Abstract

The so-called "Design Methods Movement" emerges in Europe in the late 1950s, connected with the on-going technological developments, and new theories –systems and problem solving– within an economic-social-cultural space where new productive-economic paradigms, new social demands, environmental issues, etc., will compel designers to deal with complexity, using methodological (ergo theoretical) tools. "Design Methods", different than "Scientific Method", will improve the approach to design process problems –a non-predetermined process; at the same time rational and creative. Design reflection will elaborate conceptual constructs that, today, have already gone beyond design discipline itself such as "design thinking" or "designerly ways of knowing". The first “Theory and Design Methods Conference” will give rise to the Design Research Society (DRS), which will organize Design Research Conferences, until today. The present work will describe –over the timeline of Design Conferences, from 1962 (pre DRS) until 2016 (last DRS Conference)– the evolution of theoretical design reflection regarded in a wide context, in order to provide a new theoretical perspective, contributing to critical visions and disciplinary discussion.

Keywords

design research; design theoretical evolution; design praxiology; design phenomenology; design epistemology

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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Jun 25th, 12:00 AM

DRS Conferences: barometer and mirror of theoretical reflection of design discipline

The so-called "Design Methods Movement" emerges in Europe in the late 1950s, connected with the on-going technological developments, and new theories –systems and problem solving– within an economic-social-cultural space where new productive-economic paradigms, new social demands, environmental issues, etc., will compel designers to deal with complexity, using methodological (ergo theoretical) tools. "Design Methods", different than "Scientific Method", will improve the approach to design process problems –a non-predetermined process; at the same time rational and creative. Design reflection will elaborate conceptual constructs that, today, have already gone beyond design discipline itself such as "design thinking" or "designerly ways of knowing". The first “Theory and Design Methods Conference” will give rise to the Design Research Society (DRS), which will organize Design Research Conferences, until today. The present work will describe –over the timeline of Design Conferences, from 1962 (pre DRS) until 2016 (last DRS Conference)– the evolution of theoretical design reflection regarded in a wide context, in order to provide a new theoretical perspective, contributing to critical visions and disciplinary discussion.

 

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