Lessons to learn? ICDHS

„Lessons to Learn? Past Design Experiences and Contemporary Design Practices“ is the book of proceedings of the ICDHS 12th International Conference on Design History and Design Studies held online and organized by Institute for  the Research of the Avant-Garde in Zagreb from October 16 to 18, 2020. The book, edited by Fedja Vukić and Iva Kostešić, brings a collection of over 60 scientific papers covering the wide field of design history and design studies from a variety of perspectives. The papers are organized in a total of seven chapters, following in a slightly changed manner, the strands and topics of the conference. As noted by Vukić in the introduction, the book is an “attempt to lay a path for the research of today and tomorrow, where design history merges with design studies.”

The first and fifth chapter, Challenging Orthodoxies: Design History and Design Studies I & II, bring papers that challenge design historical and design studies orthodoxies and limitations. Chapter two, The Social Impact of Design, includes papers that focus on the social impact of design and design projects aimed at utopian social visions and/or social inclusion. The third chapter, Cultural Roles of Design Practice, explores the interconnection between design and culture, between objects and context, while chapter four, Politics and Design: Past, Present, Future, focuses on the history of ideas, concepts and projects in the context of design and its political and ideological legacy within different social and economic systems. Chapter six, Design and Technology, gives contemporary research on artificial intelligence, design and digital networks, and technology, design and the body. The final, seventh chapter, Epilogue: A More Adjusted Design for the Future, explores craft, the creative industries and sustainability in relation to design.