Design...a paradox

Design … Wherever we look, there is something that can be associated with this word, in one way or another. When we look at something, either a structure, building, or object, we say to ourselves that we like its design. But the question is “What exactly is design?”  What can be categorized as a design and what cannot be included in this category?  By searching the web, one can find all kinds of definitions for the word “design”. Merriam Webster Dictionary, for example to "design" is to "create, fashion, execute, or construct according to a plan", "to concve and plan out in mind", "to devise for a specific function or end". To define "design" however, we need to turn back the page of time, and look at the etymology of the word. In the article “The Etymology of Design: Pre-Socratic Perspective”, the author Kostas Terzidis explains in detail the origins and meaning of "design",  as well as what the word has come to mean today. Prepare yourself for a philosophy lesson! As simple as it sounds, understanding the meaning of the word “design” requires serious thinking.

In Latin, design is formed using the preposition “de” and the word “signare”, which means “to sign”, or “to mark”. Following this definition, one can reach to the conclusion that design is something signed, or something that has a mark on it. In Greek, “design” comes from “schedon”, which means “near, approximately, almost”, suggesting that design refers to something being incomplete, imperfect, never ending. But wait! Isn’t design supposed to be about completeness, order, relationship, harmony, perfection, and true beauty? And if you do think like that, you are not wrong. In the Western World, we have come to see and think of design as the greatest form of art, the true and sublime beauty.

If we dig even deeper into its Greek origins, we are going to find unexpected results. The word “schedon” derives from the word “eschein” (the past tense of “eho”), which means “to have”, or “to posses”. On this basis, if translated into English, design means something we had in the past, but that now is all gone. What..You would say, design is part of the past? And you are right once again. Today we talk about design as being something that leads us towards the future, something that outstands time, something new and creative  that has never been heard of, nor seen before.

This paradox created by the etymology of “design” and what our society perceives “design” to be and look like, is further developed by Terzidis in his article. He goes further to argue that innovation and novelty don’t have the same meaning, even though they both refer to something new. Also existence doesn't necessarily mean the begining of something, but it could also mean the transition from one state to another.

For more information, visit: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/desi.2007.23.4.69

Work Cited Page

• Terzidis, Kostas. The Etymology of Design: Pre-Socratic Perspectives. Massachusetts Institute  of  Technology,Volume 23, Number 4: 2007.