Dear Sanjoy,,
A review of the design research literature (about 400 texts) I undertook showed the term 'design philosophy' is problematic because it is predominately associated with the study of design methods. My thoughts at the time were:
"Philosophy of Design is different from design philosophy. It is the disciplinary equivalent of Philosophy of Science, or Philosophy of Technology - whereas design philosophy is associated more with the philosophical study of design method. Appropriate questions in Philosophy of Design are, for example; 'What, in general, is design?', or 'What are the characteristics of a valid theory of design?', or 'What are the characteristic of a theory of objects being designed?', or perhaps, 'How might a theoretical design concept be tested for coherency with other concepts?', or even 'Should a theory of objects be part of design theory?'.
The term design philosophy has also been used to describe the study of such questions. The historically intimate connections between design philosophy and the study of design methods has, however, limited the scope within which philosophical issues relating to design have been considered. Design Philosophy is not, therefore, a suitable title for the philosophical study of all aspects of design theory because theories related to design, and the concepts associated with them, cover a wider range of issues than the methods, methodologies and techniques of design. The term, Philosophy of Design is [more approrpiate] to describe this wider philosophical inquiry. Love, T. (2000). Philosophy of Design: a Meta-theoretical Structure for Design Theory. Design Studies, 21(3), 293-313.
Best regards,
Terry
=======
Dr. Terence Love
Dept of Design
Faculty of BEAD
Curtin University
+61 (0)8 9266 4018
[log in to unmask]
=======
<Sanjoy snip> You are perhaps already aware that the term
"design philosophy" is used to describe an overarching theme a designer
takes up or follows, or an idea that undergirds the design, or one that
unifies the design. Often these are musings of practitioners, especially
when they become famous and people ask them to elaborate on the design and
sometimes these are ideas the designers claim to follow. Example is "Form
follows function" popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright but probably having its
origins with Sullivan. Another is Mies van der Rohe's "Less is more".
The points raised by you are distinct, I think. These are probably
thoughts by philosophers regarding design. Or questions that philosophers
might ask about design.
<end Sanjoy snip>
|