We’re going to try something new today. (Or at least new to the way that I have normally conducted the class.) We might call it “Group Theorizing” or maybe its just small group discussions. In any event, we will split into breakout groups to discuss a set of questions.

One person in your group should record ideas, then create a new post with those thoughts . You should label the post “Feb 22 – Name, Name, Name…”

The premise for this is derived from a theory that I have considered and would like to examine further. The very short version of my theory is this: Most young designers don’t know what Design is.

This may be a something of a confrontational way to frame the theory. But there are many questions about design which many of us have likely never considered. Here are a few:
What are the social responsibilities of a designer?
Why is design important to culture or society?
What distinguishes the field of design from fine art? Or engineering? Or programming?
Which other fields of industry should or should not intersect with design?
How is design related to language? What separates design from language? And what connects them?
What constitutes good design?
What constitutes bad design?
What, exactly, is design?

Discuss these amongst your group. Discuss any related ideas that emerge. Record your thoughts. Do not answer each question in order.