Tim,
I disagree with your comment that there is no common ground - if designers
work in differing fields.
If they are any good at what they do - if their designs stand up to
scrutiny by their peers/ society and are successful - then the thing these
designers ALL share is an aptitude, a talent, an ability to design. To
Jan's earlier point - the 'gift'.
They 'have got what it takes'. They have what others haven't - the Common
Ground of being able to design well. This goes for Leo Fender and his
design of the Bassman guitar amp wiring, to Scott's Routemaster London Bus
to Newson's 021c car. Sometimes they work in massively differing fields to
their training and yet their clarity and purpose of thought shine through
as design. We immediately identify what it is - because it is so 'good'.
It appears to me that in describing and analysing whatever that thing IS,
is where the common ground falls apart like pack ice in the sun.
In a parallel to religion - if all our descriptions of this thing are
second hand and exist as a kind of belief structure then we are open to
schism.
If I am as far away from understanding this 'gift of design' as I am from
truly understanding fifth dimensional space time, then it will surely
remain this way.
Glenn Johnson
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