A question posed to Jody Boehnert from Eco-Labs

Eco-Labs

If things happen as they need to, sustainability will not simply be a trend or fad. It will really need to root itself into the values of Western society. As of right now, with society based on consumption, in order for sustainable principles to become integrated into lifestyle habits, it will require (and of course I am clearly not the first person to say this) a paradigm shift. Here's the question: do you think communication design could play a major role in this shift?

Yes, if communication design were not powerful, designers would not get paid so much to do it! Design is a lucrative industry for some because design is a means to make new ideas understandable and also seductive. Building a sustainable society will require dramatic change. The design industry could help create a understanding of the issues and the solutions. Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen if we rely only on the market to solve our problems. We need to look at the systemic causes of the problems, and recognize that designers are implicit in driving a model of consumption which is now seriously effecting the biosphere. We have not very much time now to bring about the necessary changes, and we need to harness the skills in design immediately to address this global level crisis.