Unconscious Design

<p><i>When I look at our everyday landscape, I see a cadence of shame built into objects we barely notice. The fridge door that hides the cost of living crisis on the empty shelf. The CV that turns a complex life into a pass/fail test. The tent pitched outside a disused shop, that broadcasts homelessness to everyone who walks past. The accessible toilet sign that asks you to prove you “deserve” the extra space.</i></p><p>Through everyday artefacts – from a speeding ticket, to a toy soldier, to a traffic light – Judah Armani carries us through the stories and systems that shape our world, and the unconscious and unintended consequences of their designs.</p><p>Blending together threads from social theory, service design, and lived experiences, the book explores how designed objects – whether they were deliberately styled or evolved over time - shine a light on the underlying systems affecting how we live, who belongs, and who is left out. It is a call to design better and to do better, to consciously raise our awareness of assumptions and judgments, and to work more honestly with all groups within society.</p><p>Design belongs to everyone, and through collective collaboration we can design better to enact real civic change that works for everyone.</p>