Design History Annual Conference 2019: The Cost of Design
Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
5-7 September 2019
‘The Cost of Design’ explores the complexities of the historic and contemporary relationship between design and economy. Design is both influenced by, and can shape, economic systems. Both ‘cost’ and ‘economy’ are to be understood beyond their financial implications. ‘Cost’ is en-visaged as the exchange of resources, meaning or value. The conference looks at how design sustains, accelerates or challenges dominant systems and examines the resulting social, cultur-al, economic or environmental consequences that arise. It examines the roles of design in rap-idly changing economies, examining the relationship between technological advances and the economy. ‘The Cost of Design’ also looks at design’s relationship to the political economy and the global/regional/local exchanges occurring within. Design practices can react to, resist, challenge or seek to influence economies that are viewed to negatively impact in some way. The ways in which design has been used to affect positive change within economic systems will also be examined.
The conference welcomes historic, contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches to the top-ic, and invites contributions from design historians, scholars, and academics in related fields, as well as design practitioners and educators, museum professionals and students.
Topics might include:
Technological and changing economies
· Impact of automation
· Digitisation of design culture
· Hybridisation of physical and virtual spaces
Political economies and global/local exchange
· Supply chains, manufacture and relocation vis-à-vis geopolitical and cultural borders
· Challenges to/persistence of dichotomies of North/South; East/West; Centre/Periphery
· Dynamics of transcultural (intra- or extra regional) design
· The relationship between design and soft power
· Appropriation and Copyright
Resistance, sharing economies and design
· Design for “post-growth” economies
· Political design in a national/regional/local context
· Artisanal/craft solutions
· Indigenous autonomy
· Designing for wellbeing, happiness and social values
Individual papers of 20 minutes, or proposals for full panels of three papers related to the top-ics listed above or theme of ‘The Cost of Design’ will be considered. Panel proposals must in-clude abstracts for all three papers, in addition to a short description of the panel theme.
All proposals will be double-blind reviewed and selected by the conference committee.
Submissions are due Monday, 25 February 2019 and should:
1. Be sent in the form of a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx)
2. Not exceed 300 words
3. Include the title of the paper
4. Include the author’s full name, title, position and institution
5. Include a brief professional biography (not exceeding 50 words)
Submissions should be sent to costofdesign.dhs2019@gmail.com to the attention of the Academic Convener.
The Design History Society at https://www.designhistorysociety.org/
Participants asking questions during the beginning of the workshop. 
