After seeing all three exhibitions, “Designing Women” left a deep impression on me. The exhibition was divided into four parts: Leadership, Community, Teamwork and Research, revealing how female designers contributing themselves to the design industry which was considered to be Patriarchal. This blog is researching about how the female designers influenced the gender equality in design industry, starting with the artwork “Security pass, access all areas” by Susan Cohn in 1989.[1]
The Using of the red color delights the viewers because the security pass is usually in black and white which is clear but boring. So the designer added the red cover on it, with a little bit gold, to make it more visually enjoyable. The hollows on the red cover were carefully arranged. Those three horizontal bars might appear on the traditional security pass for the information while the dots are placed in a dynamic way. The contrast between them is attractive. Other than this, the word “access all areas” on the back of the security pass, which is partly covered implies that the function of being a security pass for your identity is no longer important. It is more like an ornament.
So we can see that the differences between the designs for mass production and designs by female are obvious. In the work “Security pass, access all areas”, the functionality was separated from the object. Susan Cohn made it more like jewelry which suited women better. Women designers would create products in a unique perspective for female.[2] “Beginning in the early 1980s, feminist research on medicine (reproduction and contraceptive technologies), engineering (domestic technologies and housework), and architecture (domestic space, urban planning, motorways) has explored how technology created by men is in accord with their interests in a way that excludes women, whose values, interests, and needs are fundamentally different from those of men”.[3] In such a patriarchal society at that time, women were placed in margin. According to Tony Fry, “Design history on and in the margins [the “other” story and (her)story of (his)story] is a different kind of history.” [4]Because being in the different positions, people will start to think in an unusual way. The female designer leaders do make progress on gender equality and still continue on it.
Nevertheless, whether designing in a female perspective to address women could fundamentally improve the gender equality? “Due to women’s omission from the decision-making processes that shape them, such products also strengthen and reproduce the stereotypical images of women in society.”[5] The gender equality cannot be reached by only producing the women perspective designs. The more vital point is to promote the education of “technology is gender-neutral”.[6] The mistake is that the designs on textile and graphic are still seen as a supposedly “feminism” design which is actually depreciation. [7] Not until the design subjects turn in to gender-neutral do the female designers be accepted by the whole design industry.
What kind of design might reach the real gender equality?
[1] “Security pass, access all areas”，National Gallery of Victoria,
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/77233/
[2] Pinar Kaygan，” Gender, Technology, and the Designer’s Work: A Feminist Review, ” Design and Culture (April 2016)
[3] Ibid
[4] Tony Fry,” A Geography of Power: Design History and Marginality “, Design Issues, (Autumn 1989) ,29
[5] Pinar Kaygan，” Gender, Technology, and the Designer’s Work: A Feminist Review, ” Design and Culture (April 2016)
[6] Ibid
[7] Jenny Lewis and Margaret Bruce , ” Women designers— is there a gender trap? “, Design Studies,( April 1990 )
Design Methods 
First of all, I have to admit that the theme “Designing Women” gives me a deep understanding of the importance of gender equality in the design industry. At the same time, I am also amazed at the design work that could perfectly show the theme.
As far as this design work is concerned, I did not link it to the pass when I saw it at the first time. This is because of its gorgeous, high-end color matching. The red and gold colors commonly used in jewelry design make this pass a special meaning. In addition, the distribution of the small holes in the red portion adds interest to the overall design. In the same way, I also noticed the combination of these small holes and the text on the back of the pass, which is undoubtedly the highlight of the design.
Designer Susan Cohn used a “security pass” to declare that women should have equal power in all areas. In my opinion, the emotions of the design that wanted to convey to the society are very strong. “Access all areas” and gorgeous appearances are all about the importance of women. The designer hoped to break the old ideas in the design industry and society as a whole and called for the future of gender equality.
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In terms of design, male designers and female designers are fundamentally different in terms of design starting point and design concept, but each design must have its reasons for existence. Female designers leaders have indeed made progress in gender equality. It is the first step for female designers to get affirmation.
Female designers have the advantage of delicate personality. Even if they are designed with some gender color, this is a major feature of women’s design. What is important is not the depreciation design like knitwear, but the designer’s The uniqueness, recognition, acceptance and market of the work.
In the current state, it is imperative to exclude the unequal views encountered in women’s design, so that female designers can boldly interpret their own ideas and ideas.
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