Witch Workshop – Designed by witch designer to redesign design
The witch workshop is a tool to intervene in the traditional design education system. Perhaps a chance for a stimulus to initiate a change in society’s perception of what a designer is today. The program containing all the tools necessary to conduct the workshop is intended for general access.
The vast majority of society accepts a fashion designer, a product designer, a game designer as the norm. An attempt to explain the role of a designer in spheres that go beyond the norm meets with misunderstanding on the part of society and criticism and hostility from the environment that deals with designing in a traditional way. The designer witch says stop, we should accept that the traditional notion of the designer profession as someone who focuses on designing new items to drive consumerism must be a thing of the past. Designers are not necessarily needed to solve the problems of combining aesthetics with functionality, but designing comprehensive solutions aimed at introducing changes necessary in the light of the crisis.
Design is often referred to only as designing and producing objects, graphics, fashion, games or space.
The question to be asked is: what can design do today? The more important question becomes: why? Not: what does it look like and how is it used?
My project is an intervention tool that includes a presentation with exercises designed by me, information materials for anyone who would like to conduct the workshop themselves and a step-by-step example scenario, tips and resources where you can learn more about the issues raised. All materials are publicly available. Designed for young design students at universities with a very traditional approach to design, which mainly teach that good design is “a combination of meeting the needs of the soul and mind – aesthetics and functionality.” The workshop is also for anyone who wants to learn about less traditional design methods, about how the role of a designer has changed today.
Why designer witch?
Witches break the mold and gain secret knowledge. The designer witch breaks free from stereotypes and wants to share knowledge and spread awareness and change the perception of what design and designer are.
Witch-hunts were a way to get rid of women who were a threat to others, they were a competitor in lucrative professions.
The designer witch can be seen as a threat to the lucrative interests that drive consumerism and capitalism.
Witches were considered a serious threat. Now we know that they were characters who wanted to help, who knew how to positively change the sometimes difficult reality, and who is on the side of good and caring. It’s the same with witch designers.
