Publications

Title: Designers Meet Artisans

While, design intervention in crafts is welcomed by some as a necessity and an opportunity for new prospects, it is often considered by others as a threat. Designers Meet Artisans aims to address these concerns in an objective manner and clarify the scope, processes and modalities of a proper design intervention in crafts. This volume offers, for the first time, a dual presentation of the experiences of two counties-Colombia and India-which have a particularly rich craft tradition; if offers significant case studies at two distinct levels, that of design students and of professional designers.

The selected case studies from different regions of India illustrate how interesting ideas and new intervention models can be developed for several purposes, whether for revitalizing a languishing craft or for developing new products to create livelihoods.

Similarly, the case studies from the Colombian Design Laboratory provide reflections on and strategies for innovation in different trades practised by artisanal communities in various regions through an interactive process respectful of their cultural identity.

In the light of converging lessons learned about the development of effective partnerships, Designers Meet Artisans seeks to be a practical guide to this interaction and the issues that arise in this interface for a well-balanced and mutually beneficial relationship applicable to a board spectrum of the crafts sector worldwide.

It is as part of UNESCO’s global approach to the cultural and socio-economic role of crafts that Designers Meet Artisans is proposed as a working tool for decision makers, artisans, designers and design institutes, and craft NGOs. The ultimate aim is to help all those involved in the promotion of the crafts sector ask the right questions rather than in delivering unequivocal answers.