In 2020, Ben Gaydos, Namita Dharia, and I came up with the idea of updating the First Things First Manifesto. Re-writing it through the lens of, at the time, the current state of, well everything.
The First Things First 2020 Manifesto called out what needed to be called out. We named what design had become: a service industry for capitalism, dressed up in trendy fonts and good intentions. We called for a full reversal of priorities such as:
- Supporting community-based efforts to advance and promote justice, healing, co-existence, and mutual respect.
- An understanding that we are not outside of nature; we are a part of a complex system and our actions must reflect that knowledge.
- Directing our skills for the betterment of humanity towards a more ecological civilization.
Six years later, after re-reading the doc, I’m asking what its impact was.
Today, climate breakdown is still accelerating. Political institutions are cracking. The job market has gotten worse due to AI hollowing out jobs. Social media has ramped up even more anxiety and isolation.
The systems we called out in the FTF2020 edition haven't really changed for the better. They are still operating under the status-quo that got us into this mess.
Yet, at the same time, I’m seeing people waking up and asking questions, challenging the status-quo, remembering what matters.
Communities are investing in resiliency efforts. Neighborhood events are popping up. Young people are rejecting the hustle culture in the workplace. There is a hunger for connection, for meaning, for something that isn't screen-based or monetized by a platform or algorithm.
When we drafted the FTF2020 manifesto, we focused on the design industry. Now reading it six years later, I’m taking away something more, an underlying theme that highlights who we are in relationship to each other, to the land, to the systems we build and maintain.
As of this writing, we currently have over 2800 signatories. The manifesto has been translated into 28 languages, with Swedish being the latest.
What do you think of the manifesto? Does it resonate or miss the mark? What else can we say to to designers to stand up, push back, and demand for a better design industry?
Read the FTF2020 manifesto and sign if it resonates with you.
Oh, and check out a podcast interview I did with my good friend/co-author of FTF2020, Ben Gaydos.
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