Normative design principles still apply (Rams, 1976).
Reclaim the future. Or speculate on a plurality of futures beyond the simply techno-heroic.
More importantly, reclaim the present – speculate on different versions of today.
Avoid one-liners or overt provocations – these lead to easy dissemination and the illusion of success but ultimately achieve little.
Identify a clear purpose for the project – and then aim to create action in the real world.
Good design should be seen as a combination of means and ends. Speculate on alternative or new means (of production, resources, infrastructures …) and the ends they produce.
Keep in mind that all designed things have consequences, both known and unknown. Design is never apolitical. Use speculation to explore implications as well as applications.
These implications impact not only humans, but also nonhumans. Embrace the (systemic) complexity of the design problem.
Act now (with small actions / movements) rather than waiting for disaster. Think about futures that will flourish from these small actions.
Learn from design at the margins / periphery (geographic, economic, political or disciplinary). By necessity it is more agile, adaptive, frugal.
Acknowledge your epistemic boundaries. Speculative design is thematically promiscuous and demands interaction / dialogue / collaboration with diverse “others”.
Rather than designing objects to be replicated everywhere, design things with local resources, materials, knowledge, communities and making. This, by necessity, involves dialogue with locals.
Speculative design is about learning to question, examine and critique – and this is a duty, not a privilege.
Originally published in Beyond Speculative Design: Past – Present – Future
eds. Ivica Mitrović, James Auger, Julian Hanna, Ingi Helgason
2021, SpeculativeEdu; Arts Academy, University of Split
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