There certainly is a proliferation of “social design” projects underway, and this is generally a good thing.

The Design Revolution Road Show stands out because of its format. As they describe it, it’s “a traveling exhibition and lecture series bringing “product design that empowers” to 25 high schools and university design programs across the nation in the Spring of 2010.”

More than an traveling exhibition of social design (which itself is a great idea) the road show also includes an educational presentation component, through which the staff will share and discuss their design toolkit.

This idea of bringing an educational/workshop component to social design, is, I believe, suggestive of a transformation underway in design, from objects to events.

Now, before anyone thinks I am heralding some “death of the object” – I’m not. In fact, I am deeply committed to objects and believe they are central to design.

At the same time, “the event” is emerging as an important design form, particularly in social design and practices of participatory design. The idea of the event is not new to design, and there are important precedents in art and urban planning. But we seem to be beginning to see a renewed interest in the design event, particularly in regards to socially-conscious projects.

This presents a spate of opportunities, and too challenges. In regards to opportunities, the event is, almost by definition, a situation of engagement, in which the designer takes an active role with publics. This transforms the role of the designer ever more towards an active social agent. In regards to challenges , we are prompted to ask: What precisely is this design form?; What are its qualities?; and from the perspective of theory and criticism: How do we describe, analyze and judge the event as design form and practice?