Design Demarcation—A Pointless and Fruitless Task . . .

Abstract

The term “design” seems to possess a multitude of meanings, interpretations, and uses for people who do not practice as professional designers or teach design at the tertiary or university level. To the general public, at its root, design apparently comes across as two-dimensional decoration and/or as a three-dimensional aesthetic application in the form of surface styling or decoration of a structure, shape, or form. Some might call this understanding superficial, a conclusion compounded by such statements as “everyone is a designer.” However, one might also say that everyone is an accountant, nurse, doctor, philosopher, or psychologist in their daily life when a limited need arises at different points in time. Yet, rarely would many actually begin to believe that they could function in these roles professionally even if they believe that they themselves have no need of professional training or expertise. Given the complex use of “design” as a noun, including its interpretation or misinterpretation, one has to question what demarcation of design as a notion would actually achieve, or why it is believed to be necessary?