Visible Language

This Annotated Design Research Bibliography brings together a network of design scholars to select the most relevant bibliographical references for the field of design. The books that appear annotated are selected through two analytical approaches: the essentialness of the book determined through a design community on-line ranking survey, and the discipline distribution through field-keyword analysis. Annotations were collected from the volunteer on-line survey participants and a more focused community of individuals targeted for each particular section including members of the Ph.D. listserv, the Ph.D. community at the Institute of Design and its database. The project consists of ninety books in three essential areas of design study: 1) Philosophy and Theory of Design, 2) Principles and Methods of Design Research, 3) Theory and Practice. Interpretations of the observations from the data collected from the on-line bibliographic survey are also suggestive of the state of design as a discipline.

Building a Philosophy of Design is one of the sections of the Annotated Design Research Bibliography. Design suffers from the ambiguity of its philosophical context. Although design communities attempted to solve this problem a decade ago, there is no agreement concerning what a philosophy of design might be. The study addresses the differences of philosophy in design and science. This is followed by an analysis of the most read books as determined by community ranking. Field-keyword analysis is then used to analyze interdisciplinary books and expert recommendation of books. The results from community ranking demonstrate that books related to philosophy of design still require substantial development since there is a limited literature that directly points to a philosophical context for design. Most current books tend to be design history and criticism of design. From the results it is evident that design requires progressive action to establish a foundation in this area.

Building a Foundation for Design Research Methods is one of the three sections of the Annotated Design Research Bibliography. Design is a hybrid activity that encompasses many disciplines beyond itself, which blend depending on the nature of the research project. To support a range of design research activities, thirty books listed in this section embrace research principles and methods from general to specific research content and practice across three levels of design research: basic research, applied research and clinical research. The content in the book lists demonstrate methodologies from many design research perspectives, from those with a social science focus to those with a science orientation, to those that build method from a design perspective. The research method guidance in these books is useful for both design researchers and design practitioners who are interested in building a body of design knowledge.

Building a Discourse between Design Theory and Practice is one of the three sections of the Annotated Design Research Bibliography. Theoretical knowledge is simultaneously generated and accumulated through reflective practice and judging of results. To support the partnership of practitioner-researchers and research-practitioners, thirty theory and design practice books are selected in both directions regarding how knowledge is used and accumulated, and how knowledge is built through design research. The ‘theory building’ selection includes books on both reflective research concepts and those with reflective research examples. The ‘theory using’ selection ranges from the broad and general use of theories in design to the more specific use of theories in different design fields and the integration of design with other disciplines. The selected books are useful for the development of design theory, design research, design practice, design intellectual culture and design discipline.

This introduction to a special issue, Research in Communication Design, provides a brief argument for why design research is important now. The importance and difference of design research needs from that of other disciplines is stressed. The focus is on the development of knowledge useful in the practice of design. It also challenges the ‘black box’ of design and questions the limits to its knowledge. Articles are briefly introduced with a commentary on their research classification and particular research approach.