I'm teaching a class starting in January. It's called "design theory in practice." It's about what I call pragmatic design theory--arguments that directly affect the way people design stuff (especially arguments that endure or reappear in different forms over long periods of time.) Right now, I'm in the early freaking out over all the work to prepare a reader and lectures stage so I'm not sure when I'll unearth a note I know I have; I can't remember whose quote it was but it is a Modernist design claim about the need to rid ourselves of "all needless self expression" (or something to that effect.)
Terry's question and the responses to it remind me that some notions of design are more amenable to automation than others. Martin's illustration-based design is less a candidate than is, say, the work of Jan Tschichold during his "New Typography" era or any of those who advocated the elimination of self-expression in design. I think a robotic reincarnation of Massimo Vignelli is a more doable project than an android April Greiman, Scott Makela, or David Carson. Not because Massimo's work was visually more simple but because it was based more strongly in rationality and was developed and refined in a way that Scott's and David's was/is not. (April would require a longer description than I have time for right now.)
Off that topic but speaking of my design theory in practice class, I am putting together a reader for my class next semester. If anyone has suggestions for things a group of graphic design undergraduates should read that help explain what motivated or influenced designers of any sort in any part of the past couple of centuries, please email me at [log in to unmask] I find myself reading many of the standard readings an asking myself why any of my students *should* care about it and what I think they should take away from what they would read.
Thanks.
Gunnar
Gunnar Swanson
East Carolina University
graphic design program
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cfac/soad/graphic/index.cfm
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Gunnar Swanson Design Office
1901 East 6th Street
Greenville NC 27858
USA
http://www.gunnarswanson.com
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+1 252 258-7006
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