Examining craft brewing as a social innovation process

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School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
Location:
P1 OPINNÄYTTEET D 2017 Forde

Date

2017

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Mcode

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Language

en

Pages

99

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Abstract

This work examines the global movement of craft brewing as a case of transition design towards a multi-local society, where design is seen as an iterative search for quality. Industrialisation over the last two centuries has brought about enormous changes socially, environmentally and economically. The beer industry is one of the most globalised of all, and serves as a strong example of the effects of global industry. Moreover, we can trace the roots of beer back to the dawn of civilisation—even argue that beer was a cause of the shift to an agrarian society. The rise of craft beer, which is displaying enormous growth in a declining market, is an example of a shift away from centralised production and monocultures, back to a more local, hands-on, personal approach to production. As one aspect of the role of the expert designer within the realm of design for social innovation is that of giving visibility to promising cases, this thesis asks What qualities can be distinguished within craft brewing? What kinds of narratives can be conceptualised based on these qualities and the practices of craft brewers? The work examines the concepts of social innovation, Design for Social Innovation, narrowing down to Manzini’s concept of the multi-local society. This is then compared with concepts of Transition and Sustainment, and the fundamental ideas underlying each of these is examined. The concept of Quality is introduced to help relate these concepts and apply them to the case. The case elaborates the historical role of beer in society, and describes the changes as production of beer shifted from household to global corporation. The phenomenon of craft beer is introduced, the difficulty of defining it is described. Craft brewing is examined in light of the theoretical framework, and a tentative reworking of the concept is offered.

Description

Supervisor

Jalas, Mikko

Thesis advisor

Garduño, Claudia

Keywords

design, craft beer, multi-local society, quality

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