Design as if you care — on colonialism, norms and design

When you design for everyone, you design for no one. Instead, you design for the norm, and the norm is based on power structures many of us question today. Let’s look at colonialism, norm criticism, how that is linked to design, and how we can design better.

Looking at my colonised surroundings

I’ve started walking my mother in law’s dog lately, and it’s taken me on daily adventures around the nearby forests, fields and beaches. It’s been a lovely new routine. However, I’ve noticed, an abundance of signs spelling “Private property, no access”. Some go further and let you know what might happen if you continue anyway. It is really quite confronting to see nature cordoned off, fenced in and feel the passive threat from these signs.

This is the context I live in, and I want to see it for what it is. I’m in Te Tai Tokerau, Aotearoa, celebrating a Christian winter tradition under my nikau palms in the middle of summer. Colonialism introduced a British culture in the South Pacific. It also introduced land ownership and privatisation here through the British settlers. It reduced the commons to something only a few could purchase and access, and in doing so, it took away from the people, the right to be free. We as people lost access to our land, our whenua.

A colonial context

Colonialism takes different shapes in different places. It can be defined as “control by one power over a dependent area or people” as described by Erin Blakemore in this National Geographic article.

The concept of colonialism is closely linked to that of imperialism, which is the policy or ethos of using power and influence to control another nation or people that underlies colonialism.

This control is closely linked to taking over land, imposing culture, law and religion on people, and using resources for one’s own expansion.

Design and colonialism

Pedro Oliveira talks in an interview by Felipe Sbravate about how at design school, we are taught that design was born with the industrial revolution, a perspective that completely ignores and takes no notice of the fact that people around the world have designed…