Design will see us through the downturn, says Sorrell
Sir John Sorrell is promoting design as a force for good that will see the UK through the economic downturn it currently faces.
Sir John Sorrell is promoting design as a force for good that will see the UK through the economic downturn it currently faces.
‘I believe that the greatest creativity happens in adversity,’ he says. ‘And I believe creativity in adversity is the key to success. I believe in the power of design to solve problems and [foster] innovation.’
He continues, ‘Design for me is the powerhouse of the creative industries. It is the catalyst that restarts the economic engines of nations.’
As chairman of the London Design Festival, Sorrell was speaking in London last week to an audience of LDF partners and media. He said the sixth festival, scheduled for September, will ‘take place in a very different context to the past five’.
‘The past ten years have seen a pretty good time – and the past five years a boom time – for design,’ he said. ‘This time, there is doom and gloom around, but when the going gets tough, design gets going.’
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Adversity is a boundary, an instrumental tool of the creative. A world of rounded corners and no stubbed toes is hardly inspirational.
How might design “restart the economic engines”, not impossible by any means. Those designers who are infatuated by design, who love what they do have this passion embodied within their work. The trend of the companies’ wallet being the main decision maker might be replaced by a passion to combat this growing “adversity”, by those who now care about their business and their work as much as we do. Great design can grow from this shared drive to create something outstanding and remarkable. We should ensure this direction be maintained if and when these companies emerge from the economic downfall, rather than relax and instigate a future collapse in both the economy and standard of design.