Maker Faire Detroit 2010

Design Democracy

Design Democracy is a grass roots project aimed to raise awareness about mass customization. To prove that mass customization is a viable alternative to mass manufacturing Context Furniture produced and displayed designs from this project at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

The societal advantages of mass customization are immediate. Shifting a product’s advantage from a low cost/cheap labor item to an individual personalized process will change the way consumers interact with the goods they use. Consumers who engage in design-driven custom products will have a personal investment in their purchase, creating value beyond low cost.

Because a product has a specific end user and purpose, the production of excess items would become obsolete. Transportation of these excess items would cease to be necessary. In addition, only the resources that are needed for a specific product would be consumed, reducing the consumption of raw materials for the creation of goods that have no specific future. Mass Customization manufacturing can be adaptive to market fluctuations, by reducing risk and equity investments in excess inventory and labor processes.

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Project photo.

About the Maker(s)

Maker Faire

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