March 28, 2008

Starck: Design Is Dead, Sorry

by Piers Fawkes in Ethical Consumerism, Environmental, Design, Retail

feeling not so super now, Philippe? AFP points us to an article in Die Zeit where Philippe Starck apparently apologizes for the waste his design career has caused. Reportedly he says:

“I was a producer of materiality and I am ashamed of this fact. Everything I designed was unnecessary. I will definitely give up in two years’ time. I want to do something else, but I don’t know what yet. I want to find a new way of expressing myself …design is a dreadful form of expression…. In future there will be no more designers. The designers of the future will be the personal coach, the gym trainer, the diet consultant.”

AFP also reports that the article says:

Starck said the only objects that he still felt attached to were “a pillow perhaps and a good mattress.” But the thing one needs most, he added, was the “ability to love”.

It’s an interesting follow up to this story by Bruce Nussbaum in Business Week where he reacts to an earlier comment from Starck on the coming backlash against design. In it Bruce commented:

The backlash against design is, in part, a backlash against the arrogance of designers and their separation from the real lives of people. Many live in a tiny sliver of a world of luxury and design for it. That’s OK by me. But please, don’t rationalize that Mr. Starck, by saying that barbarism is dead and “luxury” defines our lives. It just erodes the eroding credibility of many designers.

In the comments, Johnny Vulkan responds to Bruce and says:

My interpretation was that he had an epiphany about his role and in fact he was suggesting that while luxury may in some cases define our lives, this was actually a sorry state of affairs and he was in part to blame.

I think he was also suggesting that as a society we must begin to focus our talents on the longer term issues that we collectively face and while there was maybe nothing particularly wrong with designing beautiful objects this was no longer the most worthwhile focus.

Is Design Dead? Is Design Evil?? Wow. I bet folks at companies like Unilever who have tried to ‘meld design into their DNA’ are having a right old panic attack now as to what to do next.

[Img ref]

[Thanks to Marc for tip]

18 Responses to “Starck: Design Is Dead, Sorry”

Jeremy Fretts
Posted from: 66.167.232.163
March 28th, 2008 at 8:53 am

Some of us think design is undergoing a Renaissance, as architects and the public rediscover the lost art of making everyday life beautiful. But it’s not the kind cocktail party luxury silliness of Starck-branded objects, and Gehry-twisted forms.
csven
Posted from: 70.226.20.168
March 28th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

I’ve been saying Industrial Design is dead for a few years now, but not Design. There are few things that go along with that thinking, none of which I’ll bore people with now. However, there’s a related discussion along the lines of “arrogance” and where things are headed on the Product Design Forums: http://www.productdesignforums.com/index.php?showtopic=8510&st=0
lottie
Posted from: 82.47.197.209
March 28th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

design is dead, or he’s lost it. the water dispenser he designed that’s in my office is terrible. totally impractical.
a.
Posted from: 91.1.197.16
March 28th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

As far as I can see, the quotes here and at Breitbart have been taken completely out of context, and the really important points he made have neither been tapped nor translated. Unfortunately, someone wise has already taken this over into the Wiki article about Starck (and has not bothered to provide a link).

For those who speak German, I am adding the link to the orginal text at Die Zeit online under “my website”.
joe
Posted from: 99.147.212.61
March 28th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

Starck not going to be a designer anymore? Awesome, now he can leave the public eye forever- i feel the most frivolous thing he makes are comments.
He probably just wants attention. His disdain for his profession or false modesty or whatever you call it is moot, he could really stop anytime, could halt production on any licenses he owns to stop “producing materiality” and never make another thing- what’s going to change in a year or two?
Robert Johnston
Posted from: 86.1.195.109
March 29th, 2008 at 6:15 am

Starck is an appalling designer whose career is based on a cult of personality. As other commenters have implied, nothing he says or does should be considered as anything more than a childish demand for attention or a sly advertising pitch. Ignore this live-action trolling.
soto
Posted from: 80.212.133.18
March 30th, 2008 at 6:55 am

Well, I think Starck is right. But in what sense? The poor people in the world(meaning the majority of the world) need doctors, educators, and other professionals to help them. Where does the designer come in? What is his/her importamce? How much can he/she help the majority of the world population? Compared to other professionals in my humble opinion, their importance is almost near zero!
Today the problem in my opinion is over consumption. Especially when it is related to global warming and the financial crisis facing the world. In a world of hard competition and a harsh reality, Starck nicely says sums it up ” But the thing one needs most, he added, was the “ability to love”.
ajr
Posted from: 125.239.89.67
March 30th, 2008 at 7:16 am

This might explain it - a must watch:
http://zeitgeistmovie.com/main.htm
daniel
Posted from: 24.39.127.20
March 30th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

As a Stark, I am confident that design is not dead nor will it ever be. Mr. Starck (the more famous Stark and the one with an unnecessary “c” in his name) is a wonderful talent, has been and will likely continue to be, regardless of the genius of some of the “bad” work he has done and his inability to be anything but French and say some of the things he does. I’m still inspired by his work and he, undoubtedly, must be of mine ;-) Design will continue to have an important place in society as long as there are problems to be solved. Smart, thoughtful people–known as designers–will be an integral part of the solution, thank you very much.
DT
Posted from: 203.120.58.194
March 30th, 2008 at 8:22 pm

Well, the cynic that I am believes that Starck is up to his usual shock tactics.

He has expressed before that any publicity (good/bad) that gets people talking (i.e. jucy salif), and as with this and every other blog that reproduces this article has taken the bait and building on his own fame.

Problem is that it is too good not to pass up posting on a blog, regardless I’ll take his nonsense with a pinch of salt.
Rafael
Posted from: 71.118.49.240
March 31st, 2008 at 11:30 am

Maybe Starck has a point, with his natural behavior… Product Design has been more about ’shape’ and aesthetics than function. Maybe it’s time for a new thinking, returning to the roots of what form and utility should be. Maybe some “Bauhaus” thinking within environmental concerns is back?
Anne Robert
Posted from: 86.137.202.104
April 1st, 2008 at 2:10 pm

I would not tell him to wind down faster but to rapidly help design fabulous products to help the clue less urbanite who wants to GYO ( grow your own) food…
Electrolux is to my knowledge one of the only brands to be seriously looking at how any of us can grow food indoor or out as easily as we use a DVD …
See the VEGE and The Hydroponic veg sphere
That will save food miles and it is only that way the mainstream will get growing …
This is an SOS to PS!
zuy
Posted from: 90.8.159.183
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 am

Next research of Starck….

“My research on bionism goes back even further and this pioneering exploration of objects of the future, in which the time factor is an element inscribed in our very bodies, is now reaching its culmination which is within technological reach. I really should devote some time to that.”
doobiedoo
Posted from: 86.162.65.116
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm

it does seem to be the height of narcissism to produce awful work and then pronounce the discipline dead on the basis of your own shallowness. kind of like how movie serial killers decide that humanity is lost because they took it upon themselves to kill lots of people.
zuy
Posted from: 90.20.74.128
April 5th, 2008 at 8:15 am

NO , i have the news now : as Starck was out of new tech ( see major us design studio as fuseproject, Ideo …), out of the new future of design (see “design and elastic Mind” in Moma) … he dvp before Milan furniture fair a global buzz (”design is dead”)…..In fact it’s a teasing for a new product range in co-branding…His stategy is now to dvp more and more a brand stategy with co-branding and brand is immaterial … The go game now is against major us studio… and not against plastic man Karim Rashid
zuy
Posted from: 90.20.74.128
April 5th, 2008 at 8:17 am

NO , his stategy is now to dvp more and more a brand stategy with co-branding and brand is immaterial …
zuy
Posted from: 90.24.117.189
April 6th, 2008 at 7:28 am

NO he is not a serial killer even with Flos guns( it’s only toys + lighting ) , he is looking for killing app to elarge his branding strategy…to others territories because he has also an elastic mind too…
zuy
Posted from: 90.24.50.167
April 7th, 2008 at 12:06 am

“If you can ignore his haughty language, he might have something here. It is easy to misunderstand him, as most blogs (yes even the top tier ones) have, quoted him out of context and it is obvious his English is not the best.Design is not dead, per say, but design as we know it is evolving.” Design Sojourn, stategic industrial blog