Emerging at the intersection of the Maker Movement and design sensibility, Distributed Design provides a framework for designers, makers and creatives to innovate the field of design towards more sustainable, inclusive and collaborative practices. As global challenges intensify, shifting the global paradigm to support global connectivity and local productivity where “bits travel globally, while atoms stay local” becomes urgent. Distributed Design is a proactive response for makers and designs to prefigure viable design alternatives to the current paradigm which is designed for mass consumption.
As the final of four publications developed by the Distributed Design Platform, ‘This is Distributed Design’ presents a state of-the-art, in an effort to inspire makers, designers and scholars alike. Within these pages you will hear from a non-exhaustive list of experts, hobbyists and educators whose work is advancing Distributed Design, clarifying through practice, its standing as the framework for collaborative, open, inclusive, sustainable design.