Dear Terry
For me the specifications come at the end of a design journey and not at
the beginning when you may start with a design intention but with zero
specifcations for a brand new application, if there ever is one.
I recall a model shown to us by Prof Bruce Archer when he visited NID in
late 80's . He had two intersecting cones going in opposite directions. The
cone of intentions (left to right) gradually reduces and focusses on
possible solutions and it finally ends with one that is chosen. The other
cone of specifications constantly expands as the decisions and strategies
are decided and that cone (right to left) becomes almost infinite when the
final synthesis has been achieved.
Design is therefore about creating the appropriate specifications to meet a
particular intention and not about following them. In mature product
categories the prior art may have a strong influence on specifications
that get included.
With warm regards
M P Ranjan
Professor - Design Chair CEPT University, Ahmedabad
from my Mac at CEPT campus
28 February 2013 at 2.00 pm IST
-------------------------------------------------------------
*Prof M P Ranjan*
*Design Thinker and author of blog -
www.Designforindia.com<http://design-for-india.blogspot.com/>
*
E8 Faculty Housing
National Institute of Design
Paldi
Ahmedabad 380 007 India
Tel: (res) 91 79 26610054
email: ranjanmp@g <[log in to unmask]>mail.com
<http://www.ranjanmp.in/>blog: <http://www.design-for-india.blogspot.com>
(current and with downloads)
education blog: <http://www.design-concepts-and-concerns.blogspot.com>
(archival)
education blog: http://www.visible-information-india.blogspot.com (archival)
web site: http://homepage.mac.com/ranjanmp (disabled by Apple)
<http://homepage.mac.com/ranjanmp>web domain: http://www.ranjanmp.in (disabled
by Apple)
<http://www.visible-information-india.blogspot.com/>
------------------------------------------------------------
On 28 February 2013 12:50, Terence Love <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi Kari-Hans,
>
> Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
>
> First, my suggestion about changing the basis for defining design is not
> been some sort of instant epiphany. Its gestated and been tested over 15
> years or so. Before was around 25 years of exploring, building and testing
> concepts for design research that include human, social, environment,
> technical, ethical and other phenomena and apply across all fields of
> design.
>
> This definition OPENS UP the application of the term design to apply to
> new
> areas rather than otherwise. For example:
>
> 1. It supports the inclusion of new areas of design as they emerge across
> virtual, physical, organisational, abstract and systemic realms. This is
> because it includes anything in which human expertise in whatever way it is
> mediated explicitly informs production of products, services,
> organisations,
> systems, actions and states.
>
> 2. It enables the inclusion of all those aspects of other activities
> beyond
> the limited set that are currently referred to as 'Design' in any fields
> of
> activity that includes an element of design activities as a component of
> their other purposes.
>
> Also this definition of design as 'specification for making or doing
> something' is especially useful in Art and Design fields such as Graphic
> Design and Photography because it makes clear what is expected from a
> graphic design solution. You can see the design as specification in the
> instructions from a designer that are often tacit or encoded in a graphics
> file. For example,
>
> 'Take THIS image and use it at THIS resolution and print it on THIS kind of
> paper, using THIS kind of print process with THIS gamut and THIS selection
> of inks and place it in THIS position along with THIS copy using THIS
> typeface with THIS point size and leading and using THIS set of font
> metric
> rules and THIS set of rules for auto-justification and layout etc etc and
> using THIS type of imposition with the pages cropped in THIS position and
> bound together using THIS binding method etc etc. ' This is a design as a
> specification for making or doing something.
>
> In all fields of design and in all areas of human endeavour that design
> activity is a part, you can see something like the above happening. As far
> as I can tell, this is the specific , defining part of the situation that
> marks design activity as unique compared to other activities whilst at the
> same time being of essence of design AND not including anything that also
> includes activities that woulkd not otherwise be considered design
> activities.
>
> Warm regards,
> Terry
> ---
> Dr Terence Love
> BA(Hons) PhD(UWA), PGCEd, FDRS, AMIMechE, PMACM, MISI
> Director,
> Love Services Pty Ltd
> PO Box 226, Quinns Rocks
> Western Australia 6030
> Tel: +61 (0)4 3497 5848
> Fax:+61 (0)8 9305 7629
> [log in to unmask]
> --
>
>
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