In the era when everyone talks about design, we should stay rational.

In the book Design for the Real World, Victor Papanek proposed that designers should design for the real world, that is, for the needs of most people, not for the needs of the few; Design should be comprehensive rather than one-sided, functional rather than formalistic, sustainable rather than short-lived. Papanek's "design ethics" still has certain practical significance.

Nowadays, with the increasing contradictions between people, society and environment, how should design better serve the real world? What should be the connection between design and people, design and environment, design and society? What kind of vision, capability and sense of social responsibility should designers have? Ruben Asuo, the chief designer of "Gravel-a football shoe from Ghana,” the award-winning works of the 2022 DIA Young Talents Award, gave his answer.

Introduction

Owner: FH Joanneum

Chief designer: Ruben Asuo (Austria)

2022 DIA Young Talents Award

Gravel is a football shoe specially designed for the harsh conditions of football fields in Ghana. It consists of a hemp upper and a replaceable rubber sole, and the replaceable rubber sole is connected with the hemp upper through an innovative lace-up system.

Design and football

Ruben Asuo's journey in the field of design is inseparable from football. He grew up in Austria, and his father is Ghanaian and his mother is Austrian. Due to cultural differences, he started looking for ways to establish connections with people around him at an early age. In the end, he found the connection between people through football, and it was football that made him realize the concept of design for the first time. In addition, Ruben likes to tinker with objects, for example, adding some decorations to football shoes, which further increases his interest in the way objects are made and the relevant principles behind them. Perhaps it was Ruben's childhood experience and his passion for football that made him decide to start a research trip in Ghana.

Design in the real world

“It is essential for me that my designs carry an aspect of integrity and authenticity," Ruben thinks that authenticity and integrity are the most important parts of this project. "From the beginning to the end, I tried to stay as true to the impressions of my trip through Ghana and the people I engaged with as possible." It is Ruben's insistence on designing in the real world that makes "Gravel-a football shoe from Ghana" stand out among many entries. “Every design decision is based on experiences and interactions with those people and places I visited on my trip through Ghana. I believe the holistic nature of the project is what makes it so strong, another substantial aspect is the authenticity and the closeness this project has with the people and environment the shoe was designed for. "

Sustainable design

Design should serve sustainable development, including environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. "This project has the idea of sustainability at its core and is giving the spotlight to a place that is not in the main focus of most globally active sportswear companies. "

Much of the time, however, things went contrary to his wishes. Ruben encountered the ethical dilemma that many designers may meet: Working in the consumer goods sector while trying to offer sustainable alternatives. "I saw and experienced during those two weeks, which unfortunately had to be left out. For example, pollution like plastic and electrical waste is a huge problem that I witnessed in Ghana. "

Only a small percentage of recycled materials will be used and then end up in landfill as toxic waste, so Ruben hopes that big sportswear companies can make a real commitment towards sustainability and shoulder the responsibility of sustainable development.

Design and people

People are the leaders of design activities, but designers are often influenced by their environment and culture in the process of designing projects.

Whether in Austria or Ghana, Ruben always feels that he is different from the people around him, which has a great impact on his growth and how he views and understands people and society. Ruben believes that the time when he looked at problems from an outside perspective has greatly shaped his concept of design and life itself. "The combination of all those experiences made me realize the true value of the people close to me and this is also the reason why I like to base my projects on human interactions and connections. "

Design and awards

Design awards are important platforms to realize cross-cultural dialogue and understanding on design. Ruben is proud that his design project can arouse the interest of his family, friends and even accomplished designers. "More importantly, authenticity has been valued in the field of design and that definitely encourages and motivates me to continue on this path." By thinking about the value and relationship among people, things and environment, he is able to deeply understand the needs and problems of users, understand the environment in which users live, and seek the best solution in a creative, critical and systematic way of thinking, so that even on sandy and rocky ground, users can enjoy football happily in this football shoe.

In the end, Ruben says that "I especially like the fact that DIA tries to connect people all over the world," and he also hopes that international exchange about important design topics will be strengthened further through the DIA initiative.

In 2023, the great changes in the world are still going on; to cope with future challenges and changes, new ideas and methods are urgently needed in the design sector. Design can change the world and create a more real, healthy and reasonable way of life for human beings in the future.

The 2023 DIA Call for Entry is in progress. We warmly welcome enterprises, design teams and individual designers from different fields to participate in the event. Please bring your works and join us now!