discourses

The establishment of design as a field of activity was accompanied by its theoretical elaboration. One key idea was the concept of ‘Open Form’, which addressed the monotony and uniformity associated with modernization, particularly with mass-produced housing. Architects and designers were looking for greater flexibility, which included more user involvement in the design process. This was part of a broader discourse seen internationally in the aftermath of the Second World War, and in Eastern Europe after the end of the Stalinist dictatorship, aimed at rearticulating the relationship between the individual and the collective. From an economic point of view, simple modular forms and systems enabled more flexible and cost-effective production. The 1970s saw various ‘total design’ projects that handled the shaping and the perceiving of the environment in a way that was much more complex than approaches seen as overly rational and lacking in humanism.
Consumption and the material world were major themes running through the design discourse. The practical need to improve the appearance of products and with it their competitiveness was accompanied by a critique of materialism and the idea of a world without possessions. Humanism, or design in the service of the human being, became an important way to define successful design in a socialist context, and to distinguish it from Western practice. Design was seen as an essential tool for social improvement, embodying a vision of material culture transformed towards moral and ethical perfection, and towards the empowerment of the human being. The Club of Rome’s 1972 report resonated in the Eastern bloc and Yugoslavia as well, prompting reflection on environmentally friendly solutions. These countries also saw widespread discussion of Victor Papanek’s ideas concerning responsibility and sustainability in design.
To make up for the shortcomings of the socialist economy, also sometimes called the ‘shortage economy’, many people turned to popular DIY magazines that showed readers not only how to sew clothing for the family and create furniture for a small home in a prefab housing estate, but also how to build a radio and even a car.