Dublin bids to be "World Design Capital" but have we done enough?

Dublin is making a bid to be the "World Design Capital" 2014. This award is in recognition of cities that have 'most effectively and creatively used design as a tool for social, cultural and economic progress.'

This will be a tough competition for Dublin to win, particularly with the 2012 capital (Helsinki) being a European city.

Does Dublin merit the title? There is some excellent design in the capital at the moment, Grand Canal and the Docklands featuring much of the best new architecture. In terms of graphic design, there is some decent work but I don't feel there is enough unique and inspiring work seeing the light of day and being used progressively at the moment. This is due to a lack of bravery and calculated risk taking on both client and agency's part. There is quite a lot of playing safe going on and this bid may be the wake up call to get people thinking differently and pushing boundaries for something better. I would argue that it would be better if we don't get the title "World Design Capital" this time round and this campaign can then give us the thirst to want more in the future and highlight where we are falling down in comparison to the best in the world. The ability is unquestionably here to be the "WDC" but we need to create better opportunities for ourselves to capitalise on our talent.

Check out the Pivot Dublin website for more info and see what you can do to help the bid, "Ask not...