Abstract
Nigel Cross´s much-cited paper about design in education of 1982 explicitly states that design is not natural science and is not the humanities but is a third and exclusively different thing. This paper examines that proposition and proposes an alternative. What we are in need of here is a description of design that acknowledges its distinct character as human activity. We do not wish to subsume it into science, humanities or the arts. For the sake of ontological and epistemological tidiness it would be preferable to avoid proposing that designers have a special way of knowing. In keeping with design´s graphic approach, this diagram paper explains the overlap of science, design and art which is the persistently missing element in the discussion so far of what design is. This element accords with the fact designers don´t just look at the world as it is (as scientists do) and accords with the fact designers make things with intentional aesthetic content (as planners and managers tend not to do). Reference: Cross, N. (1982). Designerly ways of knowing. Design studies, 3(4), 221-227.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Design Theory, Philosophy of Design, Designerly Ways of Knowing
