The Merholz Agenda

But first, Fuck These Guys

The creation of a National Design Studio and establishing a Chief Design Officer is not, as some folks claim on LinkedIn, "good for Design." I value Design because it brings an uncommon humanist practice to technocratic organizations. The anti-intellectual authoritarian fascistic and ideologically White Christian Nationalist Trump Administration is anti-humanistic (and inhumane), and so its attempt to affiliate (and perhaps co-opt) is bad for design. Why would anyone believe this office, led by a Musk-olyte who eagerly joined DOGE, to be anything but a sham?

(And... "Studio"? I realized long ago that those who favor the language of 'studio' tend to favor matters of appearance over those of utility and value.)

I considered going on a longer diatribe, but realized that right now it's just too easy to tap into anger and frustration, which may provide momentary satisfaction, but does nothing to address my deeper mentality.

So, allow me to shift gears toward a positive trend I'm witnessing...

The Slow and Steady Rise of Service Design in the U.S.

Everything that follows will be