Can Design In America Avoid The Style Trap?
DESIGN is the art that is hidden in plain sight. In the United States, those design disciplines not prefaced by ”fashion” have long been the neglected stepchildren of culture and commerce. But unlike fashion, which trades in distant desire, the work of product designers, graphic designers and architects is all around us: sneakers and staplers, trivets and towers, Web sites and Weber grills. By many measures, design has never been more popular in this country; new magazines line the shelves, design-intensive products turn shoppers’ heads. But design has gained its current popularity by aping the devices of its sociable cousin, couture: guru stars, a rolling fashion cycle, collaboration with eager media. Following the success of Wallpaper, which pioneered the design-as-couture formula in the press, mainstream magazines are joining the design trades in overheated boosterism of the field. In March, Time announced ”The Rebirth of Design,” followed by the portentous sub-head, ”Function
