Coming Soon : Obsolescence

I often write “coming soon” as titles while I am working on my posts even if I post other ones before they are finished. I will publish a new post before the previous is finished, not rendering it obsolete but making it “old”, and in the world of commerce that means it is past its prime. This got me thinking about the concept of commercial design and how whenever a new product hits the market, there is a new one in development and ready to replace it.

Design has become a promise of the next best thing, a cycle of planned obsolescence that results in more than just a waste of materials, but a waste of craft and engineering. I can use the trite example of electronics but I’d prefer to look at the design process itself.

Once one project/object is finished, another is already underway or scheduled to begin in order to replace the now old project/object. This seems like an unnecessary waste of resources and talent. While there may be budget or technological restraints, as designers, we should push ourselves to design the best possible product anyways and not hold back innovation in order to introduce it in a few months after an inferior product is introduced in order to make money. Therein lies the crux of the conflict though, money. Our profession is a capital driven craft and if we were to stop concerning ourselves with profit and just emphasizing ideals and philanthropy we would just be artists (no offense intended). I find myself turning in projects only to be thinking of how I can make it better and essentially replace it and render it obsolete. I have become resigned to the notion that is just how we as designers think. We create what we can in the time we have. Our nature is to never be satisfied with the status quo and engage in a never-ending process improving the world around us.