International Design Organizations: Histories, Legacies, Values

Abstract

The book, International Design Organizations: Histories, Legacies and Values, is a well-crafted edition of the papers of the conference of the same name held in Brighton in 2017. To my knowledge, this was probably the first academic meeting specifically organized for bringing international scholars who studied the formation and evolution of international design organizations and networks from the viewpoint of the global history of design. Therefore, the publication is unique in being the very first collection of scholarly essays examining the histories of international and national design organizations and networks from a global perspective. In design circles, international design organizations such as the World Design Organization (WDO—previously ICSID) and the International Council of Design (Ico-D—previously Icograda) have long been discussed just in terms of practical benefits of their membership or the perceived impact of their events such as the World Design Capital of WDO, yet these organizations have been rarely the subject of a systematic scholarly debate with historical and critical perspectives. The design discourse has always been heavily preoccupied with objects, images, products, brands, and, of course, individual designers rather than the nature of professional interactions, the formation of networks, social structures, organizations, and power relations in design. A critical analysis of that deeply rooted tendency is beyond the aim and scope of this short review, yet that resistance to comprehending design as a social practice with several layers of power relations has certainly become part of the professional ideology of design. Nevertheless, both the conference in 2017 and the book are signs of the emerging academic interest at the international level in understanding ‘design as a globally organized social practice’ with both historical and critical perspectives.