Terry,
I can't disagree that *if* we are "[v]iewing science as 'systematized knowledge as a subject of study. . . [the] agendas of university design schools can be seen as being essentially already 'scientific'" but is everything systematized really science?
As you predicted, your statements are not non-controversial. I suspect that much of my disagreement with you is a terminology/naming problem. What you seem to believe is "design" I would call craft that is related to design. Since I believe that an important aspect of designing fits loosely into the phrase "thinking with your hands," these may not be completely separable, but I don't make the craft = design equation.
Your statement that "Over the last three decades, designers have been learning the same small set of simplistic design methods" only makes sense for graphic design if we think that "design methods" means craft procedures. Even then, I don't buy into the myth that graphic design craft is now simple and that it used to be difficult and complex.
No graphic design program I've taught in could adequately be described as "comprises formally training designers to use automated design software such as Photoshop." Some include little to no formal training in software and even when formal software training has been an aspect, it is hardly the main point. What other sorts of programs can be adequately described as "comprises formally training x to use [fill in tool]"?
I particularly wonder about your statement that "Typography design [was] initially strongly aesthetic rather than scientific" (and, by implication, that the converse is now true):
What does "Typography design" mean?
If you mean the design of typefaces, I can't figure any justification for your confusion.
If you mean doing graphic design using type, I'd like to hear how either the aesthetic element has decreased or the scientific has increased. (I would argue the opposite on the former and I'm not sure what you might mean about the latter.)
If you mean the setting of type, that is one place where things have definitely changed: we graphic designers did not set type 25 years ago but we (and our software) do now. I'm not sure how that fact fits into your theory.
Gunnar
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