A design policy expert is challenging the Trump administration's America by Design initiative, arguing that it fundamentally misunderstands the historical purpose and spirit of federal design policy in the United States. Dr. Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall, an award-winning design anthropologist, claims the executive order issued on August 21 undermines decades of established federal design principles focused on democratic governance rather than economic competitiveness.
Tunstall brings unique expertise to this critique, having studied and taught global design policies from 2006 to 2010. Her research, supported by work with AIGA's Design for Democracy and a research trip to Europe via the German Marshall Fund, allowed her to compare various international design policies. Through this scholarship, she discovered that European and Asian design policies primarily focused on "Design for Economic Competitiveness," particularly as these regions rebuilt their economies after World War II devastation.
The historical context of U.S. design policy differs significantly from international models, according to Tunstall's research. While Europe and Asia required government financing of design promotion activities to showcase national talent and rebuild their global economic positioning, America's economy flourished in the post-World War II period through military-industrial complex support and professional business associations. Official federal U.S. design policy didn't emerge until the 1970s with President Nixon's founding of the National Endowment for the Arts, championed by Nancy Hanks.
The core distinction lies in America's focus on "Design for Democratic Governance" rather than economic competition. According to Donna M. Binkiewicz's book "Federalizing the Muse," federal promotion of arts and design served Cold War strategies to demonstrate American freedoms and inclusion compared to Russia. Nixon's Federal Design Improvement Program, adopted across multiple administrations from 1972 to 1981, emphasized design standards for safety, technical and aesthetic quality, sustainability, and social inclusion, while supporting design's role in policy creation, understanding, and implementation.
This democratic governance approach was further strengthened by the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Tunstall documented these principles in her own policy work, organizing a significant gathering of design leaders in Washington D.C. on November 10-11, 2008. She assembled representatives from professional design associations, design education accreditation bodies, and federal design agencies to propose a U.S. National Design Policy.
The 2008 summit produced substantial results, generating 260 raw proposals that were refined to 62 prioritized policy proposals. These were further consolidated into the top 10 design policy proposals and sent to Congress. Tunstall's "10 Principles of Design Necessity" became part of the Report of the U.S. National Design Policy Summit from January 19, 2009, representing a comprehensive attempt to formalize American design policy principles.
Tunstall argues that the current America by Design initiative fundamentally abandons the U.S. tradition of Design for Democratic Governance. She points to several concerning developments: over 250 words now forbidden by the federal government, the firing of effective federal design and engineering teams by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), and the design of the America by Design website itself as evidence that the initiative lacks commitment to democratic principles.
The expert identifies specific policy reversals that contradict established design principles. The initiative cannot promote design standards for safety while removing government regulations, she argues. It lacks grounding in sustainability principles as climate commitments have been dismantled. Social inclusion becomes impossible when forbidden words include "Black," "queer," "woman," and "disability."
While America by Design promises aesthetic changes, including more gold and flags, Tunstall questions whether it demonstrates genuine commitment to aesthetic or technical quality. Although the executive order mentions Nixon, she argues the initiative more closely resembles President Reagan's dismantling of the Federal Design Improvement Program in 1982, representing a retreat from decades of established policy.
Tunstall concludes that the current administration's actions serve as a reminder that "We the People are America and will have to support each other through design." Her critique emphasizes that federal design policy should serve democratic values rather than purely aesthetic or political messaging, maintaining the historical American approach of using design to promote inclusion, safety, and civic engagement.
Dr. Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall is the author of "Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook" (MIT Press 2023) and runs the consultancy Dori Tunstall, Inc., which collaborates with companies and organizations to create conditions of liberatory joy for all. Her analysis represents a scholarly perspective on the intersection of design policy and democratic governance in contemporary American politics.
