With contributions from design theory, practice and education, art theory, philosophy, and informatics, the anthology Critical by Design? aims to question and unpack the ambivalent tensions between design and critique.

In its constructive and speculative nature, design has the critical potential to reshape prevalent socio-material realities. At the same time, design is inevitably normative, if not often violent, as it stabilises the past, normalises the present, and precludes just and sustainable futures. The contributions rethink concepts of critique that influence the field of design, question inherent blind spots of the discipline, and expand understandings of what critical design practices could be.

Published by Transcript Publishing. The digital version of the Open Access book is freely available online:
www.transcript-publishing.com/978-3-8376-6104-0/critical-by-design/
With contributions by Annette Geiger, Bruno Gransche, Emanuele Quinz, Michaela Büsse, Mara Recklies, Anja Groten, Bianca Elzenbaumer & Meike Hardt, Patrycja Zdziarska with Jeffrey Bardzell & Shaowen Bardzell, Emile De Visscher, Moritz Greiner-Petter, Janneke Wesseling, Guy Julier, Carl DiSalvo, Jesko Fezer, Björn Franke, Matt Ward, Marius Förster & Meike Hardt, and an introduction by Claudia Mareis, Moritz Greiner-Petter & Michael Renner.

The pre-print production of the volume was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.