Review of Design is Power: The Dark Side
By Francesco Galli
Review by Samantha Osys, The Open University
Mimesis International
2020
290 pp.
ISBN: 9788869773006
Francesco Galli's Design is Power: The Dark Side explores the relationship between design, power, and control, focusing on the ethical and political dimensions of the field. Galli argues that design is organised as a self-referential system that operates and evolves based on its own internal dynamics, rules, and feedback loops while maintaining interactions with external environments. The concept is applied in the context of creative, disciplinary, or educational systems, drawing from the biological idea of autopoiesis —coined by Maturana and Varela to describe the self-maintenance of living systems. Galli extends this biological concept into social and creative domains, notably through the work of Niklas Luhmann. In this context, design has the potential for creation, preservation, and destruction, but its dynamics are often implicit, requiring deep engagement to understand.
This book challenges established understandings of design by highlighting its connection with power dynamics, opening new opportunities for thought and debate within design research and practice, particularly in the areas of ethics, leadership, and systemic transformation.
A central theme of this book is the idea of design as a system capable of both regeneration and collapse. In Chapter One, “Power and the Creation, Preservation, and Destruc-tion (CPD) of Systems”, Galli explores how power operates within creative ecosystems. He introduces the CPD framework, which outlines the cyclical nature of systemic power dynamics. This framework provides a lens for understanding how systems evolve, stagnate, or collapse, offering valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners.
Another key theme is the role of leadership and empowerment in navigating these dynamics. In Chapter Six, “Preserving the Power Manifestation”, Galli argues that distributed empowerment, where decision-making authority is shared across teams, and adaptive leadership, which focuses on guiding teams through complex challenges by fostering experimentation and collaboration, are essential strategies for fostering resilient and flexible systems. He highlights the importance of recognising and addressing the inherent tensions within design ecosystems, emphasising that conflict and disruption can serve as catalysts for innovation and transformation.
Galli introduces four historical case studies to illustrate the interplay of power, influence, and control in design. These examples span from the mid-18th to the early 20th century, focusing on figures whose work significantly shaped social behaviour through their designs. Thomas Chippendale’s furniture design pioneered the concept of brand identity and distributed productive knowledge, reshaping craftsmanship into a replicable, marketable model. Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon demonstrated the use of design to impose controlled authority by manipulating visibility and surveillance. Robert Mo-ses’s urban planning revealed how infrastructure, such as low-clearance bridges, could enforce social segregation and control accessibility. Edward Bernays, regarded as the father of public relations, showcased the power of design and media in mass manipulation, exemplified by campaigns like Lucky Strike, which reshaped societal trends to align with commercial goals. Throughout the book, Galli’s use of real-world case studies provides valuable context and grounding for his theoretical insights, emphasising the intrinsic power dynamics embedded in design practices and their societal impact.
The book is structured into three parts that examine the concept of power in the creative industries: its potential, manifestation and preservation. The author uses a grounded theory approach, combining ideas from many disciplines, including biology, psychology, sociology, political science and organisational theory. The first part focuses on the la-tent dimension of power, which refers to the hidden or underlying aspects of power within a system, and the observer's influence on entropy by investigating power dynamics inside autopoietic systems. The second part examines how power transitions from a latent (hidden or potential) state to an active and observable one, focusing on the role of leadership in this process. It explores how leadership can create and manage conflicts to trigger the manifestation of power. Different types of leadership play distinct roles in this activation by shaping or initiating disputes. These conflicts act as catalysts, creating the conditions necessary for latent power to emerge and influence the system. The final part investigates the function of criticism and cynicism in redefining the notion of power and implementing creative leadership as a navigational process, addressing the conflicts emerging from power manifestation. The manifestation of power involves negotiating and balancing interests, wills, and capabilities within a system, whether in a military, organisational, or creative context. Drawing on The Art of War by Sun Tzu, the author cites principles like moral law, discipline, and deception, illustrating how a commander exercises power through strategic planning and resource management.
The conclusion proposes reimagining the creative act as inherently conflict-inducing and problem-creating, advocating for empowerment in research and education for creative disciplines. It introduces an adaptive leadership model that refers to an approach to leadership that emphasises flexibility, introspection, and the ability to navigate complexity within creative systems. It involves several dimensions that address how leaders can operate in uncertain, dynamic environments by shifting perspectives, experimenting, and integrating new practices. The book closes by suggesting that future research explores the paradox between the potential and preservation of power within design practices.
One of the book’s strengths is its theoretical depth and interdisciplinary approach. Galli draws on various disciplines, including systems theory, ethics, and leadership studies, to frame design as a vehicle of power. His exploration of corruption and entropy as drivers of systemic transformation offers a fresh perspective on contemporary design systems’ challenges and opportunities. By reframing these concepts as paradoxical yet essential components of systemic renewal, Galli provides practical guidance for design leaders navigating uncertainty. His insights on adaptive leadership encourage practitioners to embrace conflict and disruption as drivers of innovation, challenging traditional notions of order and stability.
Francesco Galli’s Design is Power: The Dark Side contributes to ongoing discussions about design’s entanglements with power and control, a topic previously explored in works such as Tony Fry’s Design As Politics and Richard Farson’s The Power of Design. What distinguishes Galli’s approach is his introduction of a new theoretical framework for understanding systemic power dynamics in design and his use of case studies to ground these ideas in practice. Additionally, his emphasis on adaptive leadership and distributed empowerment as strategies for addressing these dynamics offers practical insights. While the book offers significant insights, its theoretical density and reliance on abstract terminology may limit its accessibility to readers without a background in design theory or related fields. The Theoretical Framework section, in particular, em-ploys complex conceptual frameworks and dense academic language, which, alongside jargon and minor editorial errors, could distract some readers. However, Galli’s work is very relevant to current debates in the design community, encouraging more reflective approaches to design leadership and practice.
Samantha Osys is a PhD Researcher with the Open University Design Group in STEM, where her research focuses on locating ethics within digital design practice.