Industrial Design Studios of Warsaw: Pushing Forward For Socially and Ecologically Responsible Design

Abstract

The aim of this research was to understand the approaches of Polish design studios to project management as well as socially and ecologically responsible design. These issues were investigated through a perspective of Polish design history and today’s socioeconomic realities. A qualitative approach was used in this study with interviews as the main research method. Recorded interviews were deciphered and coded according to common themes within the answers. Five prominent industrial design studios based in Warsaw were interviewed and their design projects were analyzed in detail. Common threads among these projects appear to be a natural evolution of the democratic design approach that started in the ‘60s in Poland and other Baltic countries. The design philosophy, project management, and resulting products suggest that Polish design studios struggle to keep active, competitive, and innovative through ecologically and socially responsible design in spite of the conventional market demand emphasizing styling and form in industrial products. Challenges such as financial limitations, low prices paid for design projects, and having to deal with a broad range of design activities are overcome by using different strategies such as research about local culture and resources, user studies, experimentation with new concepts and materials, professional networking, cooperation with academia, and using national or international funds.