Tendencies of German Design Theories in the Past Fifteen Years

Abstract

This talk was originally given at the conference im Wandel (Design in Change), held at the International Design Center, Berlin, in 1984. The German version, which was published in the conference proceedings and retained the author's colloquialisms, was prepared for publication by Hans Ulrich Reck. Design and the theory of design have a strong tradition in Germany. A debate about objectivity occurred around 1900, and between 1922 and 1927, another debate about functionalism had an especially strong influence abroad. During the Third Reich, the social theory of design and biotechnology were discussed. And then the Hochschule fur Gestaltung in Ulm made a great contribution to the scientific basis of design theory between 1955 and 1968. Although Germany was once a leader in the theory of design, nothing is left of its former role in this area. Since 1970, the positive traditions of grappling with design theory have been set aside and a total separation of theory and practice has prevailed. This is particularly astonishing when the Bauhaus concepts are considered. The explanation for this state of affairs is certainly due in part to specialization and the division of work. Business practice has led to a subdividing of design into specific fields: graphic design, textile design, product design, and so forth, but an integral theory of design has failed to develop and there lies the cultural loss. Through the scientizing of design, the theory of design has retreated into a very few institutions. Yet even in the design schools, design theory is no longer viewed as a theory of culture. A further specialization has been at the expense of research.