Jakob Trollb逢ck was gracious enough to send me these graphics and his full (unedited) proposal to HOW for his session, But What's the Point?. Like Marshall's shorthand notes, this is a unique look behind the scenes. A big thank you to Jakob.

How Design Conference
proposal

Thank you very much for your query. I'd be pleased to speak at your 2005 conference. Here's a brief sketch of some of the main threads I'd like to incorporate:

Design today has, to a large degree, been appropriated for commercial purposes. Designers need to make money, too, after all. As a consequence, visual design, although it keeps changing and it's main purpose still is to get attention, doesn't necessarily suggest cultural change. You can see design trends come and go, but new looks emerge mainly to keep advertising and entertainment from becoming too familiar or stale.

This lack of direction, and emphasis on the surface of things, is pulling design towards social irrelevance. It's easy to understand how this could happen when design's purpose is relegated to attempt to differentiate between otherwise virtually identical products.

So how can we make design more relevant and socially significant?

First we must ask why things are designed the way they are. Does the design have a real purpose, is there is a clear connection between the design surface and the underlying idea? As a matter of fact, does an idea exists at all?
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I believe that the best way to create a relevant and meaningful message starts by defining what emotional impact you want to achieve with your design. With that in mind, you then need to come up with the right method to get there. This is the really hard part. I usually find that referencing experiences in other media helps. Brainstorming with others is great, but when you can't - write. Copywriting is great, even if the finished design doesn't contain any type. It doesn't mean writing a whole script for a tiny little project. But it does mean that you, the designer, at least mentally, must articulate your and your clients' goals and intentions. In other words, before you start designing at all, you need to figure out what you want your design to do and say. This way, you ensure that you have a real statement to make, or at least have a fresh design angle or perspective. At this point you also have your own fail-safe point making sure that you don't use your design to tell lies.
This is the only thing that will help keep real design -- design that, unlike pure surface ornament, elicits an emotional response -- alive.

I look forward to hearing from you again. Thanks again for your interest.

Session Outline
Session Title (feel free to rename the session listed on your Speaker Agreement):
But What's The Point?
Session description for our promotional brochure:

Design aesthetics and styles are naturally in a constant state of evolution and change. New concepts in the visual-design landscape mirror overall cultural changes, but design is also, in itself, a tool for change. New views on society often have begun with deliberate design statements. Futurism, Surrealism and Modernism all used design as rallying cries: as visual manifestations of philosophical manifestos. Design was seen as a means to change society, with inextricably linked visual style and message.
ｬﾝｬﾝ
Design today has, to a large degree, been appropriated for commercial purposes. Designers need to make money, too, after all. As a consequence, visual design, although it keeps changing and it's main purpose still is to get attention, doesn't necessarily suggest cultural change. You can see design trends come and go, but new looks emerge mainly to keep advertising and entertainment from becoming too familiar or stale.
In this session, attendees will learn: ｬﾝ
1. ｬﾝHow we can attempt to make design more relevant and increase its social and emotional importance.
2. How to make sure that there is a clear connection between our surface design and the underlying idea.