Embracing a philosophy of slow design requires a considerate approach to the production process by taking one’s time to plan and create an object. The concept is about honouring, not rushing the process. This is where hand-craftsmanship finds its place as being central to a slow design philosophy. Craftsmanship is the embodiment of slow design because handcrafting an object and doing it well takes skill mastery, effort and time. Hand-craftsmanship counteracts mass production. Instead of churning out and saturating retail markets with products, slow handcrafted design results in small batch, limited edition or one-of-a-kind products.

Slow design also facilitates the connections of time-honoured practices with innovation, having a positive impact and incorporating sustainable sourcing. Slow design considers:

People – who make, and buy the product

A slow design philosophy respects people, their skills, and the time it takes to handcraft an object. Production rooted in slow design can also bolster the maker’s physical and mental well-being as processes can provide a calming, rhythmic flow that speaks to the soul. People also refer to the customer, the person who is looking for more meaningful connections to the products they buy. Slow design can create a community around the products made as people come together to learn more about a craft and its processes.

Place – where the product is made

Slow design helps to preserve and revive interest in handcraft traditions and heritages. It encourages the passing down of skills from one generation to another, as the value of what is being created is once again revered and given recognition in modern life. The skill is no longer seen as old-fashioned but as something deemed worthy to keep alive. Slow design can also encourage transparency in supply chains. Transparency calls for the sharing of where products are made and recognising the true cost of artisanal creation. Transparency is a willingness to be held accountable for maintaining the standards and safety of the environment where a product is made and for those who work within it.

Planet – how the product is made and brought to market

Slow design prioritises timelessness over trends and mass production. The philosophy considers the impact design and production will have on the environment, flora and fauna, and the well-being of those that come into contact with it- maker and consumer. Slow design processes take the time to explore, select or develop the best natural or man-made materials to be used. The philosophy takes into account concerns such as immediate and long-term toxicity, product life-span and what happens when it is eventually discarded, and allows for the time to find safer and beneficial solutions.

Slow design calls for less is more consumerism by aiding greater appreciation of what is made by hand and valuing quality over quantity. While a slower handcraft-led design process will take longer to bring a product to market, the upside is that it can also mean deeper engagement by cultivating more meaningful connections between an artisan business and its customers.

What does slow design mean to you? I would love to know your thoughts. Do share in the comments.

[Image credits: The images shown are sourced from/belong to furkanfdemir via pexels. If downloaded and used elsewhere, please credit accordingly.]

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The dictionary definition of sustainable is 1. ‘able to be maintained at a certain rate or level’. 2. ‘able to be upheld or defended’. So based on that definition would it be correct to say that when we are talking about sustainable craft and design we are talking about maintaining and upholding a standard of craft and design that has a positive impact in the world including on people, places or culture?

To maintain something is to make a commitment to oversee, care for and nurture it. Maintenance calls for responsibility, and an awareness about why it needs to be done and why doing so matters. And this fits in with the ideas we have around sustainable design and what we mean when we use the term.

Sustainable doesn’t just have one specific focus, there are several factors that can be applied to the different aspects of craft and design. We’ve identified 5 of them as follows:

1. Livelihood

A sustainable livelihood is about the maker getting enough work to make a decent living so that they can continue to practise their craft. A decent living calls for access to markets, fair prices and wages, safe working conditions, and respect for what they do.

2. Material

Sustainable materials are those that are obtained and used with consideration to minimising destructive environmental impact and harmful effects on people’s health. Sustainable refers to how materials are sourced, a material’s properties, toxicity levels, and its ability to bio-degrade or be recycled, repurposed, reclaimed or renewed. Sustainable materials also extend to the type, use and disposal of product labelling and packaging.

3. Production

Sustainable production is all about the techniques and processes employed to create objects. Sustainable products are well made with longevity or responsible disposal in mind. Sustainable production is often linked to slow, considered processes where handmade is respected and valued in the face of a throw-away culture fuelled by mass consumerism. While sustainable production is seen to encourage bespoke or small batch-made products over mass production, it is the thought, care and consideration that goes into the process that is key to making something sustainable.

4. Preservation

Are craft skills being preserved or being allowed to die? If sustainability is about maintaining something, then preserving a craft, skill, technique, heritage or family legacy is a sustainable act. Design can help craft thrive and makers who are unfraid to evolve or experiment give craft a place in modern day life. This in turn helps preserve the craft so it can be passed on to future generations ensuring it lives on.

5. Value

Value is related to the sustainablility of an object, because the more we treasure something the less likely we are to discard it. Sustainability favours the value of an object. Not its price, but its relevance and meaning. How useful are the products that are created? Can the objects be repurposed, recycled or upcycled when they are no longer needed? Do the objects display the kind of quality and sentiment that turns them into treasured heirlooms to be passed down through generations or become collectible items?

As we can see ‘sustainable’ can mean different things to:

• the maker who may focus on one area, a combination, or all
• the buyer and their focus
• the context in which we are speaking about sustainable craft and design

Ultimately sustainable craft and design is about producing and sourcing thoughtfully made objects that positively impact our world and well-being. Sustainable craft and design is not a novelty, but a reality that artisan businesses have a responsibility to consider when it comes to the products they create and sell, and the people they work with.

What does sustainable design & craft mean to you? We’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.

– Tapiwa Matsinde

[Image credits: The image shown belongs to Vie Studio via Pexels. If downloaded and used elsewhere please credit accordingly.]

The post What do we actually mean by sustainable in craft and design? appeared first on Tapiwa Matsinde | A curatorial and artisan brand visibility consultancy for craft businesses.

The article appears in the Make it yourself (Issue IV/2021), which you read online here or purchase a print copy. KULTURAUSTAUSCH is published by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, and every issue focuses on one theme for which authors from around the world are invited to explore it from their unique perspectives.

Image credit: A Kintsugi bowl from Japan. Photo: Motoki Tonn / unsplash

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