where is design going?
a snapshot report on the milan design week 2007

we had a difficult time choosing the images for this year's showcase. whilst designboom
aim to provide our readers with an accurate account of the contemporary design scene,
each year we are lead to question the sensibility of the projects we have seen. the designboom
team have been in the 'design business' over 20 years, and with this 'maker' experience it
is sometimes difficult for us to report objectively. in our opinion, the design practise is always
a matter of perspective and based on the recognition of need, 'real need'! the problem is that
most needs are ephemeral and that's why most designs are ephemeral. design depends largely
on constraints, and these usually include ethics. design is a method of action - to see if if people's
interest go beyond the surface of things. 'good' design, like anything 'good', is a manifestation of
the capacity of the human spirit to transcend its limitations. it enriches its maker (through the
experience of making) and its viewer/user (who, interacts to what it has to say). where is the
attempt of cultural participation within the practise of design today?