Abstract

This paper is a compilation of results of a comprehensive study on evolutionary theories, which aims to find a fundamental formula for the study of evolution and propose a new method for design. The initial hypothesis was that design doesn’t change randomly or follow a man-like way of thinking, but instead evolves organically according to some identifiable patterns. This idea was motivated by the perception of weaknesses in design theory on understanding the semantics of products; aspects that could not be explained by any state of the art design methodology. After a preliminary analysis, this intuition was organized into a series of questions and suppositions converging to the hypothesis that the reason why some aspects of design cannot be explained by the Cartesian form-function equation is that artifacts are not created from zero, every product is an evolutionary link, an element with a historical and evolutional background and an paradigm or trend. This study then, proposes a model of evolutionary patterns and a method for design; the application of those principles and theories in order to understand the big picture of the evolution of design.