Adrian Shaughnessy is a graphic designer and writer based in London. He is a senior tutor in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art and a founding partner in Unit Editions - a publishing company producing books on design and visual culture.
In August 2011, Shaughnessy posted an article on the Designer Observer on the part designers may have played in the London Riots. In the article, titled 'The Politics of Desire and Looting,' Shaughnessy attempts to identify where the blame should lie in regard to responsibility for the London Riots.
He speaks of where blame has been put, including on politicians, the Metropolitan Police who triggered the rioting by shooting a man in the street, the nation’s under-funded education system, city councils for closing youth centres, parents of the rioters, role models in entertainment and sport, greedy bankers and even British rappers. All these considered, Shaughnessy believes another group of people are to blame: designers.
It is Shaughnessy's view that the designers' role in graphic design having been to create 'branding and collateral of desire' is the reason for the riots occurrence - as these desirable products and services that have been produced inspire a feeling among persons from lower-socioeconomic classes of exclusion from 'the great orgy of consumer acquisitiveness that is flaunted in front of them daily'. He sees it that they are excluded from the world of desire and consumption created by brand owners, advertising agencies, art directors, graphic designers, photographers, product designers, retail designers, architects, stylists, retouchers, and copywriters.
While the article rouses an interesting viewpoint, the majority of the comments show a collective feeling of bewilderment and interrogation of Shaughnessy's apparent belief in regard to where the blame should land for the riots.
The article, in my opinion, seems somewhat unjust - however - the consideration of the power design has in regard to social construct and class is interesting and could be explored further.
The article can be found here: http://designobserver.com/article.php?id=29508
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