The Aesthetics of Imagination in Design

by Mads Nygaard Folkmann

Overview

A theoretically informed investigation that relates the philosophies of aesthetics and imagination to understanding design practice.

In The Aesthetics of Imagination in Design, Mads Folkmann investigates design in both material and immaterial terms. Design objects, Folkmann argues, will always be dual phenomena—material and immaterial, sensual and conceptual, actual and possible. Drawing on formal theories of aesthetics and the phenomenology of imagination, he seeks to answer fundamental questions about what design is and how it works that are often ignored in academic research.

Folkmann considers three conditions in design: the possible, the aesthetic, and the imagination. Imagination is a central formative power behind the creation and the life of design objects; aesthetics describes the sensual, conceptual, and contextual codes through which design objects communicate; the concept of the possible—the enabling of new uses, conceptions, and perceptions—lies behind imagination and aesthetics. The possible, Folkmann argues, is contained as a structure of meaning within the objects of design, which act as part of our interface with the world. Taking a largely phenomenological perspective that reflects both continental and American pragmatist approaches, Folkmann also makes use of discourses that range from practice-focused accounts of design methodology to cultural studies. Throughout, he offers concrete examples to illustrate theoretical points. Folkmann's philosophically informed account shows design—in all its manifestations, from physical products to principles of organization—to be an essential medium for the articulation and transformation of culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262313773
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	04/12/2013
Series:	Design Thinking, Design Theory
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mads Nygaard Folkmann is Associate Professor at the Institute for Design and Communication, University of Southern Denmark.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword ix

Preface xv

1 Introduction 1

2 Design and Possibility 13

3 Aesthetics 25

4 Imagination 67

5 A Phenomenology of Imagination in Design 81

6 Imagination and Design Epistemology 95

7 Schematization 105

8 The Imaginary in Design 139

9 Symbolism 153

10 Transfiguration 185

Conclusion 217

Notes 223

References 249

Index 265

What People are Saying About This

Richard Buchanan

This is an intelligent inquiry into the aesthetics of imagination and the capacity of design to create meaning in human experience. Folkmann has made an important contribution to design theory. He brings a humanistic perspective to a field where research is often reduced to one or another of the sciences. He helps to bring into focus the wholeness of the design enterprise.

Gesche Joost

Mads Folkmann skillfully draws on concepts from phenomenology and design epistemology to present a fundamental approach to the questions of what design is and how it works. Linking his thoughts to examples from design practice, Folkmann unfolds a broad range of theoretical concepts that are highly relevant for design practitioners and scholars to reflect on the processes, implications, and meaning of design. This book is a substantial contribution to the current discourse.

Endorsement

This is an intelligent inquiry into the aesthetics of imagination and the capacity of design to create meaning in human experience. Folkmann has made an important contribution to design theory. He brings a humanistic perspective to a field where research is often reduced to one or another of the sciences. He helps to bring into focus the wholeness of the design enterprise.

—Richard Buchanan, Department of Design and Innovation, Case Western Reserve University

From the Publisher

Mads Folkmann skillfully draws on concepts from phenomenology and design epistemology to present a fundamental approach to the questions of what design is and how it works. Linking his thoughts to examples from design practice, Folkmann unfolds a broad range of theoretical concepts that are highly relevant for design practitioners and scholars to reflect on the processes, implications, and meaning of design. This book is a substantial contribution to the current discourse.

—Gesche Joost, head of Design Research Lab, University of the Arts Berlin

This is an intelligent inquiry into the aesthetics of imagination and the capacity of design to create meaning in human experience. Folkmann has made an important contribution to design theory. He brings a humanistic perspective to a field where research is often reduced to one or another of the sciences. He helps to bring into focus the wholeness of the design enterprise.

—Richard Buchanan, Department of Design and Innovation, Case Western Reserve University