The Third Design Wave
“A new civilization is emerging in our lives, and blind men everywhere are trying to suppress it. This new civilization brings with it new family styles; changed ways of working, loving, and living; a new economy; new political conflicts; and beyond all this an altered consciousness as well. Pieces of this new civilization exist today. Millions are already attuning their lives to the rhythms of tomorrow. Others, terrified of the future, are engaged in a desperate, futile flight into the past and are trying to restore the dying world that gave them birth.” - Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave
When I was in college in the late '80s, Alvin Toffler's book, The Third Wave, was creating quite a stir on my campus. Professors were pontificating its meaning to bleary-eyed students. Curriculums were being rewritten. Guest speakers were popping up everywhere exploring the implications of this landmark book. Given all this hoopla, I had an inkling that Toffler's concepts were important, but I really just wanted to pass the classes. What I didn't understand then and am beginning to now, is how applicable his book is to the heart and soul of design.
Toffler's basic premise in 1984 was that civilization is undergoing a cataclysmic shift from the First Wave (agricultural society) to the Second Wave (industrialized society) to the Third Wave. The Third Wave is described by Toffler in many ways: the information explosion, the shift in families, the space age, terrorism, etc. What I'd like to focus on is what Toffler refers to as the “deepest creative restructuring of all time.” Daniel Pink has called it the shift from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. In the Conceptual Age, Pink say's we'll see not only the rise of a ‘free agent nation,’ but primarily the dominance of the creative class in all spheres of society. Without repeating a previous article, I think that both Toffler's and Pink's theories are being played out as design shifts from passenger to driver in business, culture and society.
In the recent post "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," we took a peak at design's family tree. We pondered design's role in society…who it serves and how it functions beyond stylistic movements. Now I'd like to apply Toffler's Wave Theory and Pink's Free Agent and Conceptual Age propositions to design. Maybe we can come up with a Design Wave theory that works something like this: The First Design Wave was sparked by the development of the printing press, but didn't really reach maturity until the Toffler's Second Wave of the Industrial Revolution. I'll call this first design wave the Industrial Design Wave. Design was the child of the Industrial Revolution and grew up in its house serving these industrial parents, industry and art. The Second Design Wave started as the Industrial Design Wave reached its zenith in the mid-1900s. I see this as the Advertising Design Wave. The Advertising Design Wave is the teen years of design. In the teen years, design's voice is changing and cracking. Its muscles are developing but its movement is awkward. And there are pimples everywhere. During this Second Design Wave, design lives with its industrial and artistic parents, but has met a new and powerful older friend in advertising. Its now time for design to go to college and start the Third Design Wave…Business Design. During the Business Design Wave we'll see design serve business directly (rather than through advertising) and create new businesses from design itself (a.k.a. design entrepreneurialism). Funny, this is what happens in college too. You develop friendships that last a lifetime and try things out on your own.
And that's really why I'm writing this article. I want to focus on the design entrepreneurialism part of the Business Design Wave. We've been trying to understand the gap between passion and profession for designers. I think that design entrepreneurialism may be one way to bridge this gap. So, I'd like to start a list of example firms, sites, events, or whatever, where people are venturing out and creating businesses based on design. Help me fill in the list, and let's see what this Third Design Wave is shaping up to be. Here's a start:
When I was in college in the late '80s, Alvin Toffler's book, The Third Wave, was creating quite a stir on my campus. Professors were pontificating its meaning to bleary-eyed students. Curriculums were being rewritten. Guest speakers were popping up everywhere exploring the implications of this landmark book. Given all this hoopla, I had an inkling that Toffler's concepts were important, but I really just wanted to pass the classes. What I didn't understand then and am beginning to now, is how applicable his book is to the heart and soul of design.
Toffler's basic premise in 1984 was that civilization is undergoing a cataclysmic shift from the First Wave (agricultural society) to the Second Wave (industrialized society) to the Third Wave. The Third Wave is described by Toffler in many ways: the information explosion, the shift in families, the space age, terrorism, etc. What I'd like to focus on is what Toffler refers to as the “deepest creative restructuring of all time.” Daniel Pink has called it the shift from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. In the Conceptual Age, Pink say's we'll see not only the rise of a ‘free agent nation,’ but primarily the dominance of the creative class in all spheres of society. Without repeating a previous article, I think that both Toffler's and Pink's theories are being played out as design shifts from passenger to driver in business, culture and society.
In the recent post "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," we took a peak at design's family tree. We pondered design's role in society…who it serves and how it functions beyond stylistic movements. Now I'd like to apply Toffler's Wave Theory and Pink's Free Agent and Conceptual Age propositions to design. Maybe we can come up with a Design Wave theory that works something like this: The First Design Wave was sparked by the development of the printing press, but didn't really reach maturity until the Toffler's Second Wave of the Industrial Revolution. I'll call this first design wave the Industrial Design Wave. Design was the child of the Industrial Revolution and grew up in its house serving these industrial parents, industry and art. The Second Design Wave started as the Industrial Design Wave reached its zenith in the mid-1900s. I see this as the Advertising Design Wave. The Advertising Design Wave is the teen years of design. In the teen years, design's voice is changing and cracking. Its muscles are developing but its movement is awkward. And there are pimples everywhere. During this Second Design Wave, design lives with its industrial and artistic parents, but has met a new and powerful older friend in advertising. Its now time for design to go to college and start the Third Design Wave…Business Design. During the Business Design Wave we'll see design serve business directly (rather than through advertising) and create new businesses from design itself (a.k.a. design entrepreneurialism). Funny, this is what happens in college too. You develop friendships that last a lifetime and try things out on your own.
And that's really why I'm writing this article. I want to focus on the design entrepreneurialism part of the Business Design Wave. We've been trying to understand the gap between passion and profession for designers. I think that design entrepreneurialism may be one way to bridge this gap. So, I'd like to start a list of example firms, sites, events, or whatever, where people are venturing out and creating businesses based on design. Help me fill in the list, and let's see what this Third Design Wave is shaping up to be. Here's a start:
+ IDEOGee, I know I had more bookmarked but can't find them now. Will add more when I do. What are your Third Design Wave examples?
+ Cloudal Partners
+ 37Signals
+ 9Rules
posted by fivemcclungs at 12:47 PM
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