There have been two threads here recently that have both excited and intrigued me, and have subsequently caused me to contemplate Typophile’s forums and the dialogue of design(ers) in general.

The “who wouldn’t you work for” thread and the CBS memos thread in both cases led to very interesting dialogues about porn and politics. I was inspired and challenged by the myriad of mostly well articulated opinions on these ‘tangents’. I learned. I honed my thoughts because of your thoughts. There was an exchange.

But in both of these threads, and in many online communities, there is this fear/impoliteness of getting off topic. Clearly, in non-virtual dialogue we don’t do this. I don’t stop someone from discussing the perils of the porn industry just because we were talking about something else. So why do we make this caveat here at typophile (or other online communities)? Is it because this doesn’t relate to design? If you say yes to that, then I ask what if anything doesn’t relate to design?

I am immediately reminded of a quote I came across from Bruce Mau:

“Design takes on a social dimension. I think the most positive expression of this new ambition for design is the embrace of sustainability in design practice. To incorporate the complex process of resolving ecological, social, and economic factors in the practice of design takes design out of any claim to rarefication or exclusivity. It places it within the messy flow of public discussion…design is absolutely a political project.”

So in a way I would hope that attaching bezier curves, helvetica bashing, and leading can lead to discussions about the grander layout of things. What do we gain from having insular discussions especially when their is potentially something we can learn from each other. And in the end it might even inform our next design project.