A fundamental principle of the economics of design is that the power of design is not in the solution, but in how the criteria are made. This is what led me to the idea of open source and a vision for the future where the best design is free.To date, open source has really only applied to software development. Someone would create a platform, a generic bit of code, and give it away. The only thing users were asked to do was to make it better, and then give it away again. The result has been amazingly complex pieces of software being developed at alarming rates and available to anyone for free. Examples include Open Office, which now is a major competitor with Microsoft Office, Firefox which now has all but surpassed Internet Explorer, and Linux, which is now a primary platform for almost every computer programmer.
The idea of open source stretches far beyond the computer world, though, and we are just beginning to see its influence in other areas. Wikipedia is a completely open source encyclopedia. Skype is an open source telecommunications system. Creative Commons is an open source copyright and licensing solution. All of it is completely free.
Of course, it hasn't yet translated into the world of design, at least not with the same effectiveness, but I believe it must happen and happen soon. So far, our best example is the design of Architecture for Humanity's logo. Anyone could submit an idea, post it on Flikr, see other submission, submit a better one, and vote for their favorite. All told, AFH received over 800 logo designs and feeback from thousands and all they had to invest was the time to post a few simple design criteria and create a free Flickr account.
Of course, Open source design has actually been around since the dawn of civilization. One person would build a mud hut and it would collapse. Another guy would build a frame out of sticks, put the mud on it and it would stand up, but would burn down. The next guy would cut a hole through the top to let the smoke out. Eventually, you have the design of a vernacular house. The same is true for clothing, transportation systems, inconography, food preparation, farming, medicine. Even language itself was developed via open source design.
The big difference today is, with our extremely advanced media for sharing information, what used to take generations to design via open source, can now be done in a matter of days.
So what's the problem? The problem is the all too egotistical paradigm that design is art and art should be a means of individual expression, not something free and open for others to contribute to. But design is, at its essence, problem solving and the free sharing of information is the most effective way to solve any problem.
