Design Systems

Posted November 16th, 2007Session Organizer: Brian Lucid, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

A system is defined as group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements joined by a web of relationships to form a complex whole. Designers create systems to manage complexity, define consistency, generate form and composition, and create flexible frameworks for interaction or experience.

Systems theory has not had as strong of an influence upon design theory and pedagogy as it has upon other disciplines. However, designers have long been – and will be progressively more – engaged in the practice of designing systems of, and for, design.

A designer’s product was once fixed. Now it is increasingly dynamic. Designers enable fluidity by defining rules that govern relationships between elements and concepts, then choreograph how those relationships evolve over time and/or through user interaction. The shift from compositor to “rule-maker” has naturally led to a resurgence of interest in how we integrate systems into design education and practice.

How is the nature of systems and their application within communication design being addressed within design education?