approach Bibliography The Authors Picture Credits Diese Publikation erforscht und analysiert eine ganz besondere Form von das ebenso normale wie wunderbare Phnomen, dass Menschen ohne Designanspruch bereits gestaltete Dinge umnutzen, anders nutzen, im besten Sinne "missbrauchen". Nicht Intentionales Design (NID) findet tglich, in jeder Lebenssphre, in allen Teilen der Welt statt. Diese Umgestaltung durch Umnutzung macht die Dinge multifunktional, kombiniert mit kluger Erfindung neue Funktionen. Sie ist hufig reversibel, ressourcenschonend, improvisierend, innovativ, preiswert. Fr das Design kann es zu einer Quelle der Inspiration werden, wenn die professionellen Designer erst einmal wahrnehmen, was im praktischen Gebrauch mit all den gestalteten Dingen tatschlich geschieht. This publication explores and analyzes a very special kind of design the phenomenon, as normal as it is wonderful, in which people with no formal training in design take things that have already been designed and reuse them, convert them to new uses, in short, "misuse" them in the very best sense of the word. Non-intentional design (NID) goes on every day, in every area of life, in every region of the world. Redesign through reuse makes things multifunctional and cleverly combines them to generate new functions. It is often reversible, resource-friendly, improvisational, innovative, and economical. It can become a source of inspiration for design, provided professional designers look up and take notice of what actually happens to all the things they design when they are used. "No matter how competent and professional a design may be, it only comes into its own through use. More often than not things change throughout this process: clotheslines are turned into diaries, chairs become shelves, plastic bags are used as umbrellas, lampposts are transformed into notice boards, and stairs make for excellent places to eat, hang out, and communicate." "These acts of repurposing - also referred to as "Non-Intentional Design"--Can themselves become sources for the generation of new design concepts. Throughout this long-term study the three authors have collected a wealth of material. Using numerous examples this book examines the motives and the potential of "Non-Intentional Design" and makes these aspects available for further design research."--Jacket Diese Publikation erforscht und analysiert eine ganz besondere Form von Design: das ebenso normale wie wunderbare Phänomen, dass Menschen ohne Designanspruch bereits gestaltete Dinge umnutzen, anders nutzen, im besten Sinne "missbrauchen". Nicht Intentionales Design (NID) findet täglich, in jeder Lebenssphäre, in allen Teilen der Welt statt. Diese Umgestaltung durch Umnutzung macht die Dinge multifunktional, kombiniert mit kluger Erfindung neue Funktionen. Sie ist häufig reversibel, ressourcenschonend, improvisierend, innovativ, preiswert. Für das Design kann es zu einer Quelle der Inspiration werden, wenn die professionellen Designer erst einmal wahrnehmen, was im praktischen Gebrauch mit all den gestalteten Dingen tatsächlich geschieht. Om non-intentional design (NID), et fænomen der udspringer af at personer der ikke har en formel træning i design, omdefinerer brugen af designede ting Biographical note: Uta Brandes is a professor of design research and gender and design at the Cologne International School of Design (KISD)