2 reading minutes

Is design a political action? A tool for the common good? These were some of the questions that guided the conference. Stefano Pratesi, specialist in systemic design for social innovation and professor at ISIA Roma Design, for students of the Bachelor's Degree in Design of the Faculty of Communication (FC) of the Universidad Austral. 

With a comprehensive and international perspective, Pratesi encouraged a broader view of the discipline and its impact on people's lives. "Design is political action because everything we design can change people's lives," she stated. She added, "There is no design without innovation. You can't design without creativity." 

During the talk, he raised the need to imagine new rules of the game and to incorporate a systemic approach that considers not only form and function, but also social meaning and all the actors involved: users, producers, and communities. “The designer has to create things that contribute to the common good, that give people the freedom to use them, and that connect with the shared assets of society,” he maintained. 

3 key ideas she shared: 

• Creativity is not fantasy, but the ability to look at things from a different perspective. 

• Just as we design products to be detachable, we should also design services to be detachable. 

• Designers are the antidote to a culture of emergency: the challenge lies in looking differently and designing with social impact. 

Pratesi concluded with a piece of advice for future designers: “Be daring; stay foolish , as Steve Jobs said. The designer never plays on his home turf: he always crosses paths with other disciplines and professions.”

His vision makes it clear that designing is not just about projecting objects or services: it's about imagining possible futures, anticipating scenarios, and contributing to the common good.