The Origins and Meaning of Design
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About Design
Etymology: An English Origin
The word design comes from English, used since the classical era. It originates from the Latin designare, meaning "to mark with a sign, to draw, to indicate." The term is formed from the prefix de and the noun signum ("mark, sign, imprint").
In English, to design means both to draw and to conceive according to a plan or a sketch.
In 1712, philosopher Shaftesbury introduced this concept into English art theory, faithful to the meaning of disegno. Thus we distinguish:
- drawing → the act of tracing a sketch
- design → the idea, its representation, the project, and its graphic form
The modern sense of the word design in French (a drawn project) was popularized by Henry Cole in 1849 in the first issue of the Journal of Design and Manufactures.
The Challenges of Translation into French
Because it is not of French origin, the word design is not pronounced as it is written. Long considered an anglicism, it only gained acceptance in French later. Several attempts were made to replace it with a French equivalent, but none succeeded.
History of Design
Design is the creation of a project with the goal of producing an object or a system, positioned at the crossroads of art, technology, and society.
It is a creative activity, often with an industrial or commercial purpose, but it can also address social, political, scientific, or environmental issues.
The main purposes of design are to:
- Invent new solutions and concepts
- Improve existing products and services
- Simplify the use of a product, a service, or a process
Design responds to needs, solves problems, proposes innovative solutions, and creates new possibilities to improve the quality of life. It applies both to industrial societies in the West (where it was born) and to developing countries, notably through humanitarian design.
The Multidisciplinary Nature of Design
Design is by essence multidisciplinary. A designer's culture draws from the arts, technology, human sciences, and natural sciences. It is in this intersection of creativity, functionality, and innovation that design truly finds its meaning.