Victor Papanek is known as an activist, writer, and designer who made history. He was one of the first to discover issues of sustainable and social design in the 1960’s.
Social design is design that seeks to solve humanitarian issues such as improving living conditions for its beneficiaries.
He used to also design radios and televisions for African American countries, electric vehicles, and the Fingermajig (an object designed to stimulate the sense of touch), just to name a few…
Papanek also took the time to focus on researching about ergonomics. He touched upon this in his seminal article, “The Future Isn’t What It Used To Be” and mentioned his concerns about the negative impact created by the high-tech industry in each product and service offered.
His greatest concern was, ““…such methods lead to reductionism and frequently results in sterility and the sort of high-tech functionalism.”
– Victor Papanek
Human- Centered Action Research
Now, his work has led designers to today’s awareness and understanding how our brain connects with our emotions, thoughts, and personal experiences from multiple perspectives.
Amanda Geffner FA 102D Spring 2020 Blog 