Slow Design

I loved last Thursday’s article in the New York Times entitled, “The Slow Life Picks Up Speed.”  A friend sent it to me with the message: “this has Megan written all over it…” – I thought at first she was referring to my hectic life in ostensibly “balanced” Boulder, Colorado, but upon reading the article discovered something much closer to my personal passions.   The article talks about a corollary movement to Slow Food, something called Slow Design.  Here, objects (furniture, clothing, homes) that are purposefully created and consumed are celebrated.  Thoughtful design, from the practical to the conceptual, is commended, while action/fabrication with little regards to long-term consequence (e.g., too-big houses in quick-rise developments) is viewed with concern.   Like the unique sustenance and satisfaction that is discovered in preparing and eating a meal made, thoughtfully, from scratch (see Julie’s post “An Experiment for the New Year”), there is unique joy to be found in objects whose construction occurred with a long-term perspective on the impact of all constituents in mind.  As the design think tank and website SlowLab.com states, “Slowness is not time-based. It doesn't refer to how long it takes to make or do something, but rather describes the individual's elevated state of awareness in the process of creation, the quality of its tangible outcomes and a richer experience for the community it engages.”  Such a cool thing to keep in mind as we strive to understand the consumer’s relationship with the many products/brands she touches, purchases, employs, and comes to trust and believe in during her day-to-day life.