A lecture that discusses the nature of open and close looped design and the advantages and disadvantages of both.

1. OPEN DESIGN
DEMOCRATISATION OF DESIGN?
OPEN DESIGN
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2. WHAT IS OPEN DESIGN
Make a guess.
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3. At the end of the last century, [open design] was defined as
design whose makers allowed its free distribution and
documentation and permitted modifications and derivations of
it. More than a decade later, open design is developing actively
and constitutes an influential trend in the world of design.
Abel, Evers & Klaassen
Open Design Now, Preface
WHAT IS OPEN DESIGN?
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OPEN DESIGN
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4. DEFINING OPEN SOURCE
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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8fHgx9mE5U
Accessed: 10/08/2015
DEFINITION

5. Table 1. The Generative BedRock of Open Design
Michel Avital, OpenDesign Now
Open design is: Open design is not:
Access Open sharing of ideas and processes Concealed, protected, licensed for a fee
Blueprints Specified by a common notation language
or process.
Specified by a proprietary notation
language or software
Derivatives Reconfigurable Black-boxed and fixed
Exclusivity Reproducible Limited to finite series or one-off
Means of production Fabricated by commercial, off-the-shelf,
multi-purpose machines.
Fabricated by artisan handwork, custom
built machines or moulds
Manufacturing Subject to distributed and scaleable
production
Subject to centrally controlled and preset
batch production
Potential Generative (can create new knowledge or
products)
Close-ended.
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6. Fig 1. An open design network
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7. OPEN DESIGN
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In a world less controlled by branding and regulations, a new
breed of designers can contribute to an altered, more honest
economy.
Gabrielle Kennedy, OpenDesign Now
Souce: http://opendesignnow.org/index.php/article/joris-laarmans-
experiments-with-open-source-design-gabrielle-kennedy/
WHY OPEN DESIGN?
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8. OPEN DESIGN
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Introduction to OpenIdeo
Souce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQn1AfpQzoU

9. OPEN DESIGN
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OpenIdeo
Souce: http://www.openideoimpact.com/
When people with diverse backgrounds share insights and
strengthen each others’ ideas, we see true social innovation
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10. OPEN DESIGN
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Open Source Prosthetics, CBS
Souce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGSo_I86_lQ

11. OPEN DESIGN
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Hugh Herr, MIT
Souce: http://www.openideoimpact.com/

12. Open Blueprints?
Open source hard/software?
Open form?
Open production?
Open distribution?
OPEN EVERYTHING?
Deanna M. Hirst, Open Design Now
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WHERE DOES IT END?

13. OPEN DESIGN
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WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE DESIGNER?

14. OPEN DESIGN
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The design narrative is one predicated by
heroes - single geniuses that have made a
difference. If open design was the norm,
what effects will it have for the designer?

15. ... fear that all the energy it costs to create something might be wasted
and pointless [because] anyone could just go and copy it.
Fundamentally, they fear that someone else could commercially utilise
something that they have contributed to the public domain. Even Creative
Commons takes on a threatening aspect in this context, creating a
concern that the author will no longer be able to control fair use. Or a
designer might argue that open design could result in loads of ugly
products, expressing a concern that if anyone can do it, amateurs will
pollute the beautiful world of design.
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”Marleen Stikker, OpenDesign Now
Souce: http://opendesignnow.org/index.php/article/introduction-marleen-
stikker/
A MORAL DILEMMA:
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16. ‘Free open source is free if your time is worth nothing.’
‘You can sell your services to people if what you produce is sufficiently
complex or difficult that people cannot use it easily. They'll pay you to save
the hassle. And if you look at the areas in which FOSS [open source] has
been commercially successful... you will find that they nearly all have this
pattern. But if you produce something that is highly useful, easy to use,
intuitive, reliable and well documented, then giving it away as FOSS is
commercial suicide because there is little or no market value for your
services. The market value is in the product and not in your services.’
GATHERED FROM THE WEB
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WHY OPEN DESIGN IS COUNTER-
INTUITIVE:

17. 1. QUALITY
• Subpar collaborators
• Abandoned
• Incomplete
2. RELIABILITY
• Prone to problems
• Lacking a dedicated team of specialists
• Maintenence and Improvement
3. ACCOUNTABILITY
• Who do you go to when something goes wrong?
• Fixing problems
4. SUSTAINABILITY
• The economic model for open source is not viable as it often relies on corporate and
taxpayer money to sustain itself
WHY OPEN DESIGN IS COUNTER-
INTUITIVE:
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18. IF TECHNOLOGY WAS A REFERENCE POINT:
Rasmus Lerdorf
Creator of PHP
Market Share: 82%
Mainly private startups
Bill Gates
Creator of ASP
Market Share: 17.3%
Mainly corporate and government entities
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19. OPEN DESIGN
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OPEN DESIGN CHALLENGES THE
GRAND NARRATIVES USED IN HUMAN
SOCIETY, BUSINESS LOGIC AND THE
STATUS QUO

20. A. Open Design:
• is an alternative form of intellectual proprietorship and ownership
• can be beneficial to tackle complex problems by creating new knowledge
• can be used to challenge the hegemony of corporations
• has problems regarding ownership, accountability and sustainability
B. Closed Design:
• is the normal practice of intellectual proprietorship and ownership
• limited to a fixed problem and scope
• can be used for profiteering
• ensures accountability, continuity and responsibility.
SUMMARY
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21. FURTHER THINKING:
It is much easier to contextualise open design in:
• Product and Industrial Design through free available ideas
• Programming i.e. PHP, Python, Linux
• Electronics i.e. 3D printing, Arduino etc
Question: What is the graphic designer’s role in open design?
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