Eng. 658 – Week 8 Blog 1

Richard Buchanan offers information in his "Design" essay that I had not pondered before. Up until now, I've thought of design as something we feel, something we do, something we learn as we go along--and some of us have this as a natural ability, and some of us don't. However, I see Buchanan's point that it should be possible to create a theory that explains how to go about designing a "thing" for any given purpose. But is it feasible to think we can distill art and inspiration into a step-by-step procedure?...

Richard Buchanan, in “Rhetoric, Humanism, and Design” (1995), asserts that design theory needs a re-thinking and a new conception of the discipline which incorporates a humanistic element along with the recognition of the inherent rhetorical nature of design thinking (228). Buchanan states, “The exploration of design is therefore, a contribution to the philosophy of culture in our time” (252), and he supports this view with a strong and extensive background view of design, its inherent rhetorical purposes, its uses in commerce and art, and its beginning in Aristotle’s day through to the industrial revolution and on into today’s post-modern world. Buchanan’s intent is to call for the creation of a concrete theory of design that can be utilized to put design theory into practice for lay persons and professionals. Buchanan’s fervent argument interests his audience of graduate students, scholars, artists, and instructors who are interested in the implications of design upon society.