Typography and Interaction

The social and ecological project for Speculative Design is presented as a dual challenge: mastering the articulation of these new material registers and conceiving a new Materialism that aligns societal organization with their largely unmapped potentials. Design is positioned as a practice that engages with these material systems to remake the world at a granular level.

The chapter further explores specific technologies and their implications for design. It underscores the importance of considering the ethical and programmatic dimensions of these technologies, presenting them as both remedies and poisons. Examples range from Human Artificial Intelligence Interaction design to ubiquitous computation, synthetic biology, epidermal sensors, machine vision, and additive manufacturing.

As the text unfolds, it emphasizes the need for sustained and diverse investment in conceptually courageous, culturally informed, and norm-making design, art, and humanities. The discussion encourages a balanced approach, cautioning against an overemphasis on engineering capacity at the expense of conceptual and critical capacity. The overarching message is that the design's engagement with emerging technologies goes beyond creating new things; it necessitates a profound reevaluation of fundamental questions about identity, existence, and our place in the world

Chapter 6: Principles and Applications of Speculative Design

This chapter explores the essence of Speculative Design by delving into its fundamental components—the project and the model. Bratton elaborates on how Speculative Design constructs deliberate ambivalent provisionality between these two elements, thereby distinguishing itself within the broader design landscape.

The project, presented as a projection of potential intervention into a defined spatial and temporal situation, draws on a model of the situation, be it an analytical simulation or other forms of representation. Bratton underscores the crucial role of models in framing the spatial or temporal terms of intervention. Descriptive models, real-time simulations, and instrumental diagrams are highlighted as diverse tools used in design projects, with graphical user interfaces exemplifying the latter category.

The chapter positions the work of Design within Speculative Design as forming a unique rhetorical platform through the project and the model. It contends that the way a model serves as either a descriptive or prescriptive simulation can influence how the project frames its intervention. This dynamic relationship between model and project is central to the success of Speculative Design.

The discussion extends to the historical development of design, noting that innovations in design are not only about creating new forms but also about evolving models that inform the design process.