In the lead up to #WorldDesignDay I'm highlighting #Design projects that change the world for the better.

First things First Manifesto (1964)

'Written in 1963 and published in 1964 by Ken Garland along with 20 other designers, photographers and students, the manifesto was a reaction to the staunch society of 1960s Britain and called for a return to a humanist aspect of design. It lashed out against the fast-paced and often trivial productions of mainstream advertising, calling them trivial and time-consuming. It's solution was to focus efforts of design on education and public service tasks that promoted the betterment of society.'

It matters as it gave designers permission to push back againt capitalist and materialism norms and to seek to do deeper important work as part of redefining what it meant to be a designer. Yeah not everyone got onboard, but it further a movement of designers critical of being tools of excesssive capitalist production. The poster also features a nice modernisit typographic design that remains easy to read and engage with

http://www.designishistory.com/1960/first-things-first

#FirstThingsFirstManifesto #Design #DesignResearch #DesignEthics #Manifesto