How to Improve Everyday Life in Material Ways

Do you ever stop to think about the signs and symbols we all instantly understand? The bright red octagonal stop sign in traffic, the familiar female and male stick figures for the loo, and the skull and cross bones for poison. Like a universal language, we don’t even need words. These messages are internationally understood and recognizable in a flash. “How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design,” reveals how the Chilean government used a similar design to implement social change. This new book edited by Hugo Palmarola, Eden Medina, and Pedro Ignacio Alonso tells the story of how a design led revolution changed a country from a dictaorship to socialism. Find out more in How to Improve Everyday Life in Material Ways.

Design isn’t just about aesthetics but a radical, game-changing force that seamlessly weaves into our lives. Turning the material ordinary into the extraordinary.

The Cybersyn operations room, an environment for the management of state industries and the national economy. Design by the INTEC Industrial Design Area. Photograph by Rodrigo Walker, 1973. Provided by Lars Müller Publishers.

In the lively city of London, the tube map takes the crown for human-centric design and innovation. Sure, it’s not the most accurate thing on the planet, but it’s like the superhero of maps; bold, easy to grasp, and always there when needed.

Unlike traditional maps, it prioritises practicality over precise geography, with clear, colour-coded lines and simplified shapes that make navigation effortless. This abstract approach demonstrates the power of effective design in enhancing functionality and user experience.

Inspired by Harry Beck’s iconic London creation, cities like New York, Paris, and Milan have embraced its magic.

And it’s not just about grand transformations; even simple innovations in everyday objects can have a profound impact. Consider the humble smartphone, which revolutionized communication and connected the world in ways unimaginable just a few decades ago.

Have you ever wondered why your smartphone has those nifty sound and light-sensitive touch features when you’re dialling a number?

Its design has neurodivergent individuals in mind, many of whom designed these items. These compassionate features make phone usage effortless for everyone, especially those who struggle with numbers.

Now most phones beep and light up when you dial, like a little dance your phone does just for you. It’s a small change now commonplace in our daily culture, seamlessly blending in for our convenience.

Mural painting in Santiago, Chile. Photograph by Leonore Mau, 1971. Provided by Lars Müller Publishers.

Now, transport yourself to 1970s Latin America and witness firsthand how design seamlessly wove its way into the fabric of everyday life, sparking a cultural revolution that continues to captivate and inspire.

After Salvador Allende and Unidad Popular (a left-wing political alliance) won the Chilean elections, the country a former dictatorship shifted to a socialist government. They aimed to enhance socialism within Chile while utilizing democratic institutions to address pressing issues.

Projects directed towards prioritizing practical design-focused technology. The project’s outcome was a remarkable fusion of socialism, democracy, and design.

In 1970, Chile faced a severe nutrition crisis with approximately 20% of children suffering from malnutrition, and one of the highest infant mortality rates globally.

As part of a program to reduce malnutrition and infant mortality, a white plastic spoon emerges, the smallest and the simplest design. The spoon was administered to children (ages up to 16) and held the perfect amount of milk required to defeat malnutrition.

This wasn’t just any spoon; it was a crucial element in the National Milk Program, a dairy-powered rescue mission to ensure Chilean children received their daily half-litre of milk.

All the parents had to do, was use the spoon to scoop out the provided dairy powder and feed the spoon to the children. The result is a perfectly balanced portion of milk. The job was so simple, it could be done in a flash.

Final design of spoon for measuring 5 g and 20 g of powdered milk. Design by the INTEC Industrial Design Area for the National Health Service. Photograph by Rodrigo Walker, 1973. Provided by Lars Müller Publishers.

It wasn’t merely about practicality; it was about weaving ethics into design. The impact was tangible, a reduction in children’s malnourishment. That’s the beauty of a well-thought-out design. It serves a purpose and becomes a part of a culture’s narrative. To this day, the spoon has a lasting impact.

This concept of design influencing societal change is further explored in the book, “How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design,” edited by Hugo Palmarola, Eden Medina, and Pedro Ignacio Alonso.

The book’s twelve chapters stroll through some of the most remarkable histories of this innovative design experience. The powdered milk measuring spoons designed to combat child malnutrition, the posters that encouraged collective action, like the agricultural machinery that could cut grass to feed livestock, or the state-of-the-art operations room built to manage Chile’s state-run industries.

The historical posters were placed all over Chile, on walls and around the metro construction sites, especially in Santiago, the capital of Chile. Artists like Vicente and Antonio Larrea, Luis Albornoz, Ximena del Campo, Mario Quiroz, Waldo González, and others made these posters.

The posters provided practical information about access to neighbourhood medical clinics, centered on improving maternal and infant health. Additionally, they served to educate on governmental efforts, covering topics such as childcare, citizens’ rights, and the societal contributions of universities.

These posters were bright and eye-catching, often with bold colours and psychedelic lettering. They got creative with graphic design to spread key health messages. Posters plastered across the streets, delivering vital information. They helped create a visual memory of Chile’s social struggles and organization at that time. We can still see their influence today.

The posters conveyed messages visually and verbally through images and slogans.

La felicidad de Chile comienza por los niños (Chile’s Happiness Begins with Its Children). Design by Vicente Larrea, Antonio Larrea and Luis Albornoz, offset, 1970. Provided by Lars Müller Publishers.

In a captivating dance of creativity and ideology, Chile’s designers joined forces with the socialist government, weaving a narrative of social and material justice through various projects. Projects like, Cybersyn, another ambitious and dynamic system started by the socialist Chilean government.

Project Cybersyn was based on a viable system model theory approach to organizational design and featured innovative technology for its time. It included a network of telex machines (‘Cybernet’) in state-run enterprises that would transmit and receive information from the government in Santiago.

Cybersyn wasn’t just a fancy room with flashy screens; it was the nerve centre of Chile’s socialist experiment. By linking up factories and government offices with telex machines and advanced computer software, Cybersyn aimed to revolutionize economic management.

One of its key goals was to improve communication and decision-making across the country. Consequently, Cybersyn through real-time data collection and predictive computer modeling, aided the government in preempting issues before escalation.

Cybersyn also gave workers a voice. They could report problems directly, bridging the gap between the factory floor and policymakers, and making everyone feel invested in the economy’s success.

Cybersyn turned into a symbol of Chile’s bold socialist tech journey. It was with the right mix of ingenuity and imagination, even the most complex problems could be addressed with style and sophistication.

Yet, despite its groundbreaking approach, Cybersyn encountered its fair share of hurdles. Political chaos, outside forces, and technical snags put a wrench in its gears. After a group of military officers, led by General Augusto Pinochet, seized power in a coup, ending socialist rule, Project Cybersyn was halted.

Design by the INTEC Industrial Design Area. Chair from the Cybersyn operations room with an ashtray and space for a drink on the left armrest. Photograph by Gui Bonsiepe, c. 1973. Provided by Lars Müller Publishers.

Still, Cybersyn’s impact lingers on. It proved that technology isn’t just for gadgets; it’s a force for changing society. It showed us that technology isn’t just about cool gadgets or design; it has the power to reshape society.

These examples highlight the universal nature of impactful design that transcends geographical boundaries. They serve as beacons, reminding us that innovation can come from anywhere and has the power to touch lives across the globe, sparking positive disruptions that enhance our collective way of life.

Art, Design, and Innovation. It is in the streets, it is practical, it is visible. Certainly, this is what elevates the design to materialistic influence and justice.

Protest by shantytown women against the March of the Empty Pots. The sign says “Eat, Bigmouth Mummy.” Mummy is a derogatory term used to describe someone from the upper classes who opposes the changes initiated by the Unidad Popular government. Photograph by Ted Polumbaum. Provided by Lars Müller Publishers.

In a world inundated with signs and symbols, there’s a remarkable power in the simplicity of universal understanding. “How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design” uncovers a parallel between these universally understood symbols and the design-led revolution that transformed Chilean society.

If you enjoyed reading How to Improve Everyday Life in Material Ways, then why not read Jazzing Up London; A New Generation

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