This blog is intended as a discussion forum for theoretical issues about design. The primary focus will be foundational design questions, such as:
- what is design?
- what are the various competing definitions of design?
- how do you resolve definitional disputes? or, in other words, Who’s right?
- what are the implications of each definition on design education and practice?
- what constitutes design knowledge?
- what is good design?
Why should I care?
In my view, design theory is in a precarious state. The most systemic problem is a lack of consensus on what practitioners, researchers and teachers mean when they say ‘design’. This confusion is laying a very shaky foundation for the field as a whole.
Through thoughtful debate, I hope this blog will penetrate this and other pressing design theory issues.
Linking theory with practice
A common complaint with such high-level theory is that it is nearly impossible to link it to everyday practice. While I agree it is difficult to make these connections, I do not think this is an excuse for ignoring design theory. To this end, I will discuss concrete ways in which each theoretical debate relates to design practice and education.
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.