My new book, Participate: Designing with User-Generated Content, is now available (Princeton Architectural Press, 2011). Co-authored by myself (Helen Armstrong) and MICA professor Zvezdana Stojmirovic, this book addresses the following crucial question: how can designers lead the new breed of widely distributed amateur creatives rather than be overrun by them?

As non-designers busily create, designers too must get creative. Prime players in contemporary culture, designers understand that major paradigms of production and distribution are shifting. More and more they are asked to create tools, templates and resources for their clients and other users to implement. They need ideas for harnessing user-generated content while maintaining their own status as professional designers.

Participate considers historical and contemporary models of making that provide just such ideas. Part theoretical exploration and part how-to manual, Participate challenges designers to transform audiences into users and completed layouts into open-ended systems.

In November, MICA (The Maryland Institute College of Art) hosted a Design Double Feature Book Launch celebrating the release of Participate along with Ellen Lupton’s new book Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming. Book launch highlights included a lively participatory exercise involving modular coasters, a mini-exhibition, and presentations by Ellen Lupton, Zvezdana Stojmirovic,  Keetra Dean Dixon and JK Keller, Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals of Post Typography, Lauren Adams, Christina Beard, Chris McCampbell, Ryan Shelley, Chris Hurley, Aggie Toppins and myself.

I brought 10 Miami design students along for the launch. MICA graciously housed our students. In one fast-paced weekend, students did a whirlwind tour of Baltimore, checked out the MICA MFA program, and helped install the launch exhibition. Miami professor Peg Faimon joined us, as well. I’ll upload a link to the presentation as soon as it is available.

Companion website to Participate: participatorydesign.net