5. Possible Printings: On 3D Printing, Database Ontology, and Open (Meta)Design

3D printing has the potential to bring about important changes in many domains, including the world of design. Especially because of its open character––the idea that anyone can be a designer or producer––3D printing challenges traditional design practices. In this light De Mul discusses the rise of Open Design, which is characterized by the fact that it involves downloadable works, that design is distributed, and that it is possible to recombine modules to personalize designs and to 3D print them at home or in a specialized shop around the corner. In order to gain a deeper insight into both the chances and the pitfalls of open 3D design, De Mul sheds light on some of the fundamental characteristics of the digital domain, specifically on database ontology, the ABCD of computing. Next, he examines the implications of database ontology for the world of 3D design. He argues that in a world of Open Design the designer should change (redesign) his activities. The designer of the future has to become a database designer, a meta-designer, who does not design objects, but creates multidimensional design spaces in which unskilled users are able to design their objects in a user-friendly way.