Design
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Key aspects
Design concepts
Design methods
Specific

General

Goals of designs
Specific

General

In applied arts and engineering, a design is a set of variables and puts down the foundation for making objects or systems. Designers are in a position to define purpose and can be concerned with purpose and intended use. Design deals with problem-solving and creativity; it can be engaged in for problem-solving by scientific and mathematical principles. Professionally, designers are focused in one of the various design areas; but interdisciplinary design does exist with differing philosophies and approaches being applied to design.

Designers go though a process for developing and implementing a solution for products, structures, systems, and components. Design is art in a rigorous form with a clearly defined purpose. The approach to design has the designer's general philosophy as a guide for specific methods. Design is "applied art", an active effort to create both function and aesthetics.

Design process

From real-world things to virtual concepts, designers go thorough a process which make proposals, drawings, models, and descriptions of the object or system. Design production involves of compensating for routine problems and anticipates questions in the pre-planned processes. "

Design is the base of every form of creation. Design as a process which takes a general form, but is directed by the object being designed and the designer(s). The process is a common structure that can be applied to any kind of design. The design process is the management of explicit negotiable and non-negotiable limitations that will be encountered in pursuing an objective. The general steps of the process are:

  1. Identification of variables (also known as a "Design brief" or "Parti")
  2. Analysis and classification of variables
  3. Research and selection of variables
  4. Influence variables to adhere to non-negotiable variables
  5. Conceptualize and document solutions (Problem solving)
  6. Optimize variables which are negotiable variables
  7. Present and evaluate existing design
  8. Development and improvement of solution
  9. Test and and measure solution
  10. Implement solution into the environment
  11. Evaluate solution and and results
  12. Redesign, dropping back to a previous process step (if necessary)

All these steps fall into pre-production (1-7), and production (8-10), and post-production (11-12).

Having non-negotiable variables that are in conflict result in a design with no solution. Such non-negotiable variables must be revised. Poor designs occurs as a result of not accounting for the limitations.

Process design

Process design, not "design process", is the planning of routine steps of a process and are treated as a product.

Further reading

21st Century

20th Century

19th Century

External articles

  • TED : Technology, Engineering, and Design - academic organization which holds annual, invitation-only conference devoted to "ideas worth spreading". (TED Twubs)
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