In his excellent comment on the potential and pitfalls of ID2015, Stephen McCarthy raises interesting questions about what design is, and our perception of it. Stephen works at UK Government Digital Service — their work on gov.uk has been widely lauded as an example of what design can do in the context of everyday life.
‘We are an island full of talented designers, crafts people and general creative minds not limited to either of those fields. In a broader context though, we (as a nation) have a narrow-minded view of what ‘design’ is and what areas it can or should permeate.’
The 100 archive shows a broad range of work, from album covers to educational resources. Is there space for the ephemeral, the delightful and the beautiful or are the only projects worth doing those that can be shown to directly serve the public? Can we talk about what we do, including the posters and record sleeves, and still hope to be taken seriously? Is there a place for both in what we perceive to be good in the context of our work?