This Friday (19th) saw the opening of ‘Launch’ one of the UK’s best design showcases. Coinciding with the DOTT07 events the exhibition manages to get the message of DOTT over without being over-conceptual and dry (unfortunately not every DOTT event has carried this off!). Design can and does tackle some of our biggest problems but can be engaging and fun at the same time. Whether this is making us aware of material usage and recycling in a quirky mad professoresque way with a recycling design factory (Cohda, www.cohda.com), being just plain cool (Deadgood, www.deadgoodltd.co.uk), reinvigorating objects from our past (James Design, www.jamesdesignuk.com) or making the audience the creators (If You Could, www.ifyoucould.co.uk) every trap needs a lure. If we as designers want ordinary people to engage with design we have to be interesting first. We think Launch gets this just right.
….In any case any event that involves hauling huge shipping containers into the front of a disused fire-station and transforming a generally bleak city centre location into a hip design venue gets our vote.