Alice Rawsthorn presents Design Emergency

Summary

The video script discusses the pivotal role of design in addressing the COVID-19 crisis, highlighting the 'Design Emergency' platform co-founded by the speaker and Paola Antonelli. It showcases how global design leaders have creatively tackled challenges from public awareness to medical treatment, with examples like the iconic SARS-CoV-2 illustration and the Afghan Dreamer robotics team's ventilator. The script emphasizes the need for thoughtful design in post-pandemic reconstruction, focusing on health care, housing, and social systems, advocating for design as a key tool for tackling broader societal issues.

Takeaways

• 🏥 The script highlights the role of design in emergencies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing its importance in finding solutions to global crises.
• 🌐 The launch of the 'Design Emergency' research platform by the speaker and Paola Antonelli is aimed at investigating the global design response to COVID-19 and other emergencies, showcasing the potential of design to influence public and political perceptions.
• 💡 The script acknowledges the courage, creativity, and resourcefulness of designers, architects, and engineers in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic from the outset.
• 📊 The critical role of design in explaining and visualizing COVID-19, especially in the early stages of the pandemic, is underscored by the work of medical illustrators like Alissa Eckert and Dan Higgins.
• 🔍 The 'Spiky Blob' visualization of SARS-CoV-2 became a globally recognized image, symbolizing the pandemic and influencing public perception and response.
• 🏥 The script discusses the contributions of design to COVID-19 treatment, including the expansion of telemedical networks and the redesign of healthcare facilities by organizations like MASS Design Group.
• 🏁 The global design race for ventilators revealed the challenges of meeting medical standards and the importance of collaboration, pragmatism, and the use of standardized components.
• 🌟 The Afghan Dreamer robotics team's story exemplifies the ingenuity and determination of young designers in creating solutions under challenging circumstances.
• 📢 The importance of clear, precise, and coherent public information programs in emergencies is highlighted, with the Unite Against COVID-19 campaign from New Zealand as a successful example.
• 🤝 The script emphasizes the community spirit and volunteer networks that have been crucial in producing personal protective equipment and supporting vulnerable populations during the pandemic.
• ⚠️ The script also points out design failures, such as the poor design of PPE and the inhumane treatment of homeless individuals, as reminders of the need for better design in post-pandemic reconstruction.
• 🛠️ The speaker and Paola Antonelli aim to position design at the forefront of post-pandemic reconstruction, focusing on interviews with global design leaders who are reinventing various aspects of society to make it more fit for purpose.

Q & A

What was the primary purpose of launching the 'Design Emergency' platform?

The 'Design Emergency' platform was launched to investigate the global design response to COVID-19 and other emergencies, with the aim of raising awareness of design's value in a global crisis and ensuring its role in the radical redesign and reconstruction of our lives post-pandemic.

Who are the founders of the 'Design Emergency' platform and what are their roles?

The 'Design Emergency' platform was founded by Paola Antonelli, a senior curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and a friend who is not named in the transcript. They are both convinced that the crisis could change public and political perceptions of design.

What was the initial response to COVID-19 in terms of design?

The initial design response to COVID-19 involved creating visualizations to explain what the virus was, particularly by medical illustrators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who created the iconic 'Spiky Blob' image of SARS-CoV-2.

How did the 'Spiky Blob' image contribute to public perception of COVID-19?

The 'Spiky Blob' image gave a face to the unknown, making the virus more tangible and understandable to the public. It was designed to convey the danger of the new infection, prompting people to take it seriously and elicit instinctive responses.

What role did the MASS Design Group play in the design response to COVID-19?

The MASS Design Group in Boston swiftly converted some of its recently-built healthcare facilities in Rwanda and Haiti into COVID care centers, applying lessons learned from previous crises. They also advised hospitals in the US, such as Mount Sinai in New York, on facility conversions for COVID treatment.

What was the global design race for ventilators and what were its outcomes?

The global design race for ventilators involved hundreds of designers, engineers, and manufacturers attempting to develop new ventilators quickly. The most successful attempts were modest and pragmatic, often modifying existing systems and using standardized components, rather than designing from scratch.

What is an example of a grassroots design initiative that emerged during the pandemic?

An example of a grassroots design initiative is the Afghan Dreamer robotics team, consisting of five teenage girls who designed and built emergency ventilators using recycled components, including car parts, under challenging conditions in their home city of Herat.

How did the design of public information campaigns vary in effectiveness during the pandemic?

Most COVID campaigns were not clear, precise, or coherent, with the UK being cited as an example. However, the Unite Against COVID-19 campaign in New Zealand, designed by the Clemenger BBDO marketing agency, was an exception, being put together quickly and constantly refined for clarity and accessibility.

What role did volunteer networks play in the design response to COVID-19?

Volunteer networks worldwide were invaluable in mass-producing personal protective equipment for frontline workers and providing practical help for vulnerable neighbors, such as shopping for food and collecting prescriptions. In India, self-help groups were particularly dynamic in these efforts.

What are some of the design deficiencies that have been exposed by the pandemic?

Design deficiencies exposed by the pandemic include the poor design of PPE causing damage to healthcare workers' faces and the lack of consideration for homeless populations, such as the Las Vegas homeless shelter incident. These deficiencies highlight the need for better design in future crisis responses.

How does the 'Design Emergency' platform intend to influence post-pandemic reconstruction?

The 'Design Emergency' platform aims to persuade more people, especially decision-makers, to see design as a powerful tool to address various challenges and to place it at the forefront of post-pandemic reconstruction by showcasing constructive design responses to COVID-19.