There are parts of the design diaspora that have actively sought to deal with contemporary challenges.  Sustainable development has created new opportunities to evolve and develop new approaches and re-appraise the overall philosophical stance of design.  Over.the last two decades, as the nations of the developed world emerged into the brave new era of the post-modern, post-industrial, post-traditional, global society, questions have been posed by numerous observers and critics of design theory and practice (see for example, Balcioglu, 1998; Margolin & Buchanan, 1995; Whiteley 1993, Manzini, 1997). A key challenge has emerged – that of trying to minimise the impacts of production and consumption on the future sustainability of the planet. From the green design debate in the early 1990s (Mackenzie, 1991) there as been steady progress in this area (Datchefski 2001, Fuad-Luke 2002b, Charter & Tischner 2001).  However, such progress still requires significant socio-cultural changes in individual and business behaviour in order to deliver measurable benefits in terms of sustainability, something noted much earlier by Manzini (1997) who saw socio-cultural and technological change as coupled in the sustainability challenge for design. Others have emphasised the social role of design (Papanek, 1995; Whiteley, 1993; Clarkson et al, 2003).

Despite such valiant efforts to engage the design profession/industry, in re-evaluating its role in meeting the sustainability challenge, a glance at the output in many books about design reveals a ‘business as usual’ philosophy. Culturally influential designers reveal that new materials, new technology, psychological aspects of design and individual versus universal solutions are their dominant foci for design in the twentyfirst century (Fiell & Fiell, 2001). Fewer than 5% of these designers showed a core interest in or understanding of DfS issues (Fuad-Luke, 2002c).  Spoon, a global overview of contemporary product design assembled by eminent designers, editors and curators, is also fixated with contemporary aesthetics, although there is evidence that a few designers were genuinely trying to engage in experiential design and eco-design, both part of the Design for Sustainability (DfS) diaspora (Terragni, 2002). The overall lack of engagement with eco-design or DfS is echoed elsewhere.  Karim Rashid’s editorial selection of designs for the 2003 International Design Yearbook (Rashid, 2002) continues to highlight form and function, aesthetics, fashion and style rather than contemporary sustainability issues.  Such qualitative observations tend to support Walker’s observation that design is stuck in ‘a cage of aesthetic convention’ (Walker, 2002).  Although some designers, and manufacturers, have clearly escaped this self-imposed cage by embracing the challenges of Design for Sustainability and generating a pluralist aesthetic (Luke, 2002b).