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Criminality and creativity: what’s at stake in designing against crime?

This chapter explains what criminals and creatives have in common. It examines the ethnographic methods linked to ‘thinking thief’ to generate designs against crime. It analyzes strategies used by a variety of artists, designers, entrepreneurs, and criminals that involve opportunism and visually focused modus operandi. Finally, the chapter considers the question: If designers, by ‘thinking thief’, are helped to deliver social benefit in terms of reduced incidence and impact of crime, what benefits might be afforded to society by facilitating criminals (and those at greatest risk of becoming criminals) to ‘think designer’ or ‘artist’?

This is the first published volume to collect together work on the theme of design anthropology. Alison Clarke (editor) is professor and chair of Design History and Theory, University of Applied Arts, Vienna and research director of the Victor J. Papanek Foundation promoting socially aware design.

Co-Authorship Statement

Gamman and Thorpe work collaboratively in UAL’s Design Against Crime Research Centre where they co-direct research activity. They regularly co-author work focusing on Design Against Crime (DAC) and Design-Led Social Innovation. Gamman’s contribution to the article draws on her criminological understanding and design studies expertise, here specifically her background of long-term research engagement with both designers and criminals. She presents strategies used by a variety of artists, designers, entrepreneurs, and criminals that involve opportunism.