Design is broken. Young and not-so-young designers are becoming increasingly aware of this. Many feel impotent: they were told they had the tools to make the world a better place, but instead the world takes its toll on them. Beyond a haze of hype and bold claims lies a barren land of self-doubt and impostor syndrome. This book probes the disillusionment that permeates design. It tackles the deskilling effects provoked by digital semi-automation, the instances of ornamental politics fashioned...

This volume explores how art and design create knowledge in a world where traditional language has reached its limits. Through the works and writings of more than one hundred artists, designers, and thinkers, it examines how images, gestures, and forms can reveal what words struggle to name. As the boundaries between disciplines dissolve, these contributors test new tools for understanding experience, confronting uncertainty, and challenging dominant narratives. Their practices show that visu...

Afonso Matos is a Portuguese designer and researcher who is based in The Netherlands. This book is a collection of fanzines inspired by conversations and texts around four main themes: the bubble of the (critical) design school; the power of design and the agency of designers; the nature of design; and collective power. Included are excerpts from Matos’ thesis on the use of design as a social critique and agent of change, his transparent disclosures and personal investigation into the impac...