Power to the People

When our editorial team decided to base the May 25 issue of design mind magazine around the theme of power (this is the third print edition and tenth overall), I began to get lots of different input from a variety of sources on exactly what the idea of “power” should be. Some sent over images of supercars and other very fast things. Some sent articles and photographs on Obama’s new presidency. Others sent information about alternative energy solutions like solar and wind power.

I got a few good quotes (“A prince who wishes to remain in power should not always be good” — Machiavelli; “Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln). I was even handed an entire book on the subject called The 48 Laws of Power (after which I secretly thought, if you can do 48 why not make it an even 50).

Law #15: “Crush Your Enemy Totally;” Law #33: “Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew;” and Law #40: “Despise the Free Lunch.” All solid advice.

So when it came time to compile the contents of the issue, I knew I would get a diverse response. And indeed the submissions I got from frogs around the world were as varied as the many interpretations of power I’d received thus far.

In the magazine you’ll find over a dozen articles on the theme of power, including a story by Creative Director Adam Richardson on the promise and peril of technology and an article by VP of Creative Robert Fabricant on why designers should be in the “behavior business.” A team of designer researchers wrote about their experiences in the field investigating the power of objects. 

We also interviewed Philip Zimbardo, the Stanford psychology professor, TED speaker, and Abu Ghraib expert witness who is known for his 1971 Prison Experiment, in which he recruited students to play prisoners and guards in a mock jail for two weeks to find out what would happen it you were to put good people in evil places. The experiment deteriorated after only six days.  

David DeRemer in frog’s New York studio wrote an article called “The Napoleon Effect,” about how businesses can create big successes in underwhelming packages. Elizabeth Roche in Stuttgart penned some commentary on the limits of the social Web in her article “The Art of the Unfriend: When social networking becomes social stress.” And we couldn’t do an issue on Power without looking at the current and future state of the global energy industry. With so much change coming, we profiled ten companies who are, ahem, buzzing in the clean tech community.

Last but not least, this issue debuts a new series from design mind about value-driven business practices. VP of Marketing and Communications Tim Leberecht launches the effort with his article “Wanted: Chief Meaning Officer: How the new social power of marketing can transform business.” The second installment in the series is by GE CMO Beth Comstock, and will be published in our September issue. 

So, look out for design mind – Power, available for sale through this website, on May 25. I can’t promise you’ll find out how to put the (thumb)screws to someone, but you might learn something new about the power of business, technology, and design.

Sam is the director of publishing for frog where he oversees frog's global content, editorial, and digital publishing strategy. He is also the editor of design mind, frog's print and online media platform. Sam is the author of numerous books of non fiction and has written for Dwell, Metropolis, GOOD, and other magazines.