Design to think about

Gender Design Award Volition 2023, given by iGDN e.V.

Who is afraid? How can security be designed??

How can design open up a space for reflection and discourse? The young Swiss industrial designers Ava Toyloy and Eileen Good (ZHdK) use the self-defence wearables designed by the fictitious brand RE ACT in their bachelor thesis to stimulate reflection and discussion about safety from assault in public spaces. They receive the Gender Design Award in the category Volition because they initiate social discourse about an underrepresented social problem in an extraordinary, activating way.

For RE ACT, the young designers offer various products for sale in an apparent web shop. As in a real shop, we find, for example, a product description with the functions and benefits of the "RE-PUSH" saftywest: "RE-PUSH consists of two components - the waistcoat and the airbag. It allows you to protect your inner self if an unwanted person gets too close. The unexpected and deafening mechanism deters the intruder. Thanks to its discreet and sporty look, you can wear the waistcoat with any outfit and all year round."

A well-placed slogan presents the brand message: "Don't be scared, be safe." Clicking on the buy button reveals the true intention when an overlay appears with the provocative message: "Can safety be bought?"

This thought-provoking project explores the role of design in promoting safety in public spaces through speculative design. In design practice, the approach of 'speculative design' aims to explore and critique possible futures by creating speculative, often provocative scenarios told through designed artefacts.

Toyloy and Good impressed the jury for a number of reasons: the jury found their ability to engage the public in dialogue by presenting provocative scenarios through their products and concepts particularly commendable. The use of speculative design to create fictional scenarios encourages the public to consider alternative solutions to current security problems. The designers who developed this project have demonstrated both exceptional design skills and critical thinking in their approach to solving a critical social problem. With RE ACT, they prove that design can inspire thought and bring about change. https://showcasedesign.zhdk.ch/personen/2022/re-act/