How are the rise of design and neoliberalism connected? How does design change the way we operate as economic beings? What is the economic significance of design? Historically, design has been promoted for its for its capacity to add value to products and services. In contemporary capitalism, however, it assumes a more central and more complex role. Design today is both influenced by, and actively shapes, our economic systems. This ground-breaking book shines a spotlight on how design has become embedded in political economies. It reveals the multiple ways in which design has emerged as a vital feature of neoliberal economic systems, from urban strategies to commercial processes to government policy-making. Drawing on a range of global examples, Guy Julier: explains the economic processes of design explores the relationship between design and intellectual property discusses the role of design in the public sector highlights the impact of design in informal and alternative economies brings theory to life with case studies on home improvements, fast fashion, shopping centres and more. Economies of Design provides a thought-provoking new way of understanding and talking about the meanings of design in contemporary capitalism. It is an essential companion for students of design and the creative industries across the arts, humanities and social sciences.
Guy Julier is Senior Lecturer in design at Leeds Metropolitan University.
Introduction: Contemporary Capitalism and the Rise of Design Design Culture and the Neoliberal Object Design Work Global Trade and Mobilities Financialization and Assets Intellectual Property Informal and Alternative Economies Public Sector Innovation Studying Economies of Design
It's the economy, stupid! Money makes the world go around. All of that comes by design. Government policies, company strategies, products, services and systems, all are the outcomes of design. Even money is designed. Finally there is a book that explains how design and the economy are interwoven. Chapeau Guy Julier for sharing these fascinating insights with us. -- Cees de Bont "This important book takes what could have been a dry subject and turns it into a compelling and accessible narrative. By laying bare the entanglement of design with economics, Julier allows us to reconsider how designers might best engage their practices with the wider forces and effects of neoliberalism, or else help develop alternative models." -- Jeremy Till "In this provocative and accessible book, Guy Julier asks and answers a number of questions: Is there such a thing as a neoliberal object? Why are design and neoliberalism so good together? Through a discussion that takes in design as work, as process, as object and as activism, Julier spotlights the changing culture of design since the 1980s and its intimate and sometimes surprising relationships with neoliberalization. A compelling analysis." -- David Bell
