Assignment 5.0 - Research Paper

In an ever-changing design world, new trends, and ideas are always formulating, and as designers it is important for us to always be up to date. After working in a design firm for my internship I saw the heavy impact the economy had on our design world, and used that as the topic for my research paper.

The credit crisis in 2007 resulted in a global recession in 2008. Business' of all types were hit by this crash, but the design world was impacted heavily, with results of widespread layoffs, government bailouts, foreclosures, and abandoned projects and work sites. This put many designers out of work left to either pursue new careers entirely, or find new and innovative means of occupying their time.

It was obvious from the start of this most recent recession that many differences could be noticed compared to the most recognized Great Depression. Designers today didn't have the luxury of President Roosevelt's New Deal, giving them work and opportunities.

Countries were impacted differently from this economic crash and not all negatively, countries like China, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and many other Middle Eastern countries flourish during these harsh years, where design firms in countries like the USA, Germany, and Britain put a to many if not all projects, and in worst cases going out of business.

Many designers used this time off to update their technological skills, as well as their portfolio, hoping that when the economy turned around they would be a step ahead of their competition. And with Green and sustainable design around every corner LEED certification was also a common trend over the past few years.

But one of the biggest changes since coming out of the recession was the change in client/designer relationships. Many clients are phasing their project where as before they would do everything at once. Clients are also being smarter about their options shopping around and checking out internet resources before making decisions. Clients have also expected designers and sellers to reduce their rates and prices because of the downturn, something designers are rightfully hesitant to do.