Social Science and Design Theory
Author:
- 1 September 1980
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design
- Vol. 7 (3) , 353-360
Abstract
This paper is a commentary on some relationships between social science and design theory, issues which have been raised in recent books including Architecture and its Interpretation (Bonta, 1979) and Signs, Symbols, and Architecture (Broadbent et al, 1980). It is argued that the present relationships are largely unsatisfactory. First, theory—such as semiology—is borrowed from other disciplines such as linguistics in a manner which does not recognise design as a social product. Second, the theory ‘fetishises’ design: elevating it as a series of cult objects rather than as commodities. A more fruitful approach, would be to locate design theory within social science. More specifically, it is suggested that design should be reconceptualised as the interaction between ideology and the production processes. This leads to a social theory of (rather than for) design.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Architectural objects and their design as a subject for semiotic studiesDesign Studies, 1980
- Marxism and architectural theory: a critique of recent workEnvironment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 1979
- The urban process under capitalism: a framework for analysisInternational Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 1978
- British Housing Policy and the House-Building IndustryCapital & Class, 1978