“The world is our common design project”
After the first time I heard the phrase “the world is our common design project”, I did not immediately realize the significance of the phrase. It was only after doing a little more research about David Berman’s life that I came to realize the significance of this phrase, and the broad concepts that it can be applied to. I found this phrase to be quite powerful, because I like the central idea that gives the phrase meaning. If we break apart the sentence, and start with the initial word, “the”, we can decipher that it is referring to the collective human species. The idea of the world working together, as one, in and of itself is a powerful idea for people to consider. Towards the end of the sentence, it refers to the world as everybody’s common design project. I think this is the most powerful part of the phrase, as it provides a clear visual of the people of the world working together to make the world a better place. That last sentence is quite broad; what exactly does that mean, making the world a better place? Well, in my opinion the phrase was intended to be broad, as it leaves the interpretation up to the reader. I think Berman did this intentionally. To me, the phrase represents every aspect of design, throughout the entire world. This could range from product design to interior design to industrial design. What do all of these design disciplines have in common? The common underlying goal of each is to improve upon the former entity. No matter the specific area of design, the goal is to make something better. When we apply this to the phrase “the world is our common design project” we an absolutely see the meaning behind the phrase. We, as human beings, need to work together in order to make the world a better place for everyone.