Critical Design in Context: History, Theory, and Practice

Critical Design in Context has become a key text in design literature offering a conceptual introduction to the methods and operation of Critical and Speculative Design practice, and explaining how critical design can work in practice through a range of contemporary examples.

Critical Design moves away from traditional approaches that limit design’s role to the production of profitable objects, focusing instead on a practice that is interrogative, discursive and experimental. Since its publication and continued dissemination there is a much more diverse and plural body of practice that can be presented and discussed in a context of Critical Speculative Design (CSD) beyond the scope and gaze of the industrial designer.

This second edition begins to address this plurality in practice and extends the examples presented. It considers Interaction Design (UI, UX), Futures and anticipatory innovation and design examples from critical service design, fashion design and design led social innovation. The text focuses more on the relationship between critical / speculative design and design futures, experiential futures, and foresight. It introduces plural ontological design and its world-building agency in address to complex matters of concern. In this new edition, the author also draws upon and celebrates the theoretical work of Deepa Butoliya, Daniela K Rosner and others who have moved the contextual discourse of critical design to consider more diverse accounts and interpretations of the practice.

Finally, a new discussion will demonstrate how the use and prominence of critical and speculative practices in design culture emerges, re-emerges and is today sustained relative to socio-economic agitation and global matters of concern. This discussion will show a direct correlation of CSD to global events and their impacts on the design profession.

Matt Malpass is a lecturer and design researcher at Central Saint Martin’s, London, UK. He is Course Leader on MA Industrial Design and a Research Fellow in Critical Design in the Socially Responsive Design and Innovation Hub.