Hi Kari-Hans,
Thank you for your message. You make a good point that most of the creation
of a design in terms of its specification is now done by the computer
systems and not by the designer - to the point that the designer doesn't
even notice it.
Just wondering, how do you distinguish the activities of designing from
creating Art?
Bearing in mind that the majority of design activity that occurs in the
world is for creating technology such as computer chips, power stations,
cars, ships, buildings, network systems etc.?
The reason I put forward the definition of design as creating a
specification for making or doing something is it works - and works well.
I believe, in time most people will find it more useful and sensible, and
it will make many aspects of design and design theory clearer and easier to
teach and research.
Best wishes,
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
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--
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related
research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kommonen
Kari-Hans
Sent: Tuesday, 26 February 2013 1:46 PM
To: Dr Terence Love
Subject: Re: design research and design practice
Dear Terry,
I think that your definition of design is much too narrow for a very large
part of design activities by designers.
In many cases in design the created 'specification' is embedded in the
creation, and not somehow separated from it as some kind of a recipe.
For example, graphic design or software design create often such outcomes.
In many cases it would be hardly useful to create a graphic design
'specification' that tells how to draw and create a composition e.g. for a
poster as opposed to doing it. Or a specification how to write the code
without writing it. I am not saying that in these areas of design there are
no such situations where separate specifications also are made - there are.
However, I do not see why it would be useful to classify the design activity
that does not produce a separate specification as something else than
design. I think that 'design' and 'making' often coincide without the
separate 'creating a specification' activity. I would say that the essence
of designing is to create the idea, form, organization, or whatever it is
that forms the essential nature of the thing that was created (depending
much on what it is - a material artifact, a campaign, a concept, a system,
an organization,...) rather than in the technical format of the output.
I am very surprised that you would consider such a narrow idea of 'design'
activity useful....? For what purpose?
cheers, Kari-Hans
On Feb 26, 2013, at 2:51 AM, Terence Love wrote:
> There are advantages in distinguishing between:
>
> 1. Activities that result in creating 'a design'
>
> 2. Activities that result in creating 'something else'
>
> In contrast, if you focus only on 'activities that result in creating
> a 'design' , where 'a design' is a 'specification for making or doing
> something' then you will find that it only includes what it needs to
> include and excludes the rest. From experience, this is useful as a
> clarifying theory foundation for all other aspects of design theory
> making and design research. I haven't found exceptions, and I'd
> welcome if others can find them.
------------------
Kari-Hans Kommonen
Director, Arki research group
Media Lab, Dept of Media
Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture
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