Medium Design: Knowing How to Work on the World

Medium Design is a way of thinking that looks for alternative approaches to the world's unresponsive or intractable dilemmas, such as climate change, inequality, and authoritarian power. It joins many disciplines in considering the space between objects, ideas, and events and offers forms of activism for modulating power and temperament in organizations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 28 January 2021
Publisher: Verso Books

Everyone is a designer, but while many practitioners may be seeking solutions or ideological certainties, Easterling contends that solutions are mistakes and ideologies are unreliable markers. Instead, Medium Design speaks to anyone looking for alternative approaches to the world's unresponsive or intractable dilemmas—from climate catastrophe to inequality to concentrations of authoritarian power. Such an approach joins many disciplines in considering not only separate objects, ideas, and events but also the space between them. In case studies dealing with everything from automation and migration to explosive urban growth and atmospheric changes, Medium Design looks not to new innovations but rather to sophisticated relationships between emergent and incumbent technologies. It does not try to eliminate problems but put them together into productive combinations. And it offers forms of activism for modulating power and temperament in organizations of all kinds.

Medium Design is a transformative approach that challenges the traditional mindset of designers and offers a fresh perspective on addressing complex problems. It emphasizes the importance of looking beyond individual solutions and ideologies, recognizing that they can often lead to unintended consequences. Instead, Medium Design encourages practitioners to explore alternative approaches that consider the interconnectedness of objects, ideas, and events.

One of the key aspects of Medium Design is its focus on the space between things. It recognizes that the relationships between different elements can be just as important as the elements themselves. By examining the space between emergent and incumbent technologies, Medium Design seeks to identify new opportunities for innovation and collaboration. It does not rely on traditional methods of problem-solving, such as creating new technologies or implementing top-down solutions. Instead, it encourages practitioners to look for sophisticated relationships between existing technologies that can be leveraged to address complex challenges.

In case studies that span various disciplines, Medium Design demonstrates how these relationships can be applied to real-world problems. For example, it explores the impact of automation and migration on urban growth and atmospheric changes. By examining the ways in which these technologies interact and influence each other, Medium Design offers insights into how cities can adapt to these changes in a sustainable and resilient manner. It also suggests forms of activism that can be used to modulate power and temperament in organizations of all kinds, promoting greater collaboration and inclusivity.

One of the strengths of Medium Design is its ability to bridge different disciplines and promote interdisciplinary collaboration. By bringing together experts from various fields, Medium Design can create a holistic understanding of complex problems and develop innovative solutions that are tailored to specific contexts. This approach not only enhances the effectiveness of problem-solving but also fosters a sense of shared responsibility and ownership over the solutions that are developed.

In conclusion, Medium Design is a transformative approach that offers a fresh perspective on addressing complex problems. By emphasizing the importance of looking beyond individual solutions and ideologies, it encourages practitioners to explore alternative approaches that consider the interconnectedness of objects, ideas, and events. Through its focus on the space between things and its commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, Medium Design provides a powerful tool for creating a more sustainable and inclusive world.

Weight: 278g
Dimension: 218 x 147 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781788739320