‘Ugly’ phone boxes that blight UK streets should be removed, says thinktank.

But also…

Campaign launched to save ‘boringly ugly’ 1980s BT phone boxes.

Great examples of why design is actually difficult. Not because it’s hard to design something that’s ‘good’, just that getting a consensus is.

I agree with both the above stories. For different reasons. There’s nuance, context and framing to take into consideration.

Similarly, I could argue why the classic red phone box is both a design classic that should be saved, and a costly relic that only attracts rubbish and vandalism and so should be removed from the streets.

Or we could consider the lovely re-use of the old red boxes as mini public libraries. If we do, then consider also that my local one keeps having whole loads of books stolen from it.

Maybe then the Public Access Defibrillator project should just take them all over? Or, maybe that’s not an infallible idea either.

Perhaps we just can’t have any nice things. Or we just keep fighting for what we think is needed and what we love and want to protect.

Design is fighting your point and selling your story.