DIA National Conference on - Design Institute of Australia

DesignInstitute ofAustralia1996

Design<strong>DIA</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Conference</strong>EducationProceedings1996Design Institute of AustraliaEditors: Ron Newman and Cal SwannDigital Issue 2002

DesignInstitute ofAustralia1996First published in 1996 byDesign Institute of AustraliaEmployers’ House50 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122AustraliaThe views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarilythose of the Design Institute of AustraliaThis publication is copyright. Multiple reproductions, without permission of up to 20% of theseproceedings for non-commercial purposes is encouraged subject to acknowledgement.<strong>National</strong> Library of AustraliaCataloguing-in-publication entry:Newman, RonSwann, CalJoint editorsProceedings DesignISBN 0 909386 86 2Designed by Cal Swann F<strong>DIA</strong>Typeset in 9 point Frutiger and production byThe Design Research and Development UnitSchool of Design, Curtin University of TechnologyPrinted by Lamb Print, PerthReissued in digital form 2002 byDesign Institute of Australia196 Flinders StreetMelbourne VIC 3000Australiawww.dia.org.audia@vecci.org.auDigital production byDavid Robertson F<strong>DIA</strong>

IntroductionContentsKeynote Address: Sleeping with GropiusMichael Bryce F<strong>DIA</strong> 1Keynote Address: Seamless paradigms, a crisis in educationAssociate Professor Ron Newman F<strong>DIA</strong> 11Keynote Address: Life after graduation - do Australian designers continue to develop?Professor Cal Swann F<strong>DIA</strong> 26Topic AThe relevance of present curriculum to professional needsChair: Carol LongbottomAmazing design - pity its not what the customer wantedPaul Huxtable 36Design for the real personHarry Stephens 42Design education: for whom the bell tolls?Phil Bassett 48Changing by designSherry Blankenship 54The Nepean Model - Design Education as a consequence of thePostmodern ConditionHeinz Luettringhaus, Tim Marshall and Chris Matthews 61Topic BInnovation and new technology in education and the professionChair: Professor Helmut LueckenhausenThe impact of new technology on professional and educational practiceJohn Brooks 68Making new connections for designKarin Schlegel 71Product design and knowledge baseVesna Popovic 78industrial design - a management tool and educational challengeEdward Kayser 85

ContentsTopic CResearch and continuing professional developmentChair: Marina LommerseDesigners and clients: some research outcomesAlun Price 92‘. . . But I am a designer, why do I need to know all this?’Robyn Robins 101The role of professional associations in design educationRussell Bevers 103Design education’s paradox: is it to lead or to follow?Jacqueline Shaw 110The need for consultation process in professional developmentRichard Coker 117Towards a review of the Design Education Policy of the <strong>DIA</strong>Harry Stephens 127Reports/summing up from the Seminar Chairs:Topic AThe relevance of present curriculum to professional needsChair: Carol Longbottom 134Topic BInnovation and new technology in education and the professionChair: Helmut Lueckenhausen 135Topic CResearch and continuing professional developmentChair: Marina Lommerse 137Plenary sessionRon Newman, Eilish Bouchier and Helmet Lueckenhaus 140<strong>National</strong> Working Party on Design EducationConvenor: Cal Swann 142

In October 1995 at a Federal Executive meeting of the Design Institute of Australia(<strong>DIA</strong>) it was debated that the <strong>DIA</strong> was becoming irrelevant to the planning ofDesign Education. The <strong>DIA</strong>, the professional organisation of Australian designershad recently published its Design Education policy - a project co-ordinated by CalSwann and even though this policy had been discussed in the public domain itscontents had not been fully tested against the views of both the professional designand design education communities.It was decided to convene a national conference the following year and the twoeducationalist in the room (having recklessly volunteered) were charged withorganising a suitable forum as soon as was reasonably possible. From the veryearliest we believed that it would be easy to involve the academic community butthat it was imperative that the professional practising designers attend and presentcomprehensive papers. What sort of conference did we want, what were its aims,how many would attend how will it be managed and funded. The planning beganand the call for papers went out. The support of Techsearch, the consulting andbusiness arm of the University of South Australia, and its officer Karen English waspivotal. The papers began to roll in.IntroductionEditors:Associate ProfessorRon Newman F<strong>DIA</strong>University of NewSouth WalesProfessorCal Swann F<strong>DIA</strong>Curtin University ofTechnologyWe invited two key practising designers to present keynote papers while we wouldpresent the other two keynote addresses to provide an educational context. In theevent, unfortunate circumstances prevented Roger Simpson from delivering hispaper, which we regretted very much as Roger’s article would have made a strongcontribution from the professional perspective. The remaining papers were selectedfrom a large number of submissions and at this stage it is important toacknowledge and thank all those designers and educators who submitted anabstract.From our perspective the conference was indeed a success. We believe this can bejudged by the quality of papers presented in this publication, and by the summaryof the discussions held after the sessions and in the Saturday morning forum. Wealso take this opportunity to thank the Chairs of the three conference sessions, thechair of the Saturday forum and the scribes whose excellent notes are containedwithin these pages.The issues that arose during the forum are indeed, important to design educationand to the practise of design. How do we train/educate designers? Are competencystandards relevant or appropriate? What are the expectations of practisingdesigners of the education institutions? Who accredits design education? Do we(<strong>DIA</strong>) need to accredit design education? What should the policy of the DesignInstitute be with regard to design education? What is the relationship betweenTAFE, Universities and the professions? How do we facilitate professionaldevelopment and lifelong learning? Many views in answer to these questions liewithin the following pages, and one positive result of the conference was theestablishment of a <strong>DIA</strong> working party on Design Education, which has since beenestablished in electronic/email form initially by Cal Swann and which will, as animportant focus, co-ordinate the Design Education programme of the SydneyDesign 1999 conference.We commend to you the many papers contained within this volume and the notesof the various, discussion sessions. For further information on the conference or theworking parties ongoing task, contact either Cal Swann or Ron Newman, orsubscribe to the debate in the electronic discussion list on:Iistproc@info.curtin.edu.au

Background and acknowledgements<strong>DIA</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> Review GroupThe <strong>DIA</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on DesignEducation was held in Adelaide on 5-6 July1996.The aim was to bring practitioners andeducationalists together in a productiveexchange of views, and from this to create adialogue that would lead to an informedcontribution from the profession and for theInstitute to exert an appropriate influence onthe future of design education in Australia.The selection of papers for the seminars wasmade by a Review Group including theconvenors. All the papers presented at the<strong>Conference</strong> are reproduced here in full. Thetask of the Review Group was to ‘review’,not ‘referee’ the submissions that werecirculated to the Group members, andsimply to look for papers that wouldcontribute substantially to this crucialexchange of views from the twoperspectives. Some good submissions, whichoften discussed particular teachingmethodologies and would have beenvaluable in a solely educational forum, wereexcluded on the grounds of being too farfrom the <strong>Conference</strong> focus which was verymuch on the interaction between theprofession and education in the broadercontext.Michael Bryce (Qld)Desmond Freeman (NSW)Madeline Lester (NSW)Helmut Lueckenhausen (Vic)Ron Newman (NSW)Vesna Popovic (Qld)Tony Russell (WA)Roger Simpson (Vic)Cal Swann (SA-WA)The <strong>DIA</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> was supported by:Curtin University of Technology (WA)The University of New South Wales (NSW)The University of South Australia (SA)The Convenors and the Institute wish toacknowledge their support, without whom the<strong>Conference</strong> and the publication of theProceedings would not have been possible.Convenors:Associate Professor Ron Newman F<strong>DIA</strong>Professor Cal Swann F<strong>DIA</strong>ApologiesThe papers in these Proceedings have beenprepared by a wide variety of authors using awide variety of reference systems, despite theconvenors requests to comply with aconsistent format!In this respect, we are very grateful for theactive support of Russell Bevers, the <strong>National</strong>President of AGDA (Australian GraphicDesign Association) who presented a paper,and the President of the <strong>DIA</strong>, Jill Stansfield.During the <strong>Conference</strong>, the Presidents jointlyoutlined the progress of discussions takingplace for the formation of one nationalorganisation of design professionals.We have made some attempt to edit thispublication for consistency, but in the interestof time from conference to circulation, haveminimised the editing process. We apologiseto our authors for any amendments to theirtext, and to our readers for an imperfecttypographic style.We are particularly indebted to the<strong>Conference</strong> Chairs, Carol Longbottom,Helmut Lueckenhausen, Marina Lommerseand Eilish Bouchier. And especially gratefulfor the assistance for the <strong>Conference</strong>organisation by Karen English of Techsearch- and from Lynn Chalmers M<strong>DIA</strong> and SandyWalker M<strong>DIA</strong> of the University of SouthAustralia.

DesignInstitute ofAustralia1996Digital Issue 2002

Sleeping with Gropius: and Learning to be a DesignerMichael BryceChair and Colleagues, I am honoured to be asked to speak to this distinguished audience ofdesign educators and I am mindful of the dangers that lurk in attempting a subject that you allknow more about than I - Education. I will thus confine my opinions to those of an ‘observer’.Gathered here today we have a mix of experience in teaching and practising design. As adesigner for over thirty years and sometime academic advisory committee member I believe thatdesign education has come along way in the 38 year history of the <strong>DIA</strong> 1 * (and my working life)with the introduction of discipline-specific design courses in industrial, interior and graphicdesign and now even more specialised courses such as electronic media design. Theintroduction of four year Bachelor of Design courses and post graduate courses includingMasters and PhD’s has provided further depth for the development of the profession. To thoseof you who have played a part over many of these years this is a time to say well done - youhave created an excellent platform for our future designers.We are all driven by the common bond of the belief in the benefits of ‘good design’ and theopportunity to see the benefits of it in our everyday lives, in Australia.However while congratulating ourselves that progress has been made, it has been assumed thatboth the world of practice and education have been going along parallel paths. In my view, thisis not the case - there are still serious divisions between the groups within the profession. Wemust therefore act together to see the profession prosper and to increase the significance ofcareers through design education. For example we have not yet seen a Vice Chancellor from aDesign School background nor a chief executive of a top Australian public company who is adesigner.In the title of my talk I refer to my affair with Gropius and it may to some degree reflect anarrow perspective on the world of design. I hope this isn’t the case but lest it is I do declare anacquired scepticism about some of the mannerisms of the modern movement and myadmiration for tail fins on a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. The aim of my comments today willbe directed more at the loss of passion in education than a defence of a particular period ofdesign.In Walter Gropius (1883-1969) the world saw the first contemporary designer to embody thespirit of teacher with that of famous practitioner. Here is the movement that reached fromblackboard to boardroom. And all this in the atmosphere of a Europe in the transition from theArts and Crafts Movements of the pre-WW1 era through to the 1930s where standardisation ofmachine made products was established. Coming from a family of architects, Gropius workedfor Peter Behrens in Berlin before starting his own practice. Using mass production techniquespioneered in early aeronautical design he designed the first curtain wall building withcantilevered steel frame construction. After serving in WWI as an air observer he took over theSaxon Academy of Arts to form the Bauhaus:‘His skill at the Bauhaus was in maintaining a relentless momentum of educationalexperimentation often employing staff of widely differing ideological standpoints whilejustifying or defending his decisions in the face of officialdom.’ 2Increasingly aware that the German Government would not tolerate his internationalist andmodern ideas on architecture and design, he moved to London in 1934 and established apartnership with Maxwell Fry. He moved to the USA in 1937 and became professor of thegraduate school of design at Harvard University where he embodied his principles of functionalsubdivision in the curriculum. He founded the Architects Collaborative in 1945 and even in hiseighties was still designing landmark products such as the Rosenthal TAC tea service.Michael Bryce is acommitted advocateof Australian designand national identity.He is one ofAustralia’s leadinggraphic designerswith many awardsfor environmentaland architecturalgraphics. He isinvolved with manynational designissues including;The Republic, theAustralian flag andthe Sydney 2000Olympics.He is managingdirector of MinaleTattersfield Bryce andPartners and aninternational partnerof the MinaleTattersfield DesignStrategy Group - acompany ranked inthe world’s top fivedesign practices bythe Financial Times.His work can befound in nationalinstitutions andcompanies acrossAustralia includingthe Rocks, AustraliaWar Memorial,<strong>National</strong> Trust,Darling Harbour,Brisbane CityCouncil, Expo 88and the Art Galleryof New South Wales.In 1991 he createdthe now famous zigzag logo for theSydney 2000Olympic bid.He has been involvedin design educationthrough hismembership ofadvisorycommittees at1

Michael BryceGriffith University(Queensland Collegeof Art), QueenslandUniversity ofTechnology (Schoolof Built Environmentand Engineering)and as Chair of theDesign SchoolAdvisory Board atthe University ofTechnology, Sydney.He has been a parttimeand guestlecturer over manyyears.Michael Bryce sits onthe Board ofGovernors of theCommunicationsResearch Institute ofAustralia, is amember of theAustralian Academyof Design, a LifeFellow and formerPresident of theDesign Institute ofAustralia, a Trusteeof the QueenslandArt Gallery andFellow of the RoyalSociety of the Arts.Michael Bryce iscurrently Chair of theDesign Committeefor the Sydney 2000Olympics.Stephen Bailey in the Conran Directory of Design wrote -’Gropius would be remembered as themost persuasive and sophisticated of all the theoreticians, educators and critics who struggledto accommodate civilised humane values into a mechanised world.’ The Bauhaus’s influence inthe world of art and design can be compared with the influence of the theory of relativity inphysics.’ 3As an architecture student in the 1950s and 60s (my training ended in 1962) It was ‘de rigeur’for all students to sit at the feet (metaphorically) of the great architects. Our training began with3 years of maths, surveying, physics and chemistry, geology, art classes and history. Littlethought was given to ‘getting a job’ - philosophy was the aim - understanding the greatbuildings - living and sleeping the architectural lives of others - Edwin Lutyens, Le Corbusier,Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto, Eero Saarinen and indeed anyone who practisedthe international style even in Australia We were also the products of our teachers and weremember Professor Robert Cummings, who was trained in the L’Ecole De Beaux Arts, won theRome Prize and had been in practice for 20 years before coming to the university-without adegree, to become the first Professor of Architecture at the University of Queensland. My daysat University were halcyon ones and they left a lasting imprint on my regard for intellect (which Ididn’t give much evidence of) and the architectural tradition of collective work and criticism andthe importance of knowledge for its own sake.We students admired the work of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes and Frank Lloyd Wright’sFalling Water. We dressed like our teachers and tried to emulate the bohemians. Myintroduction to the world of design and Raymond Loewy, Dieter Rams, Charles Eames andHenry Dreyfuss came later - after my architectural training because little of the other designdisciplines was even spoken of yet alone taught at my school. Indeed little appreciation of thegreat designers of one discipline is often evident in another - If I ask today’s graduates who arethe famous product designers of the 20th century - I would probably not be told Kenji Ekuan,Richard Sapper and Bruno Sacco but they would know the products of Yamaha, Alessi andMercedes Benz. There is not the same passion about style and creative approach. The emphasishas turned more to the product than the designer, though this time it is to the benefit of BillGates 4 .My move from architecture was not for want of success or love of architecture. I had wonseveral RATA citations for merit as well as the Civic Design Award and House of the Year andwas runner-up for House of the Year one year later. My move was a response what peoplewanted from me and to the interests and skills I had learned before I went to university - mybasic talent if you like.I can’t claim any higher degree in graphics where my entry was by a metamorphosis fromarchitectural rendering and presentation to graphics for car showrooms and RSL Clubs and thento the design of the brochures and so on. I confirm I have never worked for government or bigbusiness nor was I ever a teacher. I have spent my life in the world of private practice, in fee forservice but I, like many of you here, have had the opportunity to be involved withmultidisciplinary groups and consultant teams first as an architect, then as a graphic designerand today as a broad design consultant for our international clients. Through working on largerscale tourism and retail projects like World Expo 88 or the Olympics or urban developments likethe Rocks, Darling Harbour or City West in Sydney respect for the talents and the role of othersis deeply engraved in my approach.I have a view on the Australian Design Education System from three positions2First, as a Parent - I have 5 children between the ages of 22 and 30. Between them they havestudied at 7 universities including one in the USA. My observations are based in part on theseexperiences. Full time, part time, distance learning, undergraduate and graduates degrees. Onlytwo of them are in the design field.

Second, my perspective is influenced by my own involvement with many universities either as adesign consultant or a committee member.Third - as a design practitioner who has been the employer of many students and graduates.Michael BryceWhen I practised as an architect I was often a part time lecturer and tutor at both the Universityof Queensland and QUT - helping to set papers and marking work. This collaborative workapproach seemed to knit lecturers in art, media and design into the architectural frame ofreference. Outsiders were part of the training process.As a designer I fear the involvement with the Design Schools has been scarce - having only afew times been invited to give visiting lecturers to graphic students.This phenomenon speaks poorly about the relationship between practice and classroom and yetI’m sure it isn’t that the education staff don’t want to have experienced outside ideas, nor is it aquestion of money. Rather a question of lacking a collaborative culture.I would argue that there needs to be a more synergistic relationship between the four maingroups in the design scene for the profession to advance beyond its present parlous state.Let’s see if we can agree on some issues about we what wantDesign needs a more respected place in society.We want to attract high calibre students to the design courses.We want to pay educators well and develop their careers.We want teachers to be less insular and better connected to the best of international designpractice.We want to improve the education standard of practising designers.We want to update universities with current professional needs.We both need to meet the continuing changes in communication technology, governmentregulation (ie. QA), and social responsibility.Designers want to be remunerated properly for ‘creative’ as well as technical work.Why do we want to do these things?To enjoy a satisfying meaningful careers?So that we belong to a stream of intellect and talent that is respected?So that we may earn more money?So that we may be acknowledged for the changes we make to society?So that we may have symbiotic experiences together?So that teachers of design are no less respected for their creative ideas than people in business?I suggest that it is all of these things but more importantly it is about empowerment. Enjoyingthe opportunity to be included, eliminating the frustration out of being taken lightly, gaining aplace in the society that says - Designers are a most necessary profession. They are important tothe university’s status, to our business, to our community - isn’t this want you want? Isn’t thiswhat our students want?Without this respect from society we will continue to be the professional underclass in a worldthat needs more and more design. In today’s society design (film, TV, fashion, lifestyle) iseverything but designers are not equated to the process of getting to the design (SydneyOlympic Logo, Wallabies Logo 5 ) I frequently find myself in business meetings with clients andother consultants and it is not uncommon to sense the ‘us and them’ language . The reason isthe perceived lack of a rigorous education base. Business people, lawyers and accountants asclients are quick to trivialise the role of the design consultant as arty or different, eveninteresting but not really at their professional level and who can blame them when their3

Michael Brycequalifications are at least six years and sometimes ten in the making.I often get around this by playing the ‘architect’ title as this name has a standard protected bylaw. The real answer is to distinguish the designer by such means as we have in our power as aproperly trained individual. Never mind about talent; talent has its own race to run in themarket and will win out in the end. Regrettably with three year ‘design’ degrees and loosequalifying criteria to be called a ‘designer’ we are misleading the public and this situation is notgetting better.For the purpose of this address I have looked at the problem into 5 parts. The profession plusthe clients of design.1 The students of design.2 The design education system - professors, teachers, university courses.3 The practice of design - the employed designer, the consultant.4 Professional bodies- AGDA, <strong>DIA</strong> and other regulatory groups.5 The clients of design - industry, commerce and the government.The following generalities are offered:1 Students of DesignThe method of entry into a design courses across Australia is wide and varied - from sheerpersistence to last choice - from talent based selection to tertiary entrance score - often basedon ignorance of the choices available. Selection for design courses at university level is quitecompetitive and of a higher order of selection each year.There is a need for an annual compendium of design courses such as the Design World Survey 6and a constant monitor of this equality by the design profession. All lecturers, design coursesand research should be listed as well as visiting professors and fellows.Entry into the post graduate design schools should be by general base degree following a yearof TAFE or similar skills training. It is essential that designers are trained in art. Selection shouldbe partly by TE and partly by talent. Students should be allowed to move from one degree toanother and from one stream to another.All students should be registered with the profession as a base for future ‘sales’. Scholarshipsand bursaries should be widely available for assistance with books and fares. The HECS systemwas in my view very good where financial costs are high and where the end result is arespectable career. Financial assistance with school fees should be offered by Government.The reality is that students are less willing to struggle for their passion as it costs ‘big money’just to go to university and there is no guarantee of a decent salary in the end. It is therefore,the aim of many to get into the workforce as quickly as they can to get the job first and startearning. Regrettably the employers are quick to allow a 2 year course to count as much as a 4year course as it is less expensive. It is however private practice that undermines the status of the‘educated’ designer by promoting staff to consultant positions without sufficient depth ofeducation.2 The Education System4Education should begin at primary school. Professor Desmond Freeman, President of AAD hassaid ‘Education is the most pressing issue facing the design profession’. Design should be aninteresting creative thing for children. There should then be a serious subject called ‘design’ athigh school and there should be a wide variety of TAFE training courses in computers, art andprint production etc. The education system should be flexible to allow overlap and movementand from one university to another. It is essential that any base to a degree course include thedigital skills of computers and the ability to draw your ideas. Study methods and learning skillsmust be given an early priority. Prof Freeman’s views were made clear to a recent audience of

shocked design educators when he advocated a return to the TAFE system for an initialgrounding in skills before coming to university.’ 7Michael Bryce‘The universities are doing a disservice to the future of design by continuing to concentrate onessentially the same level of design education as is currently offered by TAFE; and was offeredpreviously in Colleges of Advanced Education and prior to that, by its predecessor, TechnicalEducation. Many design courses have embraced all the trappings of university status withouthaving accepted the quite distinct attendant responsibilities. For many, that ‘honeymoon’ periodis coming to an abrupt end. University based design educators need to be freed from teachingmany of the skills-training components and encouraged to gain higher degrees in theirdisciplines; they must develop university-level teaching materials for the later years of the degreeand, of course, to undertake urgently needed design research.’‘A substantial part of the teaching in the first two years of any design degree course should becontracted to TAFE. The TAFE course would be jointly developed with participating universitiesand would address much of the skills training and ‘foundation’ work characteristic of mostdesign degree courses.’To many who have fought to raise design to a university level these words may have seemeddisappointing even traitorous but there is merit in this argument. As the CAE’s have given wayto university syllabus so the skills base has been lost to the profession. In the quest to elevate atechnician or artist to a rounded strategist in three years something has had to give and I’mafraid it is either the quality of design or business knowledge at one end or the artistic skills atthe other.A university is not a place to be a mac operator. University courses should include a foundationyear of general design skills, history and exposure to the options, including craft and art. Theseyears should be liberally interspersed with visits to practices, talks, inspirational media and ofcourse technology available for student use. No doubt many courses represented here today doprovide this, but not all do.Course LengthCourses in design should be four years long, preferably full time - or equivalent in full-time andpart-time combinations. No courses of lesser duration should carry the right to be training‘designers’. Alternative courses may be three year full-time plus one year of honours study.Course Nomenclature and Accreditation of CoursesAll design study courses of four years full time study plus one years practical experience shouldaim to be called Bachelor of Design and be accredited with the professional body (referred tohere as the Institute 8 ) as meeting the needs of society. Where three year degrees are offered theymust either be seen as preliminary (B.A) or adjunct degrees (B Des St.) with titles defining themas studies or arts or applied science degrees. Design should be elevated to a professional planethat is at least in line with the fields of architecture, landscape architecture and engineering. TheInstitute’s must also take a lead in the establishment of a new order of accreditation for DesignCourses.Post Graduate DegreesPost graduate degrees should be offered in every accredited school to give specialisedprofessional qualifications in fields of expertise recognised by the Institute*. These fields shouldbe described clearly by their field name -GradDip Design (GD Des), Master of Design (MDes).Dual degree combinations should be facilitated that combine design with business, law,psychology and so on. Design management and design education Masters or post graduatediplomas should be included in selected universities with access to business and educationstreams. MBA’s in Design should be available.There should be a close alliance between universities and business to interrelate the work of thecourse with industry and the profession. 95

Michael Bryce3 Practice of DesignIt should be the goal of every designer to see that the practice of design is elevated to the statusof a proper profession. As I have said earlier there is a ‘light weight’ tag associated with manydesign practices. This is because many graphic practices continue to present an art studio imagethat disguises much serious ability. Despite the style of presentation there is the same need forprofessionalism. The requirement for Quality Assurance 10 and the need for continuing educationwill have some influence on this but success is also a great incentive for uplifted standards.Educators should see themselves as part of the practice of design or at least of the designprofession. They should set examples to their students by being members of the Designinstitutes whether in the practising category or as educators.Who Are Designers?To borrow a euphemism from the well respected former Editor of Architecture Australia andauthor Professor Tom Heath. What if anything, is a designer? 11 * (he said architect) His questionunderlines the suspect quality of the title of designer and perhaps also the relevance of thedesigner to society. The title Designer should be better defined in the minds of government. Theonly person qualified to use the generic title Designer (big D) is the registered, qualifiedDesigner.The profession has been criticised about not knowing how designers are trained and thechanges in design education - this is largely true and still important. Practices should inviteteachers into their working environment for liaison purposes. Where appropriate, universityknowledge and research skills should be included in bids for work. The profession gives littledifferential via pay or status to differences in the educational standard of the designers that theyemploy. Little prestigious use is made of qualifications instead of ‘image’. Our status is alsoreduced by continual referral to designers, students, academics and the Institutes as ‘theindustry’ - We are the design profession and AGDA needs to assist the <strong>DIA</strong> in fostering thisrespect.Continuing EducationAs academics are required to broaden their professional practice skills and largely to haveMaster’s degrees to get lecturer status so to should practitioners be encouraged to uplift theirqualifications - perhaps a swap or barter arrangement can be made between practices andacademic courses. Lawyers, doctors have to undergo periodic retraining - architects have toacquire points in continuing education to remain as members of their Institute-this addressgives me two points - so thanks to this conference I can continue to be registered as anarchitect.Quality AssuranceThere is also widening demand of the multi disciplinary design practice to meet qualityassurance. This is a great thing but a burden on the employer. This includes continuingeducation, social accountability, indemnity insurance and copyright law. These things are allclearly an impost on the practice. Coupled with this is the impact of the new virtual corporation,technology and collaborative ventures with other designers may be the only way to survivethese times.Involvement of Design Practices In SocietyIn my experience both architects and designers are quite good at being charitable - in fact it is apoint of difference between the private practice and the employed colleagues in governmentand university that the private sector is expected to give a considerable amount of free work tocharities and sports and students work experience and training.6It is the responsibility of practice to provide training for students and graduates. However thisload should be shared with the education system and the Institutes. This can be done by

modelling the work experience programs of high schools whereby students are selected forexperience, interviewed, placed and supervised by the education body.Michael BryceThis technique could be extended to design students at tertiary level by cooperativearrangements between the academic body and the profession with rules of training andexperience set out.For the graduate internships should be structured so as to give meaningful professional trainingand a position of dignity to ensure a seamless transfer into the workforce. Such training shouldlead to registration as a designer and it would provide another check on the practice fromoutside.4 The Institutes - AGDA, <strong>DIA</strong> & AADThe professional Institutes are the arbiters of professional standing in the profession. At themoment they are arguing about how professional you have to be to call yourself a designer. Yesit is good that they are attempting to find some common ground to improve their marketingand lobbying power. The way as suggested by Roger Simpson and Jill Stansfield of <strong>DIA</strong> andRussell Bevers of AGDA is to accept them all in one designers guild under differing categorieseg. Industry, Student, Graduate, Licentiate, Associate, Member, Fellow with only those membersmeeting the academic and professional standards being accredited as professional members. Iwould concur with this proposal provided that there is no loss of quality in the registered‘designer’ category.To develop the synergistic relationship between the 4 different interests in the profession, theInstitute should encourage and participate in the ‘continuing professional development’ pointssystem as promoted by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. As I have said, by thisscheme design professionals gain credit points within their institute for attending courses,lectures and giving lectures as well as by undertaking higher learning.Registration of DesignersThe Institute needs to look at accrediting practices and design units (in the case of industry) asconsulting designers as well as individual designers. There is little point in having qualified andregistered members when the professionalism of the practice they work for is less than the ownindividuals standards. There are strong reasons not least of which is professional indemnityinsurance for having designers registered to practice.5 Clients of DesignThe design aware client is still in the minority. The clients perception of the designers potential isunderestimated. When designing a new identity and sign system for a public building or ashopping centre we are often not included on the list of consultants on the site hoarding andwhen we are, we are placed below elevator suppliers or sprinkler fitters.If clients do not understand practitioners who they deal with on a day to day basis, then youcan imagine how little they know about students and the process of design education. Thisneeds to change. Invitations need to be extended to clients to visit universities, give prizes forstudents and be champions of design. Business, science, arts and other university coursesshould contain 5 credit points on basic design knowledge. Clients must want to know aboutdesign - this, I realise is the difficult part and in the world of business marketing is extremelyimportant and expensive. We must always seek to identify ourselves with the well designedthings of this world and with the successful products of design.Free PitchingThe industry, if we can call it that, is gripped by the phenomenon of free pitching ie. Doingdesign work free in the hope of getting the job if the client likes your work. Now there is7

Michael Brycenothing new in this - ad agencies having been doing it for years but it is a cancer eating away atthe bones of the profession and must be surgically removed before it leads to a terminal state.My Models For Learning To Be A DesignerAt present many graduates are completing three year Bachelor of Visual Arts courses andapplying for jobs in response to advertisements for professional designers. There are manyprivate colleges offering six month to two year ‘Design Training’ courses. These graduates alsothink of themselves as designers. And are encouraged by their trainers to do so.This is not good enough. To be respected and call yourself a professional designer there must bea worthy educational background. However such courses provide a valuable training for peoplewanting to enter the design world and they can have fulfilling careers as assistants or specialtechnicians.Model 1A four year course must be the minimum requirement for professional accreditation by theInstitute and to gain registration as a professional designer. Anything less than this is half baked.First year would be a foundation year of general study skills. Years 2 and 3 would involve morespecific design study and Year 4 - specialist training in a particular discipline. This should befollowed by a years ‘internship’ to gain industry skills and registration. The four year course canbe a three year preliminary degree plus an honours year.Model 2Alternatively students should do at least a 3 year general ‘Design Studies’ course followed upwith a 2 year honours and graduate diploma or two year masters in a particular designdiscipline. This also should be followed up by an indentured training program.To summarise some of the academic requirements I am proposingThe StudentStructured work experience programs for students interested in design as a career. A careerscompendium should be promoted by the Institute and sent to school academic counsellors. Itshould set out different design disciplines and courses of study that are accredited by theInstitute. Students entering a design course should be registered.The TeacherTeachers should be required to spend at least 1/5 of their time in design practice - either by each5th year being out in the business or by having a continuing 1/5 of the week devoted to privatework. 12 The schools should provide facilities for students and staff to work on real fee payingprojects - either to support the purchase of new expensive computers, scanners and otherequipment or to assist charitable and not-for profit community organisations. Schools shouldnot compete with the practice community for normal paid commercial work unless inconjunction with the professional designer.The PractitionerDesigners should be registered by a Government Designers Registrar- as are architects Designconsultants should be selected for government funded work by their qualifications, membershipof professional Institutes and their experience in the field of work pursued. Designers shouldundergo continuing education. Design practices need to use the skills of design academics. Freepitching should be eliminated or it will undermine all these things. Design staff should berecognised for higher degrees and continuing education.8

In ConclusionMichael BryceWhere is the Bauhaus or the Royal College of Art or Domus Academy in Australia? Where is theinspired leadership in education? Where too, is the role model the Raymond Loewy, WalterGropius, the Milton Glaser or the Ettore Sottsass of Australian practice whose work provides anew communication for followers and a benchmark for new leaders? Where is the industrialchampion of design in Australia - the Braun, the Philips. Too often do we hear remarks such asthese.Most academics are shackled to promotion systems and lack the will to express themselves asdesigners.Most practitioners are either consumed by the daily fight to remain in business or are greedy,narrowly niche orientated in lucrative markets.Students are whingers, deprived of real inspiration, struggling to pay fees and bus fares andlooking for a job that doesn’t exist.The Institutes are talkfests by power hungry consultants wanting something for their CVencouraged by paper rep’s and manufacturers looking for networking opportunities.Is this a real scenario or am I joking? What we must all realise is that as we head towards 2000without the profession of design working together - the various disciplines, the education andpractitioners, the fellows and the students we will not have a design profession in 10 years fromnow. In the way architects are threatened by drafters so to is the graphic designer threatened bythe desk top publisher. Society remains largely ignorant of the role of the design profession.The destiny of each student is bound up in the ability of your course that they take being fusedwith the commercial practice of design in a seamless progression and a synergistic relationshipwith government and industry. We must all play a part in recognising the benefit of a strongand vital profession enabling us to join the ranks of the great design nations of the world.BibliographyBayley, Stephen (1985) The Conran Directory of Design London: Conran OctopusFreeman, Desmond (1995) Late Twentieth Century Design Education in Australia: Observationsand Proposals for Change Paper presented at the ACUADS <strong>Conference</strong> , HobartHeath, Tom (1988) What if Anything, is an Architect? In Architecture Australia - May 1988, PortMelbourne: Architecture Media AustraliaJulier, Guy (1993) The Thames and Hudson Encyclopaedia of 20th Century Design andDesigners London: Thames and Hudson<strong>National</strong> Design Review Steering Committee (1995) <strong>National</strong> Design Review Report Sydney: TheAustralian Academy of DesignSimpson, Roger (1995) Remarks to the <strong>National</strong> Design Review in The <strong>National</strong> Design ReviewReport p 56Taschen, Benedikt (1993) Bauhaus 1919-1933 Berlin: Bauhaus-Archiv Museum fur GestaltungWood, Colin (1967) Design World -Annual Design Education Survey9

Michael BryceReferences:1Design Institute of Australia, originally the industrial Design Institute of Australia was foundedin 19482Guy Julier, The Thames and Hudson Encyclopaedia of 20th Century Design and Designersp. 963Stephen Bayley, The Conran Directory of Design p. 1444Bill Gates - founder of Microsoft Corporation5Minale Tattersfield Bryce designed the Sydney Olympic Bid identity in 1991 and a new identityfor the Australian Rugby Union Team -The Wallabies in 19956Design Editorial, Design World Annual Design Education Survey7Professor Desmond Freeman, ‘Late Twentieth Century Design Education in Australia:Observations and Proposals for Change’ Professor Freeman was Professor of Design at Universityof Technology, Sydney and Chair of the <strong>National</strong> Design Review Steering Committee8Design Institute of Australia9In 1983 - when I was Federal President of the Design Institute, a category of membership wasintroduced for ‘Design Education’ . Until then the professional institute (I<strong>DIA</strong>) required a folio ofwork case studies. Some lecturers did not have this material and it prevented some high calibrepeople coming into the Institute’s ranks Moreover Design academics had little chance of beingrecognised by their peers for promotion to Fellow or leadership of the professional Institute. It isstill the case to some extent in the awards system for architecture design and advertising wherethe teachers, researchers and writers of the text book receive scant recognition and yet often arepart of the design profession’s success.10Generally AS/NZS 9001 for designers11Tom Heath, Architecture Australia (Editorial) ‘What if Anything is an Architect? Tom Heathwas Professor and Head of the School of Built Environment at the Queensland University ofTechnology.12Roger Simpson, President of <strong>DIA</strong> - Remarks to the <strong>National</strong> Design Review10

Seamless Paradigms: A crisis in design educationRon NewmanTwo words that for many years have intrigued me, because of their fashionable use, and twowords that I believe should describe the possible outcomes of this gathering. I will try not to betoo long in this address and I hope to raise some issues of interest, and hopefully issues that willbegin some debate and argument leading to new futures. Hopefully this paper will cause designeducators and design practitioners to reflect on their design education practice or theirprofessional practice of design.These two words seamless and paradigm I think reflect the future and the past. The professionsof design and the educational institutions that serve it should operate in a seamless mannerunderstanding and developing the profession for the needs and future of the community.My view of the paradigmBut how do we achieve it and what are the obstacles?Within my abstract I pointed to three factors that I believe stand in the way of the seamlessparadigm, and they are:> The lack of a clear agreed definition of ‘What is the design discipline that we are teaching?’.> The lack of an understanding of where design should be located within the universityfaculties, and what relationship it should maintain, and> The lack of understanding by design academics of teaching practice and it’s appropriateapplication to design education.Within this paper I will attempt to show how the three above factors have contributed to thecrisis and will then suggest some possible actions that can be taken to improve university designeducation in Australia.In 1995 I surveyed design education institutions attempting to understand two of these issuesbetter and it is the results of this survey along with some research into design educationhistories that I will share with you today. One of the main outcomes of the survey was anunderstanding by me that with what I have learned I am now qualified to do it again with morefocus and hopefully better results. Whether I will or not is another matter.Well then let’s deal with the thorniest issue of all first, what is the design we teach, What isdesign?What is design? ‘Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as to best accomplish aparticular purpose.’ (Eames/Neuhart-1989 p.14) or ‘anything that does not happen by accidentis Design’ (Australian Academy of Design, cited in Swann 1995 p.21).These two seemingly similar definitions, though approaching the task of definition fromdifferent directions, one positive and one negative, point to a set of activities that have becomeknown as design. One could then deduce that all courses of study that teach us to plan orcause an event, an object or an environment to happen can be called design. The designing of abudget, designing of a corporate structure, the designing of a military campaign all fall withinthe definition.The first of the two definitions was offered by the well known designer Charles Eames, when hewas asked ‘What is your definition of Design?’.Within this paper I will only consider the fledgling design disciplines of: Interior Design,Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Textile Design and Exhibition Design, andAs a professionaldesigner who hasrecently joined theranks of academia,Professor Newmanbrings a mix ofdesign and businessexperiences to theeducation ofdesigners. Apartfrom the Head ofSchoolresponsibilities at theSchool of DesignStudies, College ofFine Arts, TheUniversity of NewSouth Wales,Professor Newman’sinterests range from;a share in a smallhigh technologymanufacturingcompany in Sydneyto consulting onDesign Managementissues to clients,from chairing theDesign Institute ofAustralia’s ‘SydneyDesign 1999’steering committeeto being a memberof the StrategicAdvisory Committeeof Pacific Solar, theUniversity’s jointventure with PacificPower.Professor Newmancompleted hisstudies in IndustrialDesign in the earlynineteen seventiesholding variousdesign and designmanagementpositions in Australiaand Europe. Senior‘design positionswith Philips, Emailand Sebel Furnitureparalleled hiseditorial stewardship for 6 years ofthe nationalmagazine ‘Design inAustralia’ andvarious executive11

Ron Newmanroles within theDesign Institute ofAustralia.Currently ProfessorNewman is teachingwithin the UNSWBachelor of Design,studying at UNSWfor a Masters inHigher Education,while undertakingresearch projects inthe fields of DesignManagement andDesign Education.therefore design education in the narrowest of contexts. I will consider the definitions offeredby the current educators. I will not be considering all those professions that undertake a designactivity within another non specific design discipline. It is important I believe to focus on thenarrow and new design professions because it is here that the crisis exists. Architecture andEngineering are two professions that use design within their package of skills, but they haveestablished secure narrow disciplines with no significant outstanding issues of definition orlocation.And what did the design educators say? Research data was collected in the form of a four pagepostal questionnaire which was sent by mail to sixty (60) design educators located in tertiaryinstitutions throughout Australia. These design educators were self selected, as they were theones that attended a series of four separate design education conferences around Australiaduring 1994/1995. The only additional criteria used for selection, was that the academicstaught within a unit that offered professional courses to designers within the design disciplinesdiscussed earlier.Twenty seven (27) responses were received in total representing a return of 45% of thequestionnaires distributed. Responses were received from fourteen (14) different institutionsaround Australia including twenty-four (24) from eleven Universities two (2) from technicalcolleges as well as one (1) response from a privately funded college.Design is an area, a discipline that many educators find difficult to define. This notion wasborne out by the questionnaire responses. Of the twenty-seven (27) individuals who respondedto this questionnaire, and specifically to question seven (7): ‘Do you think design can bedefined?’ The majority said ‘yes’ (17 responses, 63%), there were three responses that said ‘no’,almost one-third of those who answered this questionnaire did not respond to this question atall, showing I believe some apprehension, choosing instead not to commit themselves eitherway. However, when it came to writing their definition of design only three people did notrespond.Many themes and issues emerged from the question ‘what is design?’, there was a wide varietyof individual interpretations and philosophies. The responses are so broad that one can wonderwhether the respondents are in fact teaching the same discipline. Some of the recurring themesare grouped together under the following sub-issues in Table 1.Table 1 Question 7 Definition of DesignDefinition Number PercentageDesign is an intellectual process 7 28%Non Defined 6 22%Design is a process of problem solving 6 22%Design is functional 6 22%Design is art and poetry 2 8%Design is visual planning 2 8%Design involves expression of feeling 1 4%Some individual responses were as follows:12Non defined‘No need to be defined’‘All definitions are dangerous (Erasmus)’‘Design can be defined in specific content only’‘I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours - Ron. This is my intellectual property on which the wholecourse is based and really I’m not wildly happy about spreading such stuff around’And some felt that Design is an intellectual process!

‘The intellectual process of selective choice discrimination, function and use of language,images, tools and devices which permeate a society’Ron Newman‘...an area of human activity that seeks to create order from chaos’‘To undertake conscious action in purposeful manner towards a goal - only human design orperceive arrangements of shapes, ideas or systems as belonging to a design’ ‘It is mycomprehension that design (or applied design) operates cognitively and in practice in two levelsof reasoning. In resolving the interaction of and levels of changes a design is developed from itsinitial statement to its final product. It is the contingency of ‘visual thinking reasoning’Design involves the expression of feeling.‘... define solutions to problems with elegance, precision and feeling’Design is a process of solving problems, finding creative solutions to set tasks.‘Design is a process of creative thinking in the planning of elegant solutions to problems whichinvolve improving the human environment’‘One can design one’s life as much as design a text or an object or a shape or a course. Is poetrydesign? Is design poetry? Sometimes. Sometimes both, Sometimes neither. Not always’.‘In the broad sense all creative acts are design and all problem solving activities are design,whether in reality or by default’‘Design is a process in which thought is applied to bring about some improvement. It includes acreative step. The process in common to industrial, graphic, textile, interior design as well aslaw, engineering commerce etc,’‘In my mind it is a way or process of thinking and problem-solving, taking into account anyfactors that may improve our way of life, protect the environment and provide a sustainablefuture while providing a pleasing aesthetic’‘Creative response’Design is functional‘In engineering the use of maths and basic science plus the art of engineering design to createproducts which satisfy a human need’‘Design is the designation of things (or of ‘no-things’) to a purpose’‘... design is a process/capability that can give purposeful expression, and useful application toan object, an image, or a system’‘The ability to create the most effective solution to a given problem in terms of functions, formsand the resources used’‘Design is a purposeful, premeditated activity, usually occurring before action is taken, andundertaken with the view to satisfying human needs - pragmatic or aesthetic ‘‘Design must produce products which make Australia globally competitive, they must be highlyfunctional, commercially reliable, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally responsible’Design is art and poetry‘Design should be - Art and poetry Alberto Alessi (1994)’‘Design is a performing art’Design is visual planning‘Visual planning ie. a plan which involves some significant component of visual decision making- as opposed to word/number planning’‘Design is the plan, is planning’The most common theme provided by the responses was that a precise definition of designwould be too restrictive. There is, in my view, confusion expressed in the responses of thesedesign educators. A greater confusion would exist if one was to ask for definitions of GraphicDesign or say Visual Communications, Interior Design or Spatial Design or even Spatial13

Ron NewmanPlanning, and more importantly the definitions would become Industry specific rather thanfocusing on the discipline of design. The act of designing.A definition of design is elusive. The question that may be asked of design educators,particularly in the current economic and political climate, is that if you can not define your fieldof study then how do you know what you are teaching? How will you then define content,assess students and protect your discipline from external threats and pressures.It is necessary in my view for a discipline to identify itself and its constituent parts, these factorsprovide it’s authority, validity, context and its authorship. Without these qualities a disciplinemay not be recognised as an autonomous authority within and amongst the practices, skills,knowledge and stakeholders that it wishes to represent.The discipline of design is therefore not defined within the education institutions and I believeremains unstable as a field of knowledge. It’s instability has in the past and may in the futureresult in its dissolution and/or its inclusion into other affiliated disciplines such as Art,Architecture and/or Technology education.These factors indicate that the discipline of design and therefore design education could indeedbe at a point of crisis; a crisis of identity. I haven’t done a survey to seek a definition from theprofessions for design or for their particular area of design practice, but I believe if this wasdone we would find a similar confusion.And now the location of design. No survey results here! The historical nature of Australiandesign education is problematic. Within a history of Australian education there is a plethora ofcourses, curriculum documents, and associated classroom practices that relate to designeducation that are/were determined and constructed by different state and territorialeducational bodies for the secondary, the TAFE, the CAE and the university sectors with acommon national educational policy being only a very contemporary phenomenon and stillproving to be problematic within Australian design education. This dilemma is aggravated bythe specific problem of Australian design education’s location in a variety of disciplines at anyone time.At the turn of the century nationalist ideals sprouted from the gold fields, and the flag design ofthe Eureka Stockade, was to be finally realised in 1901 with Federation. Design education withinthis period was found mainly within the traditional apprenticeship system. Workplace trainingwas located within the disciplines of engineering and architecture. Design education within thepublic school system found itself located within early art education practices of instrumentaland observational drawing techniques based upon the educational premise that if a studentcould copy something then he (as males were bound for work) could copy others in aworkforce of standardised tasks, and therefore act as a functional member of this new nationstate.International economic policy that had created the phenomenon of twentieth centurycapitalism was founded upon the notion that the education of the individual was seen in termsof ‘human capital’ relating to the theories of Neoclassical economics. Marxist ideals oneducation within this period between the two world wars phased out these types ofeducational outcomes. The founding philosophies of the Bauhaus school of art and design werebased upon utopian leftist ideals culminating in the closure of the school with the rise of afascist government. Within Australia, Design education was championed by the arts and craftsnot the economists, as a move for functional aesthetics supported by nationalist social equalityswelled within our educational institutions.14In 1941 it was clear how Alleyne Zander and Frank Medworth who was head of theDepartment of Art at East Sydney Technical College, defined and placed design and Designeducation when they wrote:

‘As the war will greatly increase secondary production in Australia, the right education and useof the Australian designer is thus of the greatest importance. New uses of materials and newtechniques will develop. Furniture, glass, carpets and pottery are classes of goods that areusually badly designed in Australia, but women’s clothes and some forms of advertising anddisplay show originality of Design. This naturally emphasises the importance of training thechild’s visual perception and awakening his interest in beautiful things. It should be part of theart teachers job to become a person of taste, able to translate his enthusiasm for beauty intowords.’ (Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1941, p.77)The postwar production of new materials such as plastics saw the transference of war basedindustries into the production of domestic goods. Within western economies massconsumption and production was the order of the day, these factors helped in the increaseddemand for new products and professional designers.Ron NewmanThe writings of Bruner and others (Bruner, 1960) were the most influential in the contemporaryeducational philosophies of this period. Bruner wrote that in any field of study there existedspecialised disciplines that constituted that field. It was therefore necessary that if an educationsystem wished to produce scientists then teaching practice should emulate how a scientistworks. These ideas were as readily accepted by Australian educational institutions as they wereby their counterparts in the United States and Great Britain in the form of discipline basededucation. For design education in Australia this meant a move away from the visual arts and amove toward the technology based courses, as art education moved towards the expressive andcreative theories, design education move towards industrial requisites. (Lowenfeld, 1947)In October 1961 an OECD policy conference on economic growth and investment in educationwas held in Washington DC. A finding of this conference was that greater investment intoeducation would facilitate greater economic productivity. (Margison, 1993) This notion wasonce again based upon the economic theories of human capital. These findings saw a markedgrowth in the investment and interest in education and therefore design education in most firstworld nations. The latter half of the 1960s saw a move in design education back towards thearts/ crafts end of the spectrum. This move was motivated by changes in educationalphilosophies that mainly prevailed in the United States. The growth of the women’s movement,anti-discrimination, neo-Marxist ideologies and sociopolitical equity, pushed by a growingprotest concerning involvement in the Vietnam war, moved educational philosophy andcurriculum from the vocationally oriented to a more liberal generalist and social education bothwithin the United States and in Australia. (Foster, 1987)In 1972 under a Whitlam Federal government design education was promoted as a nationalpriority in the new College of Advanced Education sector. The following years however wouldsee a swift change in attitude.The years 1974 and 1975 saw a downturn in economic growth as the world slid into aneconomic crisis, government and corporate attitudes to education changed dramatically as therevitalised rhetoric of human capital (Margison, 1993) did not provide the desired economicoutcomes. Design Education within Australia at this period of time could be located at varioussites within the educational system/s particularly with the marked growth in the post-secondarysectors, however, the education of designers was seen to be disproportionate to themarketplace demand and so there was perceived to be an oversupply of skilled professionaldesigners. The outcome of this educational and economic crisis was a decade of cynicismamongst education officials, and severe budget cuts to all educational activities.The economic recovery of the 1980s saw an increase in educational funding and change ineducational philosophy, policy and practice. Australian educational policy was motivated by theconservative government’s adherence to the Thatcherite and Reaganist economic philosophiesof Great Britain and the United States respectively. (Margison, 1993) These encompassed thenotions of economic rationalism and micro economic reform which drove the restructuring ofindustry and education at all levels in Australia. The next significant change occurred in 198715

Ron Newman(July) with the restructure of the federal Department of Education to the, Department ofEducation, Employment and Training (DEET). The inception of DEET indicated a move ineducation from a Liberal and vocational free education to one that is a necessary part ofemployment and training more in line with the views of the new government. Education wasnow coupled with employment and so educational objectives fell within vocationalphilosophies. Educational performances had to provide clear and assessable educationaloutcomes based on specified skills and competencies. For the field of design education 1987would see the inception of two (2) influential reports that reflected these views. The first ofthese major reports The responsiveness of Tertiary Education to the Design Needs of AustralianIndustry, by Broadbent/Davis was published in 1987. This report provided the first Australiawidereview of the status and position of design education within this nation. Broadbent/Davisproposed that with the correct strategies in place, design education could respond to the needsof a revitalised economy. The report saw restructuring and new educational priorities at atertiary level as essential to further the economic and educational outcomes of designeducation. The recommendations of this report were submitted to the Commonwealth TertiaryEducation Commission (CTEC).The report was structured as an inquiry into what currently existed within the educationalsector, within industry and within the professions, with a very real emphasis on industry,technology and innovation forgetting the creative and aesthetic heritage of the professionswhile vying for commercial legitimacy. This bias created the cycle that has in my viewexacerbated the lack of identity of the practice of design within the professions of industrialDesign, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Exhibition Design.The report continuously refers to Industrial Design and assumes that if the practice of industrialDesign is improved then all will be well in the other design professions. The report reflected theagenda of Barry Jones and the authors of the ‘Clever Country’ statement and the philosophy ofvalue added exports. The report linked innovation and design, a link which I support, howevertechnological innovation is its recognised form, and there appears to be no room or at least norecognition of conceptual innovation. In the seventeen (17) directions for change and the eight(8) recommendations to the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission the report does notdiscuss the issues of aesthetics, creativity or conceptual innovation. The report is primarilyinterested in engineering innovations and improving communications with industry.Recommendation four (4) to CTEC reads; ‘The commission (is) to encourage the development ofprofessional design education in a multi disciplinary context, with particular links tomanagement, marketing and technology [especially engineering].’ (Broadbent/Davis-1987 p.8)The recommendation is typical of others within the report and has no real relevance to thepractice of Interior Design, Fashion Design, Textile Design or Graphic Design, professions wherethe vast number of Australian designers work.The CTEC Report, Responding to Australia’s Design Education Needs, (Commonwealth TertiaryEducation Commission (CTEC)-1987), records the recommendations of a working partyfounded to examine the implications of the Broadbent/Davis Report (1987). The working partywas instructed to focus on how the policies and priorities proposed by Broadbent/Davis may beutilised in its application to Australian industry and the restructuring of the economy. Again nonotions of what the broad base of Australian design practice, and what it requires in order tobe successful, but more of the bias of serving manufacturing industry, an industry that had nounderstanding of the practice of design or how to use it and in fact in my view did not wish touse it. The loss of a professional identity continues: the cycle is enhanced. The CTEC report statesthat ‘as a starting point the working party agrees with the Davis report that ‘design is a decisionmaking process by which humans determine in advance of production, the forms of ourenvironments, objects and communications’.’ (Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission,1987, p.6) A statement that confirms its narrow view of design practice.16

The year 1988 saw the then Minister for Education Employment and Training John Dawkinsrelease his ‘Green Paper’ (1988). This paper was the precursor to the construction of a nationalcurriculum within Australian education. The report also signalled a focus upon the developmentof science and technology based subjects, for design education this meant a further movetowards the technology and a complete return to education with economic outcomes. Withindesign education the Dawkins ‘Green Paper’ was to have substantial influence illustrated in thepublication of the ‘Williams Report’ (1988). This report focused upon the significant influencesthat scientific and technological developments have on the development of industries andmaintaining a competitive edge in international trade. This report and it’s reference to the fieldof design education signalled a further movement of design towards technology, and theconstruction of policy, philosophy and practice around economic outcomes with the notion thateducational outcomes will be effected.Ron NewmanWithin tertiary institutions similar restructuring has occurred due to the Dawkins Paper. Almostall Colleges of Advanced Education (CAE) were ‘Unified’ into the university system providinghigher qualifications. Design courses within these CAE institutions were pressured by budgetrestrictions or the desire to attract research grant opportunities to associated themselves withthe much larger and established universities. The new design education within these tertiaryinstitutions was located within a wide range of schools or faculties ranging from Engineering,Science, the Arts (Social Sciences), and Architecture, with very few in the Arts.The final resting place of university design education is still not known as design schools areconstantly and currently being restructured within the university sector, and we all know weshould watch this space on August 20, however, as no overall national plan is apparent, and nolead is being given by the professions, design education is being disseminated and integratedinto other studies losing its identity. This is ironic considering that ‘design be established as afield of study in its own right’ was a key recommendation of the Davis/Broadbent report (1987),a recommendation that could not be fulfilled if Davis/Broadbent were not prepared to givedesign education a unique identity. The early 1990s has also seen the re-emergence of designeducation in the TAFE sector with a large number of offerings at the Certificate, Diploma andAdvanced Diploma level.This design education history shows, I believe, that the location issue has continually confronteddesign education over the last 120 years. The Sydney College of the Arts experience of the mideighties could be forgotten as the actions of a group of individuals if it was not for the recentchanges in RMIT Industrial Design. In many universities, design schools or discipline areas sitwithin dispirit faculties with no common thread.Finally, the issue of educational practice. We are back to the survey that reveals themethodologies used by design educators within Australian tertiary institutions. The intention ofthe data extracted from the surveyed responses, to questions nine (9) and ten (10), was not toprovide a concise detailing of the educational methodologies used by particular designeducators within specific tertiary design courses, but was to investigate the general teachingmethodologies used across design courses and to measure the educators understanding of themodels by comparing the answers to both questions.Question ten (10) of the survey gathers quantitative data on the number of respondents whobelieve they use ‘three different learning modes’ in their teaching. Of the twenty-seven (27)respondents, the majority claim to use the learning model of Experiential Learning, twenty five(25) responses and Problem-Based Learning, twenty six (26) responses, with the thirdCompetency Based Learning receiving nineteen (19) responses. The other learning modesmentioned by respondents included: self directed, collaborative, problem creative learning,action learning process, project based, group activities, peer assessment and reality basedlearning (students solving real problems for real people).17

Ron NewmanTable 2 Question 10, Do you use any of these learning models?Learning ModelNumber of responsesPercentageProblem based learning 26 96%Experiential learning 25 92.5%Competency based learning 19 70%Other responses 8 30%My purposes is not to discuss the three learning models highlighted in question ten (10) but todiscuss all the other methodologies used and how they relate back to the three models surveyedand the answers given to question nine (9). This evaluation reveals that design educators do notfully understand the nature of teaching/learning models and it appears that their exists withindesign education a lack of educators who understand the discipline of education. As anexample respondent 6 claimed not to use experiential learning and when one reads thedescription of the teaching/learning present within the particular course one questions theaccuracy of this response.All but one respondent claimed to use Problem Based Learning and if we consider a definitionof Problem Based Learning one questions these responses as well. Paul Ramsden defines:‘Problem-based learning as a form of education which embodies several key principals ofeffective teaching and is particularly relevant to professional training. Such courses focus onproblems of the type that are particularly met in professional life, and students are required toidentify the nature of the problem, collect the information needed to tackle it and synthesise asolution. In conventional professional courses, discipline knowledge is taught separately from itsapplication to actual problems. In problem-based courses, knowledge, skills and professionalattitudes are simultaneously addressed. There is evidence that such courses increase the use ofdeep approaches (to learning) improve the retention of information and develop studentindependence and motivation.’ (Ramsden, P. 1992)While this is only one of many definitions of Problem Based Learning I believe it is in line withthe general thinking on the method and implies an integrated nature to courses that useProblem Based Learning and evidence of an understanding of this integrated structure was notapparent within the three (3) responses specifically mentioning Problem Based Learning whenasked how design should be taught. It is interesting that in answering question nine (9) onlythree (3) responses mentioned Experiential Learning and two Competency Based Learning. Onlytwo (2) respondents demonstrated within their answers that they had a researchedunderstanding of teaching methodologies and a different two respondents suggested that allteaching models should be used in the teaching of design. The majority of answers to questionnine (9) redefined design or repeated the outcomes and objectives that they had already notedin questions seven and eight (8).It is also of interest to note that the high response to the use of the Competency Based Learningmodel (19 out of 27), coincides with the design educators stated objectives and expectations inprevious questions, of high skill levels in their graduates. This further explains the difficulty thatdesign courses have in residing within universities that are not traditionally aligned with theideas of competency based learning and teaching. The marking procedures within universitiesare in most cases biased towards grading which fosters competition. Is it possible I ask to claimthat you encourage competition as being a worthwhile attribute amongst your designgraduates, measured through their ability to perform design projects and then to claim that youdo emulate true competency based learning models.18One (1) respondent when asked ‘How should Design be taught?’ replied ‘As a Cognitive Skill(not as a competency)’ and then in the very next question said ‘we should use competencylearning models in design education’.

The most common other learning models or key terms promoted by design educators withregard to learning models were:Ron NewmanIndependent Learning Self Directed CollaborativeProblem Creative Learning Socialisation Action LearningReality Based Learning Group activities Project BasedStudio TeachingProblem SolvingIt can be seen from the responses to the questionnaire that there is confusion as to whichlearning models are being utilised by staff members of design faculties, and how these learningmodels relate to studio and/or classroom practice. A general consensus exists that design shouldbe taught by the use of varied and diverse teaching and learning models within a project basedenvironment with a varying degree of expert lecturers with theoretical subjects and skills beingemphasised arid taught in a not necessarily integrated manner. Most respondents provide manyalternatives as to how design should be taught and two specifically noted that the teachingmust be diverse with comments such as ‘in a multiple of ways’ and ‘a diversity of approaches’.The importance or otherwise of the studio was only mentioned by three respondents, twomentioned industry involvement, two mentioned reflection and criticism and one respondentmentioned assessment. There was no mention of teacher experience or training however tworesponses wrote about the quality of the teacher using such words as: ‘highly educated, literate,articulate, thoughtful people’ and ‘committed staff.How are the current design curricula developed? By whom? When one looks at the responsesreceived design educators in the sample feel confident enough to construct their own curricula.When one looks however at the comments made by the group there is an argument that theydo not come to this task with a common direction, no common understanding of what isdesign, what is it they want to teach, how they wish to teach it, and no agreement on thenature of the graduates required by the community.Earlier I suggested that teaching expertise is lacking within design educators and it is my viewthat curriculum cannot be developed cohesively without an understanding of the teachingmethodologies. In developing curricula for Experiential and Problem Based Learning modelswhich most of the respondents claim in their answer to question 10 to use, one must not beonly concerned with the required outcome, the knowledge that we wish our students toacquire but that we should also understand the path of delivery. The development of curriculumis one of the practices that all academics become involved in and:‘We know that most curriculum change is piecemeal, incremental, and unplanned with respectto the total curriculum. For the most part, what most people are taught can be most entirelyexplained by the size and composition of the faculty. Typically, curricula are built around theexpertise and interests of the faculty, and curriculum change is the result of gradually addingnew members to teach specific (and often new) courses.’ (Wood, L. & Davis, 8. G. 1978)The above view by Wood and Davis is an extreme one but we can all see some truth in it withinthe survey responses and we need to recognise the new reality of focused courses to meet thecommunities needs, rather than the professions perceived needs. Experiential and ProblemBased Learning are two techniques that are currently being discussed by the design educatorssurveyed in the search for the definitive methodology of teaching or more properly described asthe promotion or facilitation of learning but not many educators who were surveyed displayedan understanding of what is meant by the titles and therefore how to make best use of themethodologies in curricula development.19

Ron NewmanSo following this, what are the Seamless Paradigms?Faith Popcorn a US ‘futurist’ believes that thinking and the use of the intellect will help usharness technology and establish the future prosperity:‘The Age of the Brain: The late 90s will bring a new respect for ‘thinking to survive.’ We learnedthat pure technology and brute force didn’t get us very far. A quest for knowledge will takeover and be strengthened in places like brain gyms, where we will exercise our thinking, andbrain clubs, where we will play mind games (an enormous new industry that started in the 80swith Nintendo). Great for those kids who’ve become ‘brain-lax’ because of an over reliance oncalculators and computers. We’ll be able to buy thinking-herbs and creativitywaters thatsharpen our wits, increase our powers.’ (Popcorn, 1991 p.187)In design it is recognised I believe that we are at a cross roads, and that the education of ourfuture designers is critical to the future direction and success of our profession.‘Education is the most pressing issue facing the design professions - education of the designprofessionals, of the politicians, of the entrepreneurs, of the end users, of the educators andindeed of the citizens of the world.’ (Australian Academy of Design, 1995 p.51)An understanding of the separation and definition of: the knowledge of, the process of,compared to the practice of, design as defined above by the Australian Academy of Design isdealt with in the design management literature. As educators I believe we need to recognise thediffering needs of these three design groups and begin to form our definitions with this inmind.‘Many aspects of the design process are carried out by managers in roles that are not perceivedby anyone in the organisation to be design related. These people operate as silent designers;they are frequently key players in the effective use of design...’ (Dumas and Mintzberg, 1989p.42)‘The concept of silent design fails to address the qualitative aspects of professional design in itscontribution to concept development. Design education and professional design experienceconstitute a valid body of professional insight and expertise that purports to set themethodology of the designer apart from the intuitive silent designer The work of Dumas doesidentify a dichotomy between ‘design by default’ and ‘professional design’. Silent design istherefore explainable as an unprofessional organisational response to a design need, broughtabout perhaps, by lack of appreciation of professional design on the part of potential designclients.’ (Sears/Price, undated, p.3)When we talk of the general health of the community we don’t necessarily talk about thetraining of our doctors only, and when we talk about the status of design within the communitywe don’t need to talk about the specific education of our professional designer practitioners.The two aren’t necessarily connected. The education of the community/ commerce in issues ofdesign, or even in design process at a specific lower level could be dealt with separately byinstitutions because even though this is a concurrent discussion that is almost always present, itconfuses the issue of what is an appropriate education for professional designers, and ignoresthe specific problems and needs of the design practitioner groups. The education of the silentdesigners can take place in any part of the university sector.20When the needs of industry from designers are referred to in Australian design literature theytoo often mean the manufacturing industries, when in fact the entire commercial spectrumbenefits from the enlightened use of design. In this conference we should confine ourrecommendations to the education of professional designers, people who will offer professionaldesign services across the areas of Graphic Design/Visual Communication, Advertising Design,Interior Design/Interior Architecture, Industrial/Product/Object Design,

Fashion and Textile Design, Design Education, Multimedia Design, Theatre and Costume Design,Furniture Design and Animation Design. An issue that immediately becomes apparent is, AREthese sub-disciplines viable areas of study in a tertiary environment?, or in our re-evaluation ofthe precise nature of the designer and future design practice, should we educate the designer?The multi-disciplinary design professional?Ron NewmanThe current offerings in the design education sector as described within the results of the surveyare narrow in their outlook, a point that is recognised by Professor Freeman when he writes:‘Our graduates, reacting to the tightly configured, highly focused courses we offer them, shunanything that they consider ‘irrelevant’ to their own narrow discipline - or rather their ownunderstanding of it. This can include such gross irrelevancies as the entire history of artarchitecture and design prior to the first World war; the language and culture of any nationnorth of Darwin; the significance of our own indigenous cultures to our place in the world; andat time, 1 get the impression, almost the entire body of scientific and philosophical thoughtupon which our civilisation is based.’ (Campus Review, 1995 p.8)Professor Freeman’s view is enunciated further by the Australian Academy of Design, thoughthe Academy brings forward the relationship between the narrow focus of the current offeringsand the future of the design profession:‘There is a view that Design is handicapped by discipline specific universities that do not regard itas the discipline. Nor is there recognition or understanding of the integrative aspect of Design aspart of the art-science spectrum - although it has been suggested that this debate is over Thereis a view that much design teaching is ‘extraordinarily narrow’ and also that a place for designmanagement education in university teaching programs is long overdue.’ (Australian Academyof Design, 1995, p.53)From the above it is clear that the philosophical issues that lie at the base of professional designeducation are as described earlier in this paper; definition, location and teaching methods.In our discussion of design education futures it is important to addresses the followingquestions:> Specialisation versus Interdisciplinary practice?> How many and what type of design courses do we need?> What is Design and Design Research?> Where is Design best placed?Amongst design practitioners there exists discussion regarding the value of the two differingphilosophical paradigms of design practice: that of the design specialists and that of aninterdisciplinary approach to design. An approach where design is considered as the discipline.This debate has had repercussions on the field of design education it’s constituent institutionsand the <strong>National</strong> Design Review Report which seems to favour the interdisciplinary approach,but does not recognise design as a discipline.In educational terms the interdisciplinary paradigm may be correlated with ideas aboutgeneralist-or holistic education, which would transverse the art - science spectrum, whilstspecialisation may be coupled with vocational or technical training, concerned with expertise inone discipline or even in fact in one skill. Although technical training is a necessary and valuedpart of the workplace a holistic view is necessary for the management and assessment of designvision and excellence within a continually changing market place.21

Ron NewmanThe <strong>National</strong> Design Review Report concludes that:‘There are too many design courses at TAFE and university levels .... the Design Institute ofAustralia is establishing a course accreditation procedure throughout Australia, it has advisedstrongly against the proliferation of courses.’ (Australian Academy of Design, 1995 p.52)Why would the assumption be made that there are too many design courses at the tertiarylevel? Particularly when this advice is contradictory to the educational policy of the DesignInstitute of Australia which states that it;‘Appreciates that design education in Australia has evolved to the point where the provision of atrained workforce for the professional career paths is no longer the sole goal for highereducation ... the <strong>DIA</strong> supports the development and expansion of design education at primarysecondary and tertiary levels.’ (Design Institute of Australia, 1995 p.2)To contradict this view and to support the view that design education has a variety of benefitsbeyond the training of professional designers Professor Cal Swann recently wrote in a letter tothe Academy:‘All the OECD countries have taken the path of mass higher education and not elected to stickwith elitist higher education. That means that design can and should take its share of theincreased access to design as an education in its own right and not just for professionaltraining.’Research within design education is, as acknowledged by The <strong>National</strong> Design Review Report, amuch neglected area of the design field.‘The design challenge universities face in part arises from difficulties in the definition of designresearch: design being seen as a way of doing research rather than as an object of research.’(Australian Academy of Design, 1995 p.54)A view is developing among many design practitioners working within the tertiary educationsystem that the education being provided to designers is not adequate for philosophical reasonsas well as reasons that result from a disconnection from the practice of the profession:‘Universities are doing a disservice to the future of design by continuing to concentrate onessentially the same level of design education as is currently offered by TAFE: and as was offeredpreviously in colleges of Advanced Education and prior to that, by its predecessor Technicaleducation.’ (Freeman, Campus Review, 1995 p.1)I agree with the above view again expressed by Professor Freeman and it is true, that a directlineage can be traced in design education from technical education of the past to the universitycourses of today. The problem is, however, how do we overcome the political framework thatnow exists within our institutions and to bring them an entrenched and embattled professionand an inexpert commercial community to the realisation that times have indeed changed andthat the teaching of design must be re-evaluated and re-positioned. So now the seamlessparadigms come together.22Design practice in my view should be divided into three horizontal echelons, the Designer, thethinking, imaginative socially aware professional, the Design Technician, a skills based disciplinespecific technician and the Silent Designer, those in the broad community who use the designprocess or who facilitate it. The majority of current undergraduate and coursework masterscourses at university and the TAFE diploma and certificate level courses, as well as in the privatedesign schools are currently in my view, serving, the Design Technician level. New courses needto be established that initiate a higher level of thinking, courses that promote student learning

within the clear intellectual objectives outlined previously rather than the current teaching in thenarrow discipline based project studios.Ron NewmanWe should re-evaluate the concept held by many, of Designers, being competent at engineeringor at marketing or at many of the other commercially adjacent professions. In my view weshould leave these disciplines to the experts and to the Design Technicians, and as an alternativeassist Designers and Design Technicians in understanding what scope is offered by theseadjacent professions, and how they, as designers, can communicate/operate in a team withthem. True multi disciplinary teams. If more specific cross disciplinary education is required, thena greater use should be made of double degrees where students undertake degrees such asDesign/Commerce, Design/Science, Design/Engineering or Design/Law.Most importantly our Designer graduates should understand that in fact design is the expertiseand that they are the experts and that they must pitch their contribution at this professionallevel. This is not to say that designers be allowed to adopt an ivory tower mentality but theyshould project their expertise and work within a consultative/team structure to ensure the vitalrealisation of their concepts. It has been some time since the Clever Country statement byMinister, Barry Jones or the Creative Nation statement by Prime Minister Paul Keating, howeverboth of these statements urged the design professions to stop following, and for them to takethe lead. Universities are charged with the responsibility in their undergraduate andpostgraduate courses of producing the designers that can do this.Where should we locate design?In what faculty should design be placed and what are the parallel skills/teachings that cancontribute to the education of designers? It is time for critical rational debate regarding thepresent and future location of design within the tertiary education system, and within ourcommunity. This debate is critical, I believe, for the future of design education it is one of thefundamental topics, academics and the design industry must consider. There is a perceptionwithin the design professions, and they are after all the external pressure group, to thecurriculum process, that; to get the respect, the funding, the power that other professions have,they must distance the design profession from any art connotation, portray design as abusiness, (Davis/Broad bent, 1987), we must deal with industry and commerce as they wish.This view is reinforced by The <strong>National</strong> Design Review Report. Design today and especiallydesign education is moving more and more to the professional mould via studies in commerce,engineering and sciences and forgetting the act of creativity, the concept, the new andinnovative idea, and consequently as described earlier, we are, as a profession within the ‘pages’of other disciplines.If several levels of design practice exists a I suggest, then it is also sensible that designer teachingof these various levels can be located in different faculties and schools as are appropriate to thearea and level of study. The teaching of the design process on a broader scale, to the Silentdesigners, to the community, through the school system, into commercial courses throughoutthe tertiary sector can be undertaken by academic units that educate either the Designer or theDesign Technician. The tighter definitions will assist in a more focused development ofcurriculum into Key Learning Areas that are relevant to the main course of study, as is alreadyhappening within the secondary school sector.The location of Design Technician education could be either offered in the humanities area orthe arts, or related to the skill requirements predominant in the practise, such as Interior Designwithin Architecture and Building, Industrial Design within manufacturing engineering, Graphicdesign within communications.The education of the Designer, is best placed in faculties of the Humanities or the Fine Arts withthe technology aspects being delivered in a relevant and integrated way within a design23

Ron Newmancontext. Creativity, Design philosophy and methods, innovation frameworks are all key issues tobe taught along with the social contexts of sustainability, human factors, and socio/economic/political issues. And let not forget our desires and our needs of or for the future. These issueshave become the core of the practice of design.Design research can be defined as the endeavour that creates new or advances knowledge.Within the practice of design at all levels two distinct areas are clearly research and must berecognised as such, the realisation of new/innovative design solutions and the investigation ofissues as they relate to design, design criticism, design history-theory and design practice.Design research is a vital component of design practice and design academia as design researchdefines, describes, locates and prioritises the field as a discipline or sub-disciplines, so thereforewherever design education is located so should design research be. As an added pressure onthe undertaking of broad research is the imperative of its publication.Continued professional development is also now becoming an important issue, and it isimportant that educational institutions consider professional development in their mix of coursefor both Designers and Design Technicians. Continued professional development can beappropriately placed depending on the skills that each specific participant in the process wishesto gain, Design Technicians and Designers, can attend TAFE or discipline specific undergraduateuniversity courses if they wish to study skills, methodology or technology, or post graduatedesign courses if they wish to improve their intellectual, creative and contextual skills. All designeducational groups can assist with the education of the Silent Designers.So you now have the paradigms according to Newman for definition and location, what aboutteaching and teaching expertise. We are all educators here some professionally employed in thefield, some who act as part timers and guest lecturers and I leave it to all design educators toconsider, to ponder their own education expertise, what do you know about facilitating studentlearning, and how can your teaching practice be improved.ReferencesAustralian Academy of Design (1995) Competing By Design: The <strong>National</strong> Design ReviewReport. Prepared by the <strong>National</strong> Design Review Steering Committee, Sydney.Australian Broadcasting Commission (1941) Design in Everyday Things, Australian BroadcastingCommission, Sydney.Bruner, J. (1957) Contemporary approaches to cognition: A symposium held at The University ofColorado, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.Broadbent, J. & Davis, B. (1987) The Responsiveness of Tertiary Education to the Design Needsof Australian Industry, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.Campus Review (1995 November 2) Campus Review, Campus Review Pty Limited, Brisbane.Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission (1987a) Design Education Seminar, AustralianGovernment Publishing Service, Canberra.Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission (1987b) Responding to Australia’s DesignEducation Needs, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.Design Institute of Australia, (1995) Design Education, A Policy Statement, Melbourne.24

Department of Communications and the Arts, (1994) Creative Nation Statement,Commonwealth Cultural Policy, Canberra.Ron NewmanEames, R. Neuhart, J & M. (1989) Eames Design, Thames and Hudson, London. Foster, L. E.(1987) Australian Education: A sociological Perspective, Prentice Hall, Sydney.Lowenfeld, V. (1947) Creative and Mental Growth, Macmillan, London.Margison, S. (1993) Education and public policy in Australia, Cambridge University Press.Popcorn, F. (1992) The Popcorn Report, Arrow Books Limited, London.Ramsden, P (1992) Learning to Teach in Higher Education, Routledge London/New York.Sears, R./Price, A. (undated) Design users’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction: A multi-disciplinarystudy, Curtin University of Technology, Perth.Swann, C. (1995) Study Guide: Masters of Design, The University of South Australia Adelaide,April (Unpublished).Wood, L. & Davis, B. G. (1978) Designing and Developing Higher Education Curricula, Americanassociation for Higher Education, Washington.25

Cal SwannLife after graduation - do Australian designers continue to develop?Cal Swann, MA(Applied Linguistics),Fellow of the DesignInstitute of Australia,Fellow of theChartered Society ofDesigners (UK), isnow Professor ofDesign at CurtinUniversity, Perth WA,having beenProfessor inTypographic Designat the University ofSouth Australia untilMay 1996.A graphic designerwith special interestin typography andthe communicationof language in bothits spoken andprinted forms, hehas written anddesigned twostudent textbooks inthis field. He wasformerly Dean of theFaculty of Art &Design at LiverpoolPolytechnic andHead of GraphicDesign at SaintMartin’s School ofArt in London duringthe 1980s, where heintroduced the firstcomputer graphicscourse atpostgraduate level inEurope. He has alsobeen instrumental indeveloping the firstMaster of Design indistance mode inAustralia, includingthis year, theintroduction ofmultimedia subjectsdelivered via theInternet.Cal Swann has hadextensiveprofessionalexperience inprinting26IntroductionIn this conference context of ‘bringing the practitioners together with the educationalists’ it isprobably worth commenting that -just like many practitioners do their stint of teaching, so domany educationalists do their share of designing. As a teacher who makes no bones about thefact that I earn my daily bread from that teaching profession, I - like most others in this roomhave not stopped being a designer either. It is not therefore, and should not be simply regardedas an ‘us and them’ situation. We are all committed to the betterment of design and designeducation and should have much common ground for agreement.Having made that point, my current academic responsibilities are for postgraduate programsand research at Curtin University of Technology. In particular I have strong interests in designingand delivering educational programs to the customer/student wherever they are - as flexible andindependent learning programs. I have a small research grant program to deliver advanceddesign courses via the Internet for 1997. I will further hazard a prediction that there will be littleor no difference in the 21st century between study off-campus or attending a University.My talk will cover:1 The new university agenda2 A revised program structure and new culture of expectations for the profession and forstudents3 Continuing professional development4 Benefits to the profession and communityI will use a number of slides as quotations and some diagrams to illustrate my argument.1 The ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’Roger Simpson used this phrase as the title of his talk, which will unfortunately remain unheardat this time. But it is a phrase I want to pick up as a starting point for my argument. In the UK in1974, following the student revolutions of 1968 that called for more breadth and crossdisciplinarycourses, I lead the development and implementation of a new multi-disciplinarycourse which had as its slogan - ‘Jack of all Trades and Master of One’.It was a 3 year multi-disciplinary design course allowing students to gain a broad understandingof the process of design, and having the opportunity to take more than one subject area asmajors and minors... not an unfamiliar pattern in other areas and now in many courses ofdesign around Australia.What it perhaps mistakenly tried to do was too much at undergraduate level and as aconsequence failed in some respects to provide a capable practitioner within that 3 year period(not surprisingly, considering the generally youthful age and immaturity of our student intake).At that time in the UK, only 4 centres out of more than 30 institutions were allowed to offergraduate programs, and our design culture believed that the graduate BA designer wasdestined to be a ready-made design assistant for immediate employment in the business ofdesigning. To foreshadow my conclusions, what we can now do that we were unable to dothen - is to provide the structure to make that ‘Jack and Jill of all trades (at undergraduate level)to become a Master of One’ at postgraduate level.Twenty-five years on, much has changed. We have a Higher Education philosophy that hasmoved on to one of mass higher education (DEET/OECD, 1993). The universities of the ninetiesthroughout the OECD countries expect many more places for school leavers and adults seekingadvanced courses across the board. At the same time, funding has been cut by $1.5 billion

during Labour’s 13 years (Healy, 1996) which effectively means a drop in the last decade ofaround 40% in the overall budget and things like contact hours are meaningless in the neweconomic rationalism ideology in which the universities have to survive.But its not just economic rationalism and it is a mistake to think that that is the main problem.Society’s expectations have changed. The educational agenda has moved a long way from theformer art school ethos of specialist training for the professional artist or designer. Theeducational managers-first DEET, then the Vice-Chancellors and senior managements of thoseinstitutions have a different set of criteria for quality performance than the so-called ‘good olddays’. I say ‘so-called’ because in my hindsight view, there was much that was lacking in theformer and largely mythical wonder-days of yesteryear.Some of this ground has been covered by previous speakers, but allow me to review fromanother perspective - the context within which government funded higher education works:1 The new university agenda1.1 EmployerThe Higher Education employer is indeed the government. They set the budget and society’sagenda for the kind of education the country should set for itself. This is refined and operatedby the government agency, the Department of Employment Education and Training (DEET).1.2 The controllersNext to this overall government agenda and funding mechanism, we in Higher Education arecontrolled mainly by the particular University policies, the Faculty and the School policies whichare debated in principle, but more often these days, prioritised mostly by financial constraints. Inaddition there is a whole raft of social and political ideologies that form a framework whichconstructs our current view of desired and achievable goals. The function of the universities is tocreate knowledge and develop intellectual abilities to creatively apply knowledge. We are verycentral to the concept of a ‘clever country’. Most universities’ mission statements will prioritisethe concept of developing the student’s capacity for independent and critical thought. TheUniversity of South Australia, like many others in similar vein, state quite clearly (Toward the nextmillennium, 1995):‘But if new graduates do not bring new ideas with them, and are not educated in a way thatorients them towards questioning established ways, where will the professions find the impetusfor and the means of change? If employers have a narrow and conservative view of what agraduate should be, that is something that the University can, and should, challenge. It is partof our role and purpose to do so.’Cal Swannand advertising, andfreelanceconsultancy work,setting up his owncompany inpartnership with anarchitectural practicein the late seventies/early eighties. Hisgraphic design workhas twice beenreviewed in Novumand exhibited orpublished innumerousinternational forumsthroughout the lasttwenty-five years.Professor Swann haslectured widely ontypography andresearch methods indesign at variousinternationalconferences duringrecent years. Sincebeing in Australia(1989), he has beenPresident of theSouth AustralianChapter of the <strong>DIA</strong>(1991-94), and anactive FederalCouncillor withresponsibilities fordesign education.Importantly, the management of Higher Education is now governed by the same criteria as forindustry in ‘Quality Management’ according to ISO standards - the Australian/New ZealandStandard ISO 9001 for Education and Training. If some universities are not actively engagingwith 9001, then the general principles are being pressed into managing and monitoring theservice provided by the educational institution. Curtin University conducted a survey (1996) toascertain the number of institutions that are currently involved in aiming towards QAaccreditation. Out of 36, 15 are actively engaged in the process and the rest are seriouslyconsidering application. Most of those engaged have administrative units in the pipeline andonly seven academic subject areas in the running at present. The Curtin School of Design is oneof those and so in this respect, education is ahead of most professional design consultancieswhere only a minority have engaged with international best practice management.The economic rationalism which does dominate government thinking tries to apply the rules ofbusiness to education, but there is a difference for education of course, for it doesn’t quite workthat way. Education is not a manufactured product nor a MacDonald service industry. I willquote the Curtin Pro-Vice Chancellor’s definition in a new book which encapsulates that27

Cal Swannspecial university education role in society: ‘A university’s purpose is not material manufacture ortrade but the creation and evaluation of an intangible product, knowledge, which does not fitwithin any of the four ISO product categories and cannot be regarded primarily as acommodity, though commercial exploitation may sometimes be an appropriate by-product.’(Reid, 1996)The ISO Guidelines go on to define the education customer, and contrary to an assumptionmade by many professionals, our customer is not the design profession - it is the student. Onlywhere the employer of a student has contracted for a specific course of training where theemployer is paying the costs, does the ‘customer’ shift over to become the employer.1.3 The customer as beneficiaryThe student is the primary beneficiary of the educational experience. Our service to thiscustomer is to create an educational environment in which the student may develop theirindividual talents and abilities to their full potential.It is also appropriate that I quote Professor Reid again when he talks about the student as ourcustomer, because the student is more than a service receiver: ‘A university’s students cannot beregarded as “customers” in the usual sense, because they are not only recipients of services butalso co-producers of the knowledge that academic institutions exist to discover and develop.’(Reid, 1996)1.4 BeneficiariesBut to continue with the overall context-there are other beneficiaries of course:> the profession is one> so are the teaching and general staff who have gainful employment in education> so is the community in general which benefits from the increased knowledge and who havea range of educational opportunities to enrich their lives and enhance their career development- that’s part of the concept of the ‘common good’ which was the original raison d’etre of themedieval university institution. (Hough, 1992; cited in ‘Toward the next millennium’, 1996)The design profession, like the rest of society, has some conditions to impose too, but if we areto be realistic, any professional requirements have to be in a perspective of embracing theoverall constraints, not trying to dictate the terms, as some practitioners still seem to believe ispossible.The <strong>DIA</strong> and AGDA combined represent about 1500 practitioners across the entire nation. Anew national association of design professionals might muster 2,500? Whatever it might be, itwill be about the size of a small university’s staffing and there are 36 institutions nationally, notcounting the TAFE sector. Add on the student numbers - over 24,000 in the University of SouthAustralia alone - and we are talking about a heck of a lot of people compared to the totalcommunity of design practitioners.Higher Education is big business. It is a large service industry which is second only to tourism inoverseas dollar earning. Adelaide’s 3 universities employ around 5,800 staff (2,500 areacademic) and have a combined student population around 48,000. Design on the other handis not an ‘industry’ - it is a small group of small businesses offering a smart service to a sectionof ‘industry’. Most are sole practitioners. Higher Education is the real world and the designprofession - unlike the building and construction industry - is not in a position to dictate termsto the Higher Education industry.281.5 Educational frameworkThe art/design-schools as we have known them, began their existence in the mid 19th centuryfrom the setting up of the ‘Select Committee on Arts and Manufacture’ in 1835 and theestablishment of the first ‘School of Design’ in London in 1837 (Jeremiah, 1980). The SouthAustralian School of Design was the first Australian government school to be set up (1861)

following the British model. Note they were design schools first - as providers of skilled artisansfor manufacture, trade and commerce, and in that sense, the industry was then the customer.By the beginning of the 20th century those design/art institutions had switched their focus tothe nurturing of expressive creative artists. It was not until the 1960/70s that design reasserteditself as an activity related to, but different from, the self-expressive nature of the artist. We(those of us moving into education at that time) managed to establish design programs thatmirrored the recently emerged design profession, through a teaching system based on the artschool ‘master/apprenticeship’ model, and largely under the 100 year old concept of curriculumrelevance to industry.Cal SwannThat’s still the model to which many practitioners and lecturers cling, because it was quiteeffective if you had enough practising design teachers holding the hands of those youngapprentices and guiding them through a number of projects that mimicked the kind of designprojects carried out in the business world. Apart from the high cost of that system, theuniversity goals have changed our whole approach to design - from training to education. Fromtraining for the profession (which may still be the primary goal for TAFE) - to an educationthrough design.The main item on the university educational agenda is the creation of lifelong learners. Nothingto do with economic rationalism, it is about the Future Shock syndrome and the need toprepare people for adaptability and changing conditions throughout their lives. The waydesigners work now, in contrast to how design was done 10 years ago is just a small example ofchange. Many ancillary workers in the design and manufacturing process have lost theirfunction entirely, and it could be argued that graphic designers are no longer necessary (butthat’s subject for another debate)!New graduates will need to be independent learners, they will need to be information literate(Stephenson, John, et al, 1996) and by that is meant literate in how to search for informationand to use it intelligently, not just to be computer literate in design software programs.They will need to be skilled communicators in presenting their ideas to others and skilled peopleat dealing with those other people.They will need to understand teamworking and how to use their creativity in the team situation.Not easy to set up for students to learn, we have concentrated so heavily in the past onindividual creativity (which is still a requirement to be developed at the same time) as they allneed to be able to lead a team in the search for creative solutions to new problems as andwhen they are confronted.Such agendas for professional courses have been expounded by numerous reports and articles(Moses and Trigwell, 1993) over the last few years and these would largely find agreement withpotential employers in the field of design practice.2 A revised program structure and new culture of expectations for the professionand for students (need to embrace a new culture)The good news is, that with the situation of the creation of more universities and the move ofthe design schools into a much broader interdisciplinary environment, we can now provide theeducational structures that cater for all the new needs of the student, the community and theprofession. But it will take a little mental adjusting from the profession and from those ineducation who have been slow to respond to the changes that have already taken place(funding cuts, retirements and increased student numbers), and not forgetting the adjustmentof ‘expectations’ of the students. They in particular - need to see their education in the lifelonglearning and an ongoing openness to new ideas and alternative ways of doing things.29

Cal SwannInstead of specialised and narrow band ‘media’ training from year one, we should have broadcourses based on understanding the design process, converging towards in-depth knowledge atbeyond graduate stage (Honours and Grad Certificate, coursework Masters) to a breadth ofvision and interdisciplinary understanding at masters and doctorate research levels - all availablefor study as very flexible and customer-oriented packages, within the professional or academicframework with collaborative arrangements for continuing professional development.It may be said that the mission of education is to provide a ‘cradle to the grave’ learning culture.3 Continuing professional developmentA paradigm is a set of beliefs and ideas (a ‘subculture’) that form a consensus and predominantview of the world for a particular group of people. We have held that 100 year old art schooltraining paradigm for the profession for too long and it is no longer viable. A new opportunityis here, to coincide with the university model which has also been around for a long time, butwhich offers design a longer term and ultimately more significant educational pattern.I remember in the 1970s fiercely advocating a 5 or 6 year study program that would equatethat of an architect or doctor. It was not possible then, but it is now. If we accept the 3 + 1model for undergraduate and honours degree, we can follow that with a 1 or 2 year Masters inDesign Higher Degree and even on to a Doctorate in Professional Studies in Design.We have to forego the idea that a 3 or 4 year degree is the end - that a graduate is ready for afully-fledged career as a professional. The new graduate should be ready to continue to studyfor the professional career, or diversify into another career path. An MBA perhaps, or ontowards government or banking even. Why not have an Australian community that has had aneducation through design and is able to think laterally and creatively in whatever field of activitythey eventually pursue? Could that be bad for the design profession?That’s fine maybe, but what do we mean by ‘Continuing Professional Development’? It is oftentaken for granted that graduates will continue to develop under the guidance of seniordesigners and their peer group networking - perhaps through the professional organisations likethe <strong>DIA</strong> and AGDA. Attendances at conferences and updating skills at TAFE and all that. It allcounts of course, but it must be more - that’s equivalent to Roger’s ‘haphazard, trial and errorlearning’ (from his poster abstract) that he rightly condemns as mere project-based learning. Ithas to be more if we are going to meet the demands of the ISO Standards Australia.The Chartered Society of Designers in the UK have recently produced an extensive PolicyStatement on Design Education (1993) followed by their Guidelines ‘Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment Made Easy’ (1995). The CSD adopted the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyorsas:‘The systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening knowledge and skill, and thedevelopment of personal qualities necessary for the execution of professional and technicalduties throughout the practitioner’s life’They go on to say what counts as CPD activity (amongst the ‘ad hoc’ stuff above) is:> time spent on creative development through structured research or equivalent activity,leading to a demonstrable result> work towards further academic or professional qualifications> preparing research papers or presenting information at conferences> researching and writing technical or professional articles, critiques or reviews30

And so on. The gap between professional practitioner and academic need not be seen to loomso large when viewed in these terms - and terms produced by a large national association ofprofessionals. Russell Bevers and others, have similar ideas to enlarge upon this afternoon.Cal SwannThe Design Institute has discussed professional ‘accreditation’ at Federal Executive meetings onmany occasions. There are equally many interpretations of what that means to the designprofession. In an ideal world, it would be wonderful to set up rigorous accreditation proceduresthat are specific to the design profession. No doubt they would overlap to some extent thepreviously mentioned ISO AS/NZ 9001 (1994) for business and industry. It seems clear to methat whilst we can have the conventional professional association membership categories, it isfar from realistic to try and administer a specific design accreditation. The AS/NZ Standard isalready international and is way ahead of any likely attempt by a national design body that triesto pursue this in the next few years. There is certainly room for customising the procedures fordesign and a growing band of design practices have already opted to gain ‘Quality Assurance’through the recognised Australian Standards. It would be far more practical and beneficial fordesign as a profession to become party to that quality movement where comparative standardscan be recognised in other disciplines and importantly in other countries.Very central to that accreditation is the need for companies to provide the opportunity foremployees to gain further education and training and indeed ‘research’. The design professionis not an industry of thousands of employees. As an association of small businesses it cannotprovide in-house training programs. The collaboration of education and the profession canassist the broader process of that aspect of accreditation that suits all those involved - thestudents, the companies, education and QA criteria.New course systems allow educationalists to present Graduate Certificates, PostgraduateDiplomas and Masters awards for those who are graduating, and for those who are already inthe workforce and would like some further stimulation to their design activities. Far from beingextra academic exercises, such programs can and should be related to the actual work andembrace ‘real life’ problems encountered in professional life that are then reconstructed from anacademic perspective as internal case-studies which contain the framework for constructivereflective practice (Schon, 1983).Education has not stood still whilst all around is changing. There is much to do, but manySchools of Design are very different from what they were even 5 years ago. At Curtin, we will beoffering postgraduate programs by distance mode from 1997. They will be independentlearning programs as mainly print-based materials, but taught via the Internet and Emailexchanges, enabling full time professionals to engage in further study without taking valuableworking hours out of the professional commitments. That’s not easy, the time has to be madefrom somewhere, but it is Open Learning brought into the home or workplace as may bedesired. We are not the only ones developing this kind of delivery platform and it is likely thateducation could change significantly in the next decade (Plant, 1995).Other presenters this afternoon will enlarge on this aspect and integral to the concept of thisconference is the notion that this continuing study and research activity can be best achievedthrough a healthy collaboration between education and industry. There is even an opportunityfor external research funding where such collaboration exists. The <strong>DIA</strong>, or whatever nationalassociation of designers exists in the next year or so, could seize the high ground and become areal partner with education as the industry ‘broker’ in promoting useful projects between theparticipants.4 Benefits to the profession and communityThe great advantage for continuing study is that it enables individuals (and for the benefit tothe company) to advance specialised knowledge and skills in an area of design and to extendtheir current knowledge and skills into a related area of design. It enhances their qualifications31

Cal Swannand career opportunities for further professional development and most importantly, for theirpersonal development.Structured academic programs provide a learning framework for professional development andestablish an international design network of peer group activities. They equip designers withcompetent design research skills and improve their writing and communication skills in aprofessional context. Awards for a second degree as the expected norm are commonplace inother disciplines. It is high time we embraced the rest of the real real-world, instead ofproclaiming a special place for design. As long as we make the ‘special pleading’ case, we willisolate ourselves from our colleagues in other spheres and have little chance of making it to theboardroom where the more crucial design decisions are usually made. Design is an ‘integrating’discipline (Owen, 1989) and we should integrate ourselves ideologically with our colleagues inbusiness and academia.In conclusion, continuing professional development allied with postgraduate study will increasethe body of design knowledge and record practical design work as research/case-studies. Thisbody of material can be used for publicity to industry, for better communication of design tothe general community, and for more informed decision making towards better designsolutions in future projects - thus, ultimately raising professional standards, a primary goal ofthe <strong>DIA</strong>.We can add to the growing body of knowledge of design from the practitioners perspective, orwe can leave it to the theorists. Academic awards along the lines I have described will prepareprofessional designers as ‘reflective practitioners’ who can better articulate the design disciplinefrom the source’s mouth . . !ReferencesAustralian/New Zealand Standard ISO 9001: 1994 for education and training: Australia andNew Zealand: Standards Australia/New Zealand (1995)Chancellor’s working group (1995) The University of South Australia: toward the nextmillennium. Adelaide: Unpublished ReportChartered Society of Designers (1993) Policy on Design Education and Training for the Nineties.London: CSDChartered Society of Designers (1995) Continuing Professional Development Made Easy.London: CSDDEET (Department of Employment, Education and Training) and OECD, (1993)The Transition from Elite to Mass Higher Education Occasional Paper, Australian GovernmentPublishing ServiceHealy, Guy (1996) Cuts will destroy higher education, advisers warn. In Weekend Australian.Sydney: June 15-16 1996Jeremiah, David (1980) A hundred years and more. Manchester: Faculty of Art and DesignManchester PolytechnicMoses, I and Trigwell, K (1993) Teaching Quality and Quality of Learning in Professional Courses.University of Technology, Sydney. Department of Employment, Education and Training.Owen, Charles (1989) Design Education if the information age. In Design Processes. Illinois:Institute of Technology32

Plant, Sadie (1995) Crash course: as old uncertainties crumble, what sort of education will takeus in the future?. In Wired, premier UK edition 1.01.Cal SwannSchon, Donald (1984) The reflective practitioner. USA: Sage PublicationsReinhardt, Andy (1995) New ways to learn. In Byte, number 3, volume 20.Reid, Ian (1996) Higher education or education for hire? Language and values in Australianuniversities. Australia: Central Queensland University PressStephenson, John, et al, (1996) Developing the autonomous learner - a capability approach.Proceedings of the 2nd national information literacy conference. Adelaide: University of SouthAustralia33

Seminar Topic AThe relevance of present curriculum to professional needsChair: Carol Longbottom35

Paul HuxtableAmazing Design! Pity it’s not what the customer wantedPaul is a ProductDeveloper with over26 years experiencein manufacturingindustry both inAustralia andoverseas. For 18 ofthose years, Paul,held senior design,research,development andmarketing positionsin the consumerproducts area withthe Australianmanufacturingcompanies CaromaIndustries andSimpson Limited.Since 1989, Paul hassuccessfully foundedand built PHDProductDevelopment into awell respecteddesign consultancywith an impressivelist of local andinternational clients.In 1994 Paul also cofoundedProenDesign, a successfulexport orientednetwork of smallSouth Australiacompanies withoffices in Adelaide,Melbourne andKuala Lumpur.Demand for Paul’sskills has taken himto China, India, andMalaysia on jointventures and toJapan, Korea, USA,Germany, Italy,AbstractThis conference presents a wonderful opportunity for me to address two issues.1 Within Design Education, who is the customer?2 Is the training offered, relevant in today’s globally diverse market?So who is education’s customer?> Is it the student?> Is it the employer?> Is it the beneficiaries of our design work?> Or is it all of the above?The most common response to this question has been that the student is the customer.I, like many of my industry colleagues believe that the student is the product, not the customer,and the educator is the designer, the person who shapes that product.The educator of these students is the Universities, Industry, the global market.This question is no more evident than in the registration of interest papers for this veryconference.The selection of topics reads thus:Topic A The relevance on university/TAFE curriculum to professional needs.Topic B The impact of new technology on professional and education practice.Topic C Continuing professional developmentTopic D Research and graduate studies, flexibility and access.It seems that you forgot the customer?I run a design business with offices in Adelaide, Melbourne & Kuala Lumpur.For me, the process of business evolution is continual and requires regular audits or reviews toredefine exactly who our client is. This redefinition is sometimes unchanged, but more oftenrequires continual modification and updating to ensure that our business remains focused,sensitive and relevant. This is how a small company like mine can succeed in Asia where otherslike Frog have failed. This is how we in business succeed.I believe that Design Education, like industry, is a business and as such must also regularlyundergo the same evaluation.As a designer, I must continually strive to design imaginative products with a sensitivity forpeople, culture, environment, resources and current knowledge.If I do not fulfil the above requirements, then I will not succeed in business.Design Education, ‘the product’, must also fulfil those requirements or it will not succeed inproducing Graduates with the necessary skills and flexibility to apply those basic skills to theGlobal diversity of customers.I present this challenge to all participants36Two thirds of the worlds people live in third world conditions, yet our designers are beingtrained to almost exclusively design first world products using first world technology. As wedraw closer to the 21st century we designers must lead the way. The first step in the process isby acknowledging that good, responsible design should embrace both first and third worldrequirements. Inherent is this theory must be an acceptance that we must apply design andtechnology that is appropriate to the customer.It is the responsibility of all of us to review and enhance the process of Design Education,starting with the following questions.

1 What is our mission?2 Who is our customer?3 Is the training offered, relevant in today’s globally diverse market?4 Are the design icons that we uphold, current and relevant as we move through 1996 andbeyond?Paul Huxtable1. IntroductionWhen asked to speak at this conference, it was on the basis that, quote. ‘Industry continuallycomplains about the Education system, so put up or shut up’.What a challenge.So, presented with this exciting challenge, I reviewed the selection of topics available to me.Topic A The relevance of university/TAFE curriculum to professional needs.Topic B The impact of new technology on professional and education practice.Topic C Continuing professional developmentTopic D Research and graduate studies, flexibility and access.I am sure that my colleagues will more than cover these topics and whilst of interest to me, Ibelieve that there are bigger issues to discuss.It seems that you forgot the customer?This conference presents a wonderful opportunity for me to add two new topics.> Within Design Education, who is the customer?> Is the training offered, relevant in today’s globally diverse market?I believe that these topics are intertwined.2. Within Design Education, who is the customer?I have a confession. I assumed that the more I grew up, the less I would be amazed by things Isaw and heard.Not so.Like a child, I have often pondered in amazement at the changes in the way we have embracedtechnology to improve the efficiency of the design process and quality of the outcome. Since1983 when I managed one of South Australia’s first CAD facilities until now, I like many others,watched and learned as the new design related technology went through puberty.Back in the eighties and even in the early nineties, I can recall numerous companies purchasedthe latest software and hardware only for strategic marketing purposes. Work came in as aresult of self promoted in house software and hardware capability. Little did the customer knowthat the work went outside to contractors who knew how to use the equipment. Today, mostof us have reached the point where CAD technology is as necessary as the pencil and eraser.The influence of CAD technology on design practises has never been more significant than inthe last three years and indeed the rate of change is accelerating. It is a sobering though toremember who drives the technology.I remain spellbound at the opportunities presented to us through new communicationtechnology.37

Paul HuxtableIf someone had told me five years ago that I would be able to advertise my Company’s serviceson the Internet from Australia and win a design contract in Tennessee, I would have smiled inamusement. This occurred last year through one of my companies, Proen Design. We placed aweb page on the internet and on Compuserve bulletin board. We received a number ofenquires, but by far the most interesting came from a small town called Elizabethton, Tennesseein the Smokey Mountains through a company that we checked out to be very small. Afterweeks of communication, we were finally offered a design contract to create a range of medicalproducts. The design work was conducted in Australia. Full 3D CAD models were transmittedvia Internet and the process of development and client interaction occurred without any face toface meetings. In August, we visited our clients and were confronted with the reality of thepotential business opportunities via Internet. For us, it opened new doors previouslyunimagined. One particular day I can recall a day trip in their private jet to manufacturers andhospitals to verify our design concepts. Toronto, Cincinnati, Philadelphia in a day. We realisedthen that the financial backing of our client was almost unlimited. Indeed, my company PHDcan and have communicated with clients around the world via the internet. We can visuallydemonstrate an animated design concept simultaneously on a CAD system in the USA and inAustralia. Amazing. What next?I am amazed at the talent of some of the recent design graduates and the way in which theyseize on new technology like a sponge to water, to explore its limits. I am also amazed whensome design graduates, capable of using the most advanced Computer aided designequipment, have so little understanding of basic design principles, thus rendering their CAD skillabsolutely useless. How do they slip through the net? I am amazed when design graduates,have no appreciation of the notion that a design must match the manufacturing capability orindustrial evolution of the intended manufacturer or country of manufacture. Design must beappropriate to the environment.2.1 Advanced technology does not have a monopoly on Creativity.You can gain satisfaction from something low tech.I am amazed when more and more, the education system mainstream’s students, reducescontact hours with lecturers and forces students to take elective subjects. All this, in a globalclimate of competition where the pace of change in their chosen field demands much morethan is offered by Education institutions.I am not amazed when this is done to reduce costs.I am not amazed when employers of designers express concern about the appropriateness,quality and content of Design education.It amazes me when those employers are not prepared to take up the challenge to supplementthe shortfall between student education and employers expectations.Are we designers, educators and employers doing our job?I think the we can do better.2.2 Rediscovering the CustomerHave we forgotten who our customer is?So who is educations customer?Is it the student?Is it the employer?Is it the beneficiaries of our design work?Or is it all of the above?I believe that the student is the product, not the customer, and the educator is the person whoshapes that product. It is my opinion, and that of many other practitioners that the educator ofthe design student is the Universities, Industry, the global market. Industry must have a say andmust be heard.38

3.Is the training offered, relevant in today’s globally diverse market?Paul HuxtableI was amazed as I passed by a Chinese family in 1984 whilst working on a design project inTianjin, China, systematically, by hand, reducing a huge boulder to road rubble for a newinfrastructure road without which China’s development would stall. I saw a great need in thatcountry for the assistance of designers.I was amazed whilst working on a design project in Bombay in 1987. As I took my regular earlymorning run through the back streets avoiding lepers and beggars, I saw the need to improvetheir quality of life by design that is within the capability of their industrial evolution. I wasamazed as I worked on numerous design projects in Malaysia between 1989 and 1996. In thekampongs , I saw the need to improve their quality of life by design.3.1 1 am amazed that two thirds of the worlds people live in third world conditions, yet ourdesigners are being trained to almost exclusively design first world products using first worldtechnology.It is difficult for me as a designer to appreciate the design excellence of the work of supposedicons like Phillipe Starke or the relevance of the computer aided design and manufacturing toolsof today, which I freely admit that I use, when I spend as much time as I do working in this typeof environment.I have researched the economies of over 40 countries in an attempt to correlate the influence ofdesign in the lives of those people. My information is based on research data from AsianBusiness WeekMy research revealed that Industrial Design was only evident when the GDP of those countriesreached a level where consumers had sufficient disposable income. The factor that I have used isbased on Gross Domestic Product per person in US Dollars.Whilst my research is only preliminary, it was originally conducted to give an indication to thedesign profession where and where not to do business. But it soon revealed a simple andoverwhelming reality.Design IndicatorSource PHD Group 5/96FactorCountryThe graph above visually demonstrates my point. Countries 31 to 46 are the countries wheredesign is most accepted. Whilst originally for business purposes, I also revealed the fact thatthese countries represent only 18% of the global population.39

Paul HuxtableWe designers, practitioners and educators are directing our expertise to the minority (the firstworld) and ignoring the majority (the third world). We designers are widening the gap betweenfirst and third worlds.Is this the goal of our profession?40The list of countries in order reflects the current status of industrial Design.Country Factor GNP per capita Population GDP GrowthUSD M %1 Afghanistan 1.5 150 21.20 22 Nepal 1.8 180 21.70 2.33 Cambodia 2.15 215 10.20 7.54 Bangladesh 2.45 245 122.70 4.15 Vietnam 2.5 250 75.50 9.56 Kenya 2.7 270 29.20 3.97 Laos 3.25 325 4.80 7.18 India 3.35 335 933.90 6.29 Mongolia 3.35 335 2.50 6.310 Nigeria 3.4 340 101.40 0.511 Bhutan 4.15 415 .70 5.512 Pakistan 4.65 465 132.20 4.713 China 5.4 540 1215.50 10.214 Sri Lanka 6.6 660 18.20 5.615 Maldives 7.75 775 .20 5.816 Myanmar 8.9 890 47.20 7.717 Indonesia 9.4 940 197.60 8.118 Egypt 10.3 1030 60.00 2.519 Philippines 11.3 1130 68.50 4.520 PNG 12.49 1249 4.30 -4.821 Russia 21 2100 149.80 -0.422 Iran 23.2 2320 69.80 2.723 Fiji 25.35 2535 .80 2.224 Turkey 25.4 2540 63.00 6.425 Thailand 26.8 2680 61.00 8.526 Mexico 27.05 2705 91.70 -6.627 Sth Africa 29 2900 42.60 2.528 Brazil 38 3800 164.50 0.229 Malaysia 39.3 3930 20.30 8.830 Saudi 71.5 7150 19.20 -231 Sth Korea 100.76 10076 45.20 6.832 Taiwan 122.65 12265 21.50 4.833 NZ 162.15 16215 3.50 3.234 Macau 174.75 17475 .40 435 Britain 188 18800 58.40 236 Canada 189 18900 29.90 0.637 Italy 189.5 18950 57.40 2.338 Australia 191 19100 18.20 3.139 Brunei 200 20000 .30 1.840 Hong Kong 232 23200 6.30 3.241 Germany 249.05 24905 82.50 142 France 258.6 25860 58.60 0.743 Singapore 264 26400 3.10 10.744 USA 266.2 26620 265.20 2.845 Japan 363.15 36315 125.60 2.546 Switzerland 443.5 44350 7.10 -0.3

4. ConclusionPaul HuxtableI run a design business with offices in Adelaide, Melbourne & Kuala Lumpur. In its simplestdefinition, my job as a designer and business person is to do something for someone else for areward. The way in which I do that is by satisfying the needs of my customers. The way in whichmy customers make money is by satisfying the needs of their customers. And so on. This processis entirely consistent with any design ideology.This chain of supply and demand regulates and polices the quality of our work.For me, the process of business evolution is continual and requires regular audits or reviews toredefine exactly who our client is. This redefinition is sometimes unchanged, but more oftenrequires continual modification and updating to ensure that our business remains focused,sensitive and relevant. This is how a small company like mine has succeeded so far in Asia,where others have failed.4.1 Design Education is a business.I believe that Design Education, like industry, is a business and as such must also regularlyundergo the same evaluation. As a designer, I must continually strive to design imaginativeproducts with a sensitivity for people, culture, environment, resources and current knowledge. IfI do not fulfil the above requirements, then I will not succeed in business. Design Education,‘the product’, must also fulfil those requirements or it will not succeed in producing Graduateswith the necessary skills and flexibility to apply those basic skills to the Global diversity ofcustomers.4.2 I present this challenge to all participants Two thirds of the worlds people live in third worldconditions, yet our designers are being trained to almost exclusively design first world productsusing first world technology. As we draw closer to the 21st century we designers must lead theway by finding a home for good design in the third world. The first step in the process is byacknowledging that good, responsible design should embrace both first and third worldrequirements. Inherent in this theory must be an acceptance that we must apply design andtechnology that is appropriate to the customer.It is the responsibility of all of us to review and enhance the process of Design Education,starting with the following questions.1. What is our mission?2. Who is our customer?3. Is the training offered, relevant in today’s globally diverse market?4. Are the design icons that we uphold, current and relevant as we move through 1996 andbeyond?4.3 Let’s not become carried away with the means and lose sight of the end.Give your students a balanced education with the help of industry.Consider the requirements of their employers. Balance the conceptual thinking, learning andbroadening process with basic maths, mechanical and engineering skills that we in industryoften see lacking in your students.Consider the third world. Balance your influence on your students as you present what upholdto them as classic examples of design or the latest design tools, materials or processes.Remember that such tools, materials or processes may not always be available in those placeswhere good design is most needed.41

Harry StephensDesign for the real personHarry Stephens BArch Dip L D(UNSW) FRAIA M<strong>DIA</strong>NSW <strong>DIA</strong> ChapterCouncillor, EducationCoordinator Bachelorof InteriorArchitecture DegreeSchool ofArchitectureUniversity of NewSouth WalesThe traditional 1 and ‘normal’ understanding that art and design are essential aspects of anyhealthy culture is not one that is generally accepted. Indeed both are seen as luxuries and tothat extent irrelevant in a utilitarian age. This view is not only the popular one in the generalcommunity but it is also held by many designers and ‘artists’ who, far from challenging thenotion, are working, consciously or not, within a lucrative elitist milieu well beyond the reachand understanding of the vast majority of their fellow citizens. The implications andramifications of this abnormal development go well beyond the pages of the ‘glossies’ and thetalking points of the odd conference. We have arrived at a moment in our evolutionarydevelopment when we stand on the brink of annihilation as a species and within a breath ofthe total destruction of our life-sustaining global environment. The brute which has brought usto this perilous precipice lies within. It is ‘we’, not ‘they’, ‘I’ not ‘him’. We have collectively andindividually closed down a part of ourselves to the point that we no longer live full human lives.Rather than perfecting life skills we are busily developing survival techniques.The designer is a central player in this drama. In quiet, contemplative and truthful mode, thedesigner knows that art and design should not be the mere playthings of the privileged few butin speaking directly to the spirit within us, they have the power to enlighten, ennoble andtransform and are the birthright of all. And that such enlightenment, ennoblement andtransformation are precisely what are required to banish the brute. There is a most urgent needfor our designers, trained as they are to professionally deal with the physical and to some extentwith the mental aspects of their craft, to be allowed, encouraged to seriously and methodicallyseek a scholarly understanding of the spiritual dimension of humankind and the world so thatthey may best serve client, society and the world.From time to time one hears the lament of the designer who yearns for society to so valuedesign that everything that is made is well designed - that the can opener, the kitchen table andthe opera house are all so valued as cultural artefacts that they will be naturally well designed.The designer cannot help but see all these things as opportunities for doing good design work.That we are surrounded by so much that is not well designed - that we are prepared to acceptso much that is clearly poor design every day of our lives - is clear proof that design is simply notvalued in this way in our society. Design for us has many faces. Sadly, in one of its morecommon guises, it is seen as a means of adding value, as a luxury, as some magic ingredient Xapplied by the acolytes of culture, the Designers, egged on and applauded by their high priests,the Critics, to elevate those special things seen as cultural status symbols to a level beyond thereach of the ordinary person - to reinforce the cultural chasm that separates the cognoscentifrom ignorant hordes. There are those designers who have built their whole reputations andlivelihoods on maintaining this gulf - on trading on the vanity of those whose egos are fed bytheir association with names and labels which are seen to be synonymous with having ‘madeit’, being part of the ‘in’ crowd.Despite the prevalence of this shallow fad-driven attitude, the striving for a time when designwill be both highly valued and taken for granted in all things in our society remains an ideal, apersonal imperative for many designers.42The word ‘design’ has its roots in the Latin designare, to designate, to set aside or mark out fora purpose. As such it is something which is done by all of us all the time. It implies a consciouspurposeful action on the part of the one who is designing. In this sense it is not accidental butan action which is to some extent ordered according to a preconceived or previewed notion. Iam designing when I choose this word rather than another, this phrase, this tone of voice toserve the purpose I have in mind. The better the process of designating the better the outcome.The more highly developed and practised are the skills that I bring to bear within this process ofdesignation, the better is the chance that it will result in a well designed product. These skills arethe art that I practice as a designer.

If design is designation for a purpose, what is it that is designated? All manner of things - andmore. From beyond the realm of existence which we can rightly acknowledge to be the homeof ‘things’, we will designate entities which cannot yet be called ’things’ as they do not yet exist- and yet can be designated. 2 The awesome creative power of the designer is no betterillustrated than here. The art of the designer is to skilfully plumb the depths of existence to turnto best effect whatever is most appropriate to the present ends whilst at the same time be everconscious of the reality that the realm of existence is of necessity and definition of far lesser‘magnitude’ (if a spatial analogy might be permitted to speak of a non-spatial concept) than therealm of nonexistence. The artful negotiation of these twin realms is the art of the designer.Harry StephensAnd herein lies the key to the traditional and ultimately only really useful definition of art. Theword has not lost its original connection with its Latin root ‘ars’ meaning practical skill despitethis or that fanciful, esoteric definition given it from time to time by those whose agendumhave been highly exclusive, particular and personal rather than inclusive and general. In allwhole, 3 healthy societies, art is understood to be the making or arranging well of anythingwhatsoever that is needed to be made or arranged. 4 The crucial ‘needed’ in this definition goesto the crux of the issue in that any work of art to be so regarded will satisfy a need which will ofits very nature be one which speaks to the whole human condition within its total context andwill address not merely the moment but the ever-present eternal. It demands that the work ofart be useful at every level, not merely the immediate utilitarian level - that it speaks to body,mind and spirit. That it be done ‘well’ is of course paradigmatic. Certainly something which isnot well made could never be called a work of art.The important corollary to this traditional understanding of the meaning of art is that, from atraditional perspective, the artist is not a special kind of person but every person is a special kindof artist 5 . Which is to say that each of us, of our very nature, is born with a capacity, aconstitution, to learn and develop skills in the making or arranging of one thing or another andthat we will be to some extent fulfilled by having done so. Such a view values the special giftsthat each person brings to the world and in this it is the mark of a healthy society. Anyalternative to this ‘normal’ view is a denial of our human nature and an affront to our dignity.It is indisputable that there have been cultures which held strongly to these traditional values.They valued good design very highly indeed and took it for granted in every aspect of their lives.There remain some cultures today, undoubtedly very rare, which continue to do just this. TheBalinese people to our north are one such culture. From the cooking pot to the umbrella, fromthe town square to the temple complex, every aspect of their lives has a seamless continuityexpressed by, through and in design. The great medieval cathedrals of Europe speak the samekind of language. They were clearly the products of a people whose culture took for grantedthat everything fitted within a framework understandable only in terms of the traditions uponwhich the culture depended. There is an unmistakable sameness about the products of thesepeoples despite differences in time and place which suggests a sameness of purpose.Our cultural heritage, be it Western, Eastern or native Australian, screams this message at mostof us as though from a vacuum. With rare exceptions we seem to have developed a selectivedeafness to the lessons of our history. Those messages which speak of a cultural ‘unity’ and‘wholeness’ are all too often dismissed as the concerns of the unenlightened, the ignorant, theprimitive, where superstition and magic (anathema to our ‘superior’, enlightened, postmodern,pluralist, deconstructivist, empirically rational point of view) hold sway.There is a general belief abroad in our society that somehow we are evolving out of thedarkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge, We are knowing so much more about theworld every day. If we can keep building on this massive store of knowledge and if we can keepmaking bigger and better computers to handle all the information (because our puny43

Harry Stephensbrains are just not able to cope with all this information) then somehow sometime in the nottoo distant future someone is going to be able to push the final button and all will be revealed.We will know the answer to everything. This faith, this cargo cultism has pervaded virtually everylevel of our society to the point that the present is seen as vastly superior to the past and thatthe future will inevitably be even better and brighter than the present. The views of anyone whosuggests that all of this is not the ‘progress’ it is claimed to be, are summarily dismissed.Despite the obvious advances we have made on many fronts (we can put people on the moon,we can defeat most diseases, we can find a technological solution to just about any ‘problem’we like to create for ourselves) we are further than ever from the point where we will so valueevery aspect of our existence that we are prepared to celebrate it with good design. It seems weare heading steadily further and further away from such a possibility. There is a malaise whichgrips the human spirit in our age. It is manifest in a peculiar blindness to the full humancondition and nature and the full context in which we find ourselves. As one of the newreligions of our age, Economisim, and in particular one of its more powerful cults, EconomicRationalism, takes a firmer grip on our psyche, the ‘value’ of the person is counted almostexclusively in terms of ‘economic output’ or ‘worth’. 6 In such a climate, good design, no matterhow well planted and nurtured by the designer, has little chance of survival as more than therare specimen. It has no chance of becoming a staple crop.Good design is:> true to its time. It speaks in a timeless way of the moment in which it is made. It isrecognisably and intrinsically of a specific time and place but addresses all time and all spaceand points to the eternal beyond space and time. It is marked by the unmistakable scent of thetranscendent rather than the earthbound.> true to the human nature it serves. It addresses the whole human condition ennobling andenlightening both the designer and the user.> true to the nature of the world. It is not partial in its concerns but holistic. It pays the utmostrespect to the natural constraints and limits of the total environment.To be true to one’s time, to reflect the concerns, the passions, to respond to the big ideas ofNOW, is to be relevant to one’s age and place and is the goal of any designer whose values arehealthy. How else may one’s work be significant - have meaning for our contemporaries -makea contribution to the cultural fabric that enfolds us? But beyond this - for the lure of the ‘fad’ isalways so strong, so seductive - it will be concerned with more than just surfaces and thesuperficial, the whimsical. It will have substance and depth and speak simultaneously of its timeand of all time.To be true to one’s nature 7 in design is to address the whole human condition recognising thatwe exist as body, mind and spirit ‘in a world which has both an Origin and a Center’. 8 Such aview, while still generally accepted in our culture by the majority, has lost its efficacy as aninfluencing factor in our daily affairs. We have lost our common spiritual language and thiscreates great difficulties for those who would sincerely attempt to speak through design to thewhole human condition in our times. Which is not to say that it is impossible or that it is notworth the effort. Indeed, every example from history indicates that it is essential if we are toreclaim our right to good design in all things.44To be true to the nature of the world is to recognise that there are three realms of existencecorresponding to the three dimensions of our human nature. These were most emphaticallyand clearly illustrated by Plato in his famous cave simile. 9 Here he presented a parable which hada group of prisoners bound and seated looking at the back wall of a cave watching theshadows cast by an endless procession of three dimensional lifeless effigies of creatures fromthe world beyond the cave being carried around a fire. Plato has one of the prisoners loosen hisbonds and slowly discover the source of the shadows and eventually the origin of the effigiesbeyond the cave. The world of the shadows and bondage is analogous to the corporeal or

gross level of existence, the fire and the procession to the subtle level of existence, the realm ofthe subtle principles or laws which govern the operation of the physical world and the worldbeyond the cave where the escaped prisoner was at first blinded by the light of the sun, to thepure or spiritual level of existence, the realm of pure Forms of all that exists below in the subtleand gross levels. The understanding that existence is tripartite in this way has been thefoundation of every traditional culture. Any traditional holistic view of the world reveals that anyaspect of existence is linked in a complex causal chain to every other and to its source beyondexistence.Harry StephensGood design deals with ‘wholes’. It acknowledges that all things in and between each of thethree levels of existence are interconnected to the most intimate degree and that a holistic viewof the world is not merely the politically correct view of the moment - it goes far beyond totouch our essential humanity. It is based upon our ability to see and express wholes which areimmediately recognisable - which speak to us in an immediate way bypassing the need for themediation of explanations, qualifications, words, diagrams. The good design will touch our corewith a thrilling, enlivening, illuminating, spine-tingling flash allowing us a new vision of theworld. This is not the realm of the mindless slavery to set formulae but the dangerous realm ofthe unknown, the untried and at the same time a revisiting of a realm that has been explored inuntold countless ways by traditional artists from the origin of the species - and still remains themost fertile source of meaningful ideas possible.The latest word to gain general currency in discussions on environmental issues is‘sustainability’. Certainly it has been a principle of the environment ‘movement’ from the outsetbut it has of late found its way into virtually every forum dealing with planning for the future.At last ‘sustainability’ is generally coming to be seen as a worthwhile - perhaps even imperative -principle to live and work by in a world that has been taken to the very brink of collapse by ourcollective ignorance of and disregard for our environment and the role our species is called toplay in it. There is hope here but if it is not to founder as so many other movements have, itmust be seen that it needs to have emphasised a dimension that has not so far been evident toany significant extent - the spiritual dimension. Without any doubt there is a most urgent needfor humankind to re-learn how to live in harmony with the world. However, the present state ofimbalance is too often seen as a problem to be fixed by means of the application of the samekinds of techniques that have been applied to the solution of most of the other problems wehave created for ourselves as we have drawn steadily further and further away from our truenature. A recognition that it is firstly a spiritual issue and ‘solution’ to our problems in relatingto our world and to each other must be dealt with at a spiritual level is beyond doubt. 10At the risk of stating the obvious, this paper has taken its title in response to Victor Papanek’sDesign for the Real World, 11 a well illustrated argument for the need for morality in designwhere the poor and disadvantaged are not exploited, where the environment is cherished andwhere we are all encouraged to live sensitive, socially and environmentally responsible lives.Despite the fact that he first published this book over twenty five years ago and has been verywidely read, his message has apparently not had much impact. There has been littleimprovement - if anything the world has become a more dangerous place for humanity then itwas in 1971 - and the designers he was berating for aiding and abetting the processes ofdegradation seem as firmly set upon this destructive course as ever.In arguing for morality in design, Papanek’s thesis, common to most environmental writers, isthat unless we take a moral stance towards design for people and our relationship with theearth, the survival of the species and the environment which supports it is in doubt. It is obviousthat his thesis is well founded, however, the nature of the particular morality that is lacking is afar more difficult question. It is however the essential issue. A morality which denies or ignoresthe spiritual, the pure realm, is doomed from the outset. Every tradition which has spawnedgreat works of art screams this message at us. It is worthy of note that Papanek did not givemuch emphasis to the spiritual in Design for the Real World. He certainly made45

Harry Stephenspassing reference to it but it did not play a central role in his thesis. However, in a radiodiscussion recently 12 he stated his firm belief in the necessity for us to address these issues firstlyform a spiritual perspective.At the end of the millennium as we flounder in a paralysing fog of uncertainty in every aspect ofhuman affairs, it is not at all surprising that good design is a rare phenomenon and that calls byPapanek and others fail to awaken us from our coma. There is a clear need for a dramatic, acathartic revival of the human spirit in all things. The key lies, as it always has, within us.References1The word ‘tradition’ will be used throughout in the sense in which it has been used by most ofmy authors and best articulated by S.H. Nasr (1981), in his Knowledge and the SacredEdinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, p.68. ‘Tradition ... means truths or principles of a divineorigin revealed or unveiled to mankind along with all the ramifications and applications ofthese principles in different realms including law and social structure, art, symbolism, thesciences, ....’2L.P.Kollar (1965-85). In his highly regarded series of lectures on ‘The Principles of Design’delivered in the University of New South Wales School of Architecture for two decades from themid sixties, Associate Professor L.Peter Kollar called these entities ‘no-things’ so that theirabsolute opposing nature to ‘things’ might be better understood. An example of a ‘no-thing’which he used was ‘tomorrow’. It does not yet exist and yet we are empowered by ourknowledge of the way the world works to designate it for a purpose today.3’Whole’ from: Old English hal, Old Saxon hel, High German heil, Old Norse heill, and Gothichails, gahails, meaning healthy. Through the German heil, it is linked with heilig meaning ‘holy’which as L.P.Kollar (1985) observes ‘intonates very closely with whole’.4A.K.Coomaraswamy (1956), ‘What is the use of Art Anyway?’ in Christian and OrientalPhilosophy of Art Dover, New York, p.98.5A.K.Coomaraswamy (1956), p.89.6The measure of all things in terms of money is a symptom of the move from a qualitative viewof the world normal to a traditional society to the almost purely quantitative one whichcharacterises our society. For a most thorough exposition of this degenerative process throughwhich we have been passing for some centuries, see Rene Guenon (1953), The Reign ofQuantity and the Signs of the Times, Luzac, London, wherein the quantification of money isdealt with in chapter XVI, ‘The Degeneration of Coinage’, p.133.7Nature from Latin, natus born. Our nature in this sense is that set of qualities with which wewere endowed from our very beginning and which will remain essential parts of us throughoutour lives. To act naturally, to act according to our nature therefore is to give expression to thesequalities in our actions. This is not to say however that we are all of us able to tap into our truenature. In fact the opposite is true. The way of self knowledge is by no means a straight road.The sages tell us that it is the most difficult of all roads but that it is ultimately the only oneworth travelling.8S.H. Nasr, (1981) p.160. ‘Pontifical man .... lives in awareness of the Origin which contains hisown perfection and whose primordial purity and wholeness he seeks to emulate, recapture, andtransmit. He also lives on a circle of whose centre he is always aware and which he seeks toreach in his life, thought and actions’.9Plato, The Republic, book 6.46

10S. H.Nasr (1981) develops this notion very clearly in chapter 5 of his Knowledge and theSacred, ‘Man, Pontifical and Promethean’, p.160 ff.Harry Stephens11V. Papanek (1985), Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change 2ndedition, Thames and Hudson, London.12‘Late Night Live’, Australian Broadcasting Commission, Radio <strong>National</strong> (AM 576) Wednesday26 June 1996.BibliographyBurckhardt, T (1976) Sacred Art in East and West, Perennial, UK.Coomaraswamy, A K, (1956), Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art, Dover, New York.Coomaraswamy, A K, (1977) 3 Vols., ed. R.Lipsey, Vol 1. Selected Papers; Traditional Art andSymbolism, Vol. 2. Selected Papers; Metaphysics, Vol 3. His Life and Work, Bollingen SeriesLXXXIX, Princeton University Press, New Jersey.Guenon, R, (1945), Man and His Becoming According to the Vedanta, Luzac, London.Guenon, R, (1953), The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, Luzac, London.Guenon, R, (1975), Symbolism of the Cross,’ Luzac, London.Kollar, L P, (1965 - 1985), ‘Principles of Design’ - unpublished lectures delivered in the School ofArchitecture, University of New South Wales.Kollar, L P, (1983), Form, Sydney.Kollar, L P, (1985), On the Whole and the Part, Sydney.Kollar, L P, (1987), On the Architectural Idea, 2nd. Edition, Sydney.Nasr, S H, (1981) Knowledge and the Sacred: the Gifford Lectures, 1981, Edinburgh, EdinburghUniversity Press.Papanek, V, (1985) Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change 2nd edition,London, Thames and Hudson.Papanek, V, (1996) an interview on the program ‘Late Night Live’, Australian BroadcastingCommission, Radio <strong>National</strong> (AM 576) Wednesday 26 June 1996.Plato, The Republic, Penguin, 1974.Schoun, F, (1956), Spiritual Perspectives and Human Facts, Faber and Faber, London.Schoun, F, (1953), The Transcendent Unity of Religions, Faber and Faber, London.Tawa, M, (1992), ‘Poesis and Praxis: Craft, Modernity and the Techne of Architecture’, in Norisloannou Craft in Society. An Anthology of Perspectives, Fremantle: Fremantle Arts Centre Press,pp. 269-284.Zolla, E, (1981), Archetypes, George Allen and Unwin, London.47

Phil BassettDesign Education: for whom the bell tolls?Phillip Bassett hasbeen associated withdesign education inAustralia for overfifteen years.Formally a seniorlecturer and Head ofDesign at theUniversity of WesternSydney he is now thedesign industryspecialist for theTAFE Commission inNew South Wales.He has long beenassociated withdesign educationdevelopment inschools in that State,and has long held abelief that theeducation ofpotential designersstarts at this level.Having previouslybeen trained inLondon and havingpursued aprofessional careeras a designpractitioner for sometwenty years here, itcould be said that heis firmly committedto the pursuit andpromotion of design.Phillip holds aMasters degree indesign and ispresently pursuingfurther postgraduatestudy in VocationalEducation andTraining at theUniversity ofTechnology, Sydney.A review of the watershed design educators find themselves facing in a post-industrial,economic rationalist and instrumentally ‘competent’ environment.1 A perspective of creative, and specifically design education.It is now recognised that design is not a neutral tool; it can be viewed as a planning activitywith aims and procedures which are dictated by commercial and political interests. In thepresent economic rationalist and instrumentalist milieu design and the arts are aboutmarketing, decisions, priorities and profitability, and not necessarily equation, logic, debate, andarguably, creativity. This can be seen for example in the appropriation by marketing as a sales orcultural prefix (‘designer’ clothes, furniture and even ‘designer’ funerals).Transformation by the media of design from process to product and commodity can be seen asattempts to de-politicise design -just when its political role has become most important. Thedemise of visual communication through the redundancy of poster art, satire and parody areindicative of the vacuum in which design now finds itself.It has been put forward by Gramsci that ‘the old is dying, and the new cannot be born.’ In thisinterregnum we find ourselves, and arguably whilst we await the emergence of a new age ofaesthetic discovery, we must ask whether design and arts educational discourse is genuinelyplaying a significant role by highlighting the needs necessary to bring this change about?I for one would contend that it is imperative that design education must maintain itscommitment to the ethos of an ‘appropriate conscience for our culture’.The sense of discontinuity and uncertainty created by these changes, together with thechallenge to establish new norms and order, not only create anxiety for societies in general, butalso emphasise the confusion and ambiguity that artists and designers are presently feelingabout their roles and the relativity of their work.An irony of this situation is that today’s society is clearly looking to our creative individuals tobring some semblance of constructive meaning to an era of uncertainty. An obvious underlyingtheme to the recent Federal Government’s Creative Nation initiative was that the creative artswould herald (a) the new found economic upturn, (b) capitalise on the information revolution,(c) the advent of the new millennia, and (d) in conjunction with our increasing sporting identity,a coming of age for Australia as a creative and cultural oasis as we move towards the turn ofthe century.However, despite the timeliness of this initiative, the mere application of funding (largely toincrease our technological multimedia advantage) without a supportive context of rigorous andintellectual debate concerning directions for design and its education, will see an opportunitylost.The philosopher, Jean Baudrillard, has highlighted by way of contrast, that; - ‘masscommunications has destroyed the possibility for art and design to play a socially progressive ormeaningful role. In a world of simulated reality and pseudo-events, art and design retreat intothemselves.’48It can therefore easily be recognised that without energetic and meaningful participation by allinvolved in design education, the latter state of introversion is sadly a distinct possibility. In part,this has been brought about by artists/designers not retaining an objectivity to their functionand in many cases have been lulled by the obvious trap of their own sense of importance.

Regrettably, this subjective preoccupation can of course easily become a self fulfilling prophecy.Phil BassettHowever when an environment of creative, proactive, and provocatively meaningful dialogueexists, such as progressive interdisciplinary schools can, should they choose to provide, aneducational synergy can rise to the challenge of establishing an identity and direction for newcultural paradigms.Clearly design is a force for progress - the choice must be whether this capacity for change,especially in an era of economic rationalism, is to remain singularly linked to technologicaldeterminism, to stay bedevilled by the vagaries of sheer survival, to continue to navel gaze, toremain reactive to other immediate agendas, or rather to adopt a broader and more proactivesocial perspective. As society moves further into a period popularly identified aspostindustrialism, characterised by the devaluing of functional items, an opportunity exists forschools of creativity to concentrate on promoting ideas and cultural production and therebycontribute as a direct agency for social change.Given the immediate contingencies faced by the design profession it is, in my view, unlikely thatthis force for change will come directly from this industry, Therefore, it is beholden on thepresent generation of design education professionals to ensure that they produce this degree ofenquiry and reaction in their graduates, and that we revitalise both the profession and theAustralian community at large. Without this occurring we will continue to perpetuate a culturalcringe and subservience to the philosophies of other societies.In a world of conglomerate economies and increasingly influential global multinationals, designand the arts can, and must humanise as well as employ the technological interface. As many oftoday’s companies large and small, realise the competitive advantage that design provides,educators can ensure that this capacity to mediate on behalf of social perspective’s becomes aparamount importance.Equally, as larger more unwieldy economies struggle to maintain sufficient critical mass in orderto sustain large scale manufacturing systems, smaller, less burdened economies like Australiaand New Zealand are well placed to capitalise on what Michael Priore, Professor of Economicsat MIT has identified as ‘flexible specialisation.’ Here small producers, with encouragement, canoperate in close but independent proximity to one another, creating a form of industrial, andhopefully intellectual symbiosis.This compatible form of collaboration, whilst recognising the value of the individual clearlyrequires team skills as prerequisites, and reflects the type of communicative and interpersonalskills which unfortunately many graduates still lack.Within the potential of this deconstructed workplace designers must also increasingly learn toadapt to this fragmented and somewhat isolated environs by becoming sophisticatedcommunicators as well as more critical interrogators in order to sustain and defend their ideas,intuitions and resolve. It is here that their role as political protagonists is paramount. Forexample, the recent environmental debate has not only provided an opportunity for design topromote itself as socially responsible, it has highlighted for many, the strategic role creativepractitioners must play in fostering such initiatives. As a corollary, design schools must be seenin the community as proactive agents and exemplars for change.Therefore, a principal objective for the contemporary creative learning centre should be toenhance (and here the role of the staff is crucial) an environment where the student can fosterthe intuition, memories, and experiences which will inform their work, and without which artand design may as well be relegated to the world of production, mechatronics, and thereconstituted imagery it sadly occupies in some quarters at present.49

Phil BassettIn expressing these views it also needs to be stated that where previous institutions haveattempted to bring meaningful discourse to design and its education, they have inevitablybecome bogged down by a narrow singularity of purpose. This has been reflected in aninevitable illusion of wanting posterity to have recorded they ‘got it right’. This pursuit ofrightness, characterised by a Platonic belief which shaped early creative arts thinking in Europe -namely that artists and designers must pursue and strive for a sense of ultimate resolution, isnow clearly out of step with societies such as ours, now presently undergoing the process ofboth questioning and attempting to embody diversity and multicultural perspectives.My own preference is to favour a less austere and more organic philosophy characterised by thetype of creative community in the Italian school and evidenced in Andrea Branzi’s book -The HotHouse, in which he described their school’s predisposition through experimentation anddisplays as a belief in the ‘dynamics of confusion, and the pursuit of a plurality of right answers.’By default, these views imply that a multi-disciplinary design school should be based foremoston the development of curiosity, humour, discourse and debate, risk-taking and even argument.Certainly, design (almost by definition) is not a static entity. It must therefore also follow that itseducation should seek to promote the type of questioning activity which has come to beassociated with new directions, bravery and adventure, and occasionally failure.Unfortunately, the present status quo would indicate that widespread anonymity exists in thework of many students, often characterised by how permutations can be arrived at of say, WestCoast USA design. For example, if one were to remove the name of each institution in issues ofDesign World’s educational supplement, it would be extremely difficult to differentiate the workof any of their students. Also it is clear some of this work lacks an intellectual basis to reinforceits presence, still relying heavily on stylisation and a predisposition to the political correctness ofergonomics.Works created by this fascination for the largely stylistic ventures of other countries, (and whichhave been widely promoted by most ‘designer’ publications), has subsequently resulted in anamorphous stylistic ambiguity reminiscent of the modern supermarket. Perhaps moredangerously, it has also continued to add to the cultural cringe endemic to emerging nationssuch as ours.If one takes Japan as a modern example we now see a culture which has largely turned its backon a heritage built on the refinement of subtlety and discretion. An object lesson for anemerging culture such as ours is that an opportunity for developing a creative distinctivenessexists and most probably surrounds us in our natural and indigenous uniqueness, and not inthe pursuit of global corporate uniformity.This case is characterised by the American critic, Fredric Jameson, who has argued thatpostmodernism has one central theme, the disappearance of a sense of history, and thatcontemporary social systems have lost the capacity to retain their own past, and that ‘we havebegun to live in a perpetual present and in a perpetual change which obliterates traditions.’The identification of individual designers who are concentrating on the production of artefactswhich they must often design, make and market themselves is an area worth encouraging, andespecially appropriate for countries with a long association with primary rather than secondaryindustries. In Australia it is only now being recognised that the production of such works areproviding a significant cultural as well as an economic contribution.The Centre for Furniture Design in Hobart, is indicative of how art and design need not betotally subservient to manufacturing, generic market forces, and mass consumerism, but caninstead provide exciting and challenging alternatives, by acting as an exemplar for progressive50

thinking, whilst pushing at the limits of materials technology and our perceptions of functionalobjects.Phil Bassett2.Changes to the Educational ContextHaving attempted to place some of the surrounding arguments in context it would now seemappropriate to make some observations on what is happening in the Australian educationsystem and in particular how design education is faring in these times.In Australia, the Finn, Mayer, Deveson and Carmichael Reports, have tended to highlight thenational need for a more informed, better trained, and more intellectually sophisticatedworkforce.Almost all governments have realised that the economic advantage that design can contribute issignificant, and represents a cost benefit compared to cost of investment. Remember wheneven as early as 1985, Senator John Button when Minister for Industry, Technology andCommerce, stated that;-’It is through the work of talented designers that we can establish market niches for Australia,in the same way that other countries have already done in areas where design is crucial ....’We should continue to ask of ourselves how far have we moved forward since this landmarkstatement.More recent reforms stemming from economic policy and award restructuring by a number ofcountries has brought an increasing interest by educators in the part they can play in thesedevelopments. One of the architects of Australia’s national educational structural reform, Mr.Laurie Carmichael when elaborating the findings of the committee he chaired, stated:-’the growth of vocationally based faculties is outstripping all others... and whilst deregulation insome areas is leading to increased regulation in other areas, a convergence between generaleducation and vocational education is occurring and this is positive .... However, the challengefor educators will be to provide relevant education for young people in quantity’Needless to say that where design education is concerned, the concepts of quantity and qualityare often at odds. When educational institutions are measured by effective full-time studentnumbers and volume, courses such as design which are resource intensive become vulnerable.At present we are in some cases guilty of producing a mass mediocrity which is not doing theprofession any justice. It is my contention that innovation and creativity in particular in thesecircumstances, have been the victims, and the graduates who sadly realise they lack the realskills when facing an employer, the losers.Undoubtedly, there will continue to be considerable argument in the educational arena as towhich direction these changes should take. This debate will also serve to highlight a number ofother issues that have not effectively been dealt with in the past. The need for staff toencompass and contribute purposefully to change, no longer rely on a sense of permanency,and to continually work towards maintaining their professional relevance are typical issues.These developments could also have a marked effect on how staff come to terms with thesechanges, how they contribute to the debate, and how these changes might affect the way theypresently teach. A topic in particular which some educationalists are strongly contesting, is howsubjects which do not easily lend themselves to criterion assessment such as elements ofcreativity (abstract issues of innovation, subjective analysis, etc.) might fit into a measurableoutcome and professionally relevant system.By way of example we now have in Australia, nationally recognised competency standards towhich all vocational level courses must subscribe if they wish to gain recognition and51

Phil Bassettaccreditation. These standards arguably provide the benchmarks by which ‘industry’ hasdetermined what educationalists are to base their course structures on in future.In other words, they are the minimum requirements which have been determined for graduatesto achieve at a number of levels. It is worth noting that during their development,educationalists were largely and in some cases deliberately, not consulted in case we affectedthe outcome.As a consequence what we are regrettably now faced with is a professional wish list equatingmore to the expectation one would have of a graduate plus ten years managerial experiencethan the more realistic position of any graduate still requiring substantial field experiencefollowing a good grounding by the tertiary system. In other words, we should provide theeducation, industry should provide the training.This particular case has been presented here to serve that when we as professionals allowbureaucrats and politicians to instrumentalise our professional worth we abrogate our right topromote the one thing which I know is dear to the hearts of many design educators. Namelythat, design is much more than just way of doing or improving something, it is a force forchange, a language and philosophy in its own right.It would seem that education in the late nineties, has in general become increasingly clientdriven, placing additional demands on the way in which courses are offered, and means bywhich students will study. It is unlikely that the general palette of courses which universities andTAFE colleges have enjoyed to date can continue without some degree of rationalisation,without some form of specialisation (even by reputation), or at the least a more effectivedistribution of assets. Therefore new methodologies, systems and decisions will have to beemployed, and urgently.Today, tertiary educators are increasingly in the business of creating learner-centredenvironments, where they are needed, when they are needed, and for whomever they areneeded. Education today is coming to the client and not demanding that the client come to it.Changes in technology, and its increasing cost-effectiveness will ensure this continues. Manystudents are now determined that the pursuit of education must fit within their other needs,and as such it has to be available in a form and at times that suits them and not necessarily thatof the organisation. These changes are likely to lead to a greater sense of ownership of thestudy by students, providing they have developed the means and abilities to cope withindependent study.The focus on education in the current decade has been on providing a quality service to itsclientele, whether this be industry, the community, or the individual. Similarly, this education hasto recognise that more market fragmentation is occurring and that this is providing greateropportunities for graduates who have been educated in a holistic and pluralistic environment.Overall, this has been most notable in the closer interaction between design and thecraftsperson during the late 1990s, greatly aided by advances in computer technology and theemergence and use of sophisticated materials and manufacturing techniques.52The economic pressures which all tertiary areas are presently experiencing has emerged as atrend towards less face to face contact hours, shorter study time/courses, and higher student tolecturer ratios. In areas requiring a maintenance of reasonable ratios and a closer supervision ofpractice to theory (such as the design) this impact has been significant for many institutions. Todate TAFE has largely resisted these reductions as they would have had a direct impact on theone area this organisation excels in, namely skills development. However, even here the currentthinking indicates a movement away from traditional studio practice to flexible delivery,outcomes based learning, and self-paced study. These areas are seen as alternatives to theformer duration based courses.

The emphasis has shifted from the student being the passive recipient to the active participant,and from many teachers, ‘lecturing’ to helping facilitate this participation. Means by which thisinteraction can be facilitated has brought greater focus on the flexibility afforded by computertechnology, and in particular the value and interest shown in well designed visually basedlearning programs. There is evidence that we are returning to the notion that presentinginformation, even prettily packaged, is all that is necessary, and that learning and understandingwill follow. However, it may also be argued that the seduction afforded by technology has alsodeflected sufficient analysis of content, and should recognise that information and knowledgeare not synonymous.Phil BassettInevitably, these changes will require a new breed of educators, skilled in new techniques, ableto effect and cope with change, and who will most probably have to adopt new learningtheories to support different pedagogy, by exploring and employing new concepts andlanguages. There will be less reliance on text and linguistics and more on the need for greatervisual literacy and cognitive mapping skills.Here the role of conceptually literate, and sophisticated design educators will be paramount,but I must ask where will they come from? Traditionally design educators, and I am one suchexample, have come from industry, having moved into education almost by accident, driven bythe orientation to ‘put something back into the next generation.’ Whilst this sense of noblesseoblige is clearly honourable, it is now becoming apparent that design education is aprofessional study in its own right and as such requires the specialised training of its ownpractitioners. This not to say that exposure to professional experience is not a prerequisite, it is,but it does highlight that an additionally informed basis for being an educator of design isrequired.Without this basis we will, I contend, largely remain uncoordinated as a profession, a littlemystified about our direction, and sometimes regrettably at odds where we want to evolvetowards.In conclusion, I will leave you with this thought.As a stated earlier, the question remains, do we lead or are we led? Surely the choice is ours.The analogy of Hemingway’s bell serves a reminder that we must capitalise on this choice, onthe new millennia, or suffer the ignominy of oblivion as technology, the rationalists and theprotagonists of cut and paste overtake us.ReferencesJessup, G. Outcomes - NVQ’s and The Emerging Model of Education and Training. The FalmerPress, London, UK. 1991.Department of Industry, Training & Commerce. Australian Industry: New Directions. AustralianGovernment Publishing Service. Canberra, Australia. 1987.Carmichael, L. Elements of The Carmichael Report. Speech at ‘Challenges in Education.’ Aconference held at The University of Sydney, 7th May, 1992.<strong>National</strong> Board of Employment, Education, & Training. The Quality of Higher Education -A Higher Education Council Discussion Paper. AGPS, Canberra, Australia. 1992.Department of Employment, Education, & Training Economic Policy Statement - EmploymentEducation and Training Initiatives. DEET. Canberra. Australia. February, 1992.Jones, G. Delivering Open Learning Through a Technological Network, in The Australian Journalof Educational Technology, vol: 6/1, Sydney, Australia. Winter 1990.53

Phil Bassett<strong>National</strong> Board of Employment, Education, & Training. Library Facilities In Higher EducationInstitutions. A Higher Education Council Education, & Report. AGPS, Canberra, Australia. 1991.Training.NSW Technical and Further Education Education and Training Plan, 1991-1993.TAFE Planning &Properties Division, Sydney, Australia.Stumpf. W. Keynote Speech at The Hobart Design Triennial. Hobart Australia. September, 1991,in Design World Magazine No: 23 Melbourne, Australia. 1992.Thackara, J. (ed) Design After Modernism - Beyond The Object Thames & Hudson. London, UK.1988.Baudrillard, J. Simulations, in Semiotexte, New York. USA, 1983.Dormer, P. Design Since 1945. World of Art Series. Thames & Hudson, London. UK. 1993.Jameson, F. Post-Modernism And The Consumer Society in the Anti-Aesthetic. Washington.USA. 1983.Senator J. Button. Design Excellence. Address at the presentation of the 1985 HoneywellFellowships, Canberra. September. 198554

Changing by DesignSherryBlankenshipAbstractDesign is changing. The way we design is changing. The way we teach design is changing.What we teach in design is changing. We who are working and teaching within the professioncan see the dramatic changes and possibilities that now occur within the field. This paper willexplain some of the factors contributing to the changes in design both in the profession and inacademics. In the past, schools responded to industry in terms of curriculum development inthe design disciplines, attempting to give students what they needed to be employable. Nowthe academics control forces that effect the design profession’s approach and emphasis.I want to explore the trends which shape and change the role of the designer-the change froma 20th century model in which the designer functions as an objective/neutral creator to a newparadigm in which designers subjectively interpret communication.The curricula of design schools reflect these changes with the introduction of classes in designhistory, theory, criticism and research. These courses take the student from the facts-based,discipline-specific to a liberal arts perspective which explores ideas from multiple points of view.Courses now require students to state and defend the ideas behind the design, relying less onintuition and visual acumen than on developing a critical position. Thinking has an equalfooting with doing, which leads to a reconsideration of design’s position among otheracademic disciplines.The graduates of our programs will have to understand as much about the social implicationsof the designs they produce as they do about the aesthetics. Not only will they design, they willwrite about design in order to provide a legacy for the discipline. The research they do will gobeyond data collection on the latest trend or design celebrity to meaningful, in-depthinvestigations.Defining ourselvesIn New Zealand, we are in the midst of a transition from diploma to degree programmes indesign education. We are negotiating our way from a virtually 19th century model wheredesign was taught in a skills-based curriculum to an intellectual one equivalent to otheruniversity courses. Concepts and ideas have always served as a framework to the design processbut now design reflects an increased emphasis on meaning rather than form. In making thischange, we have to educate:> our own staff (who may be unwilling to identify and accept the changes within the field theyhave been teaching for many years) to the necessity of design history, theory and criticism todesign curriculum> potential employers (who are frequently past graduates) that the degree is an improvedprogramme that reflects the needs and perceptions of contemporary society> the current and future students who often are confused as to what design really is> their parents and the general populace who see more and more design in their lives but areunaware of its relationship to design education> the public and private sectors who now realise the value of design in the economy.Sherry BlankenshipHead of VisualCommunicationDesign WellingtonPolytechnicBefore becominginvolved in teachingfull-time, Sherryworked as an ArtDirector for WhittleCommunications ona wide range ofmagazines andposters winningawards from Print,Communication Arts,the Society ofPublication Designersand the EducationalPress Association.She has maintainedher own freelancebusiness since 1984specialising in nonprofitorganisations.Sherry completedher master’s degreeat North CarolinaState University andhas continued herpassion for designwith additionalcourses at thePrague Academy ofthe Arts, PenlandCraft School and theSchool ofInternationalTraining.As Head of VisualCommunication atWellingtonPolytechnic, Sherryteaches typographyand graphic designand coordinates theundergraduateresearch courses forthe Bachelor ofDesign programme.The identity of the discipline of design in contemporary culture is vague and uncertain, awaitingan analysis of its evolving position within its structure and context.To begin to see where we are and how we define ourselves, I looked through the prospectusesprovided by a sampling of design schools from the USA, Australia and NZ-an interesting surveyof how we see and explain ourselves to those we hope to attract to the field of design.55

SherryBlankenshipThough we seem to agree on the end product, we certainly have a range of interpretations asto what design is about, what processes it needs/uses, and the intended purpose of aninstitutional programme.The University of South Australia, for example, describes design as ‘having a direct socialpurpose reaching all sectors of public opinion.’ This is similar to my institution, WellingtonPolytechnic, which states in the first paragraph of a brochure that ‘design reflects a nation’ssocial and cultural values. It shapes the everyday utensils people use, the buildings we live in andthe clothes we wear. Design communicates those values to others. It is therefore a powerful toolof communication which expresses a culture’s values, people and products to others and isimportant to the social and economic well being of New Zealand.’Lovely, lofty visions for design but by the second paragraph, each school launches intoprospective employment opportunities. Quite quickly we are back in the land of the tradementality with pragmatic overtones of potential earnings and far from creating a standing as anacademic equivalent to other university disciplines. It is no wonder that the general populacehave a difficult time seeing the relevance of a degree for such a practical area of study.To continue with the comparisons, North Carolina State University (US) states that design is ‘asocial activity and form of cultural production. Design is necessarily contextual and must beinterdisciplinary. Good design requires attention and sensitivity to social, economic, political andbehavioural issues.’ This view at least makes concessions to both aspects of design education,the practical and the academic as well as the relationship between the two.Obviously, these descriptions/definitions are coloured by the philosophies of the individualprogrammes but it surprised and inspired me to find so many ways to interpret and expressdesign to potential students. Do the students or even the academic staffs really regard design inthese ways? Are these ideals reflected in the course of study? How many still emphasise themastery of ruling pens or assign students briefs devoid of concept or context?Design as a karaoke existenceDuring the 1950s and 1960s design became firmly established as a profession due to theexplosion of youth and popular culture; the increase in the quantity of manufactured images(especially photographic); and the desire for goods and images as part of our culture.Correspondingly, influence was felt upon design education in two ways:1 the formal values of modernism became the underpinning ideology of the new courses2 course work directly reflected the needs of business at the time by simulating ‘real’ jobs.Until recently those two traditions dictated what design schools included in their curriculum.Capitalism had defined design practice by expecting that the designer’s function was to developforms for its values as well as to facilitate its operations. Design education has supported thesenotions by romanticising/emphasising the studio aspect of learning to the exclusion of theintellectual aspects of design. Within the last few years, most probably with the introduction ofdegree programmes 1 , design educators have undertaken integration of traditional designcourses with lecture courses that cover design theory, design history and criticism, and research,signalling a coming of age for design as an academic discipline. We now have the opportunityto explore both the physical making and the theoretical planning and decision making. 2 Theaddition of the ‘why’ in design allows it to enter academic circles as an intellectual endeavourthat usurps the power once held by the marketplace.It is time to redefine our position and our field. We are now reinventing design, changing itfrom a focus on production to that of problem solving and visual thinking 3 Design can no56

longer be considered a superficial advantage, a frivolous addition; it must contribute to theexpansion of a body of knowledge. We need to demonstrate that design involves both ourintellect and our senses, that our curricula prepare designers to analyse a problem or tosynthesise a solution with an awareness for the needs of others, for the appropriateness ofmaterials as well as for the elegance of a solution. These designers will work as equals onmultidisciplinary teams with other respected professionals.SherryBlankenshipUnfortunately, because designers continue to be viewed as individuals who provide a packagefor an intended message, they are invited to enter a process at the final phases, precludingsubstantive exploration. This effectively limits the designer’s role and often prevents theoptimum result. As designers shift the emphases from form and aesthetics to general socialconcerns they begin to engage their clients on a more substantial level, thus removing designfrom the inflexibility of vocational training.We must take design education beyond the concerns of the visual by seriously considering theimplications and effects of the design solutions we produce. Since the postwar era, design hasbeen aimed at a progressive, upper middle class culture. The final results have been value laden,reinforcing the modernist faith in the objective. We are only beginning to question our socialfunction. In order to successfully communicate, designers have to understand the culture andthe audiences for which they are designing. The shape they bring to a solution is never neutral;they create a rhetoric of persuasion and elegance with a cultural bias. Design is an instrument ofsocial analysis; it is a language, a source of culture, a confirmation of values as well as an aspectof production which effects every single person in our industrialised culture every day of theirlives.‘As the graphic design profession matures, the scope for critical analysis and evaluation of itshistory and theoretical discourses necessarily broadens.’ 4 This perspective of design does notsimply alter our function but admonishes us to adjust the academic content of our curriculabeyond studio-based courses. Until we understand and accept that, our colleagues in otherfields as well as our governmental leaders and those involved in commerce will see us as a traderather than an academic discipline.As Bruce Mau says in an Eye interview 5 ‘...designers have lead a karaoke existence singingsomeone else’s song never saying what they think. For too long it has been form versus contentwith designers not involved in the content.’ This shift in thinking offers design education theopportunity to foster in students an attitude beyond that of simply creating end products toactually identifying problems themselves.Leaving the craft traditionAs the demands of society change, design education must reflect those new needs. We haveheard and read much about technological advances in our industry. This is but one small part ofa multitude of changes impacting upon design that indicates our curricula needs to encompassmore than simple technical wizardry. Our role in our culture suggests a shift in our function,participation and responsibility to every segment of society.Design should strive to become the central focus of the information age with an aim to develophuman skills such as perception, communication, analysis, manual and technical dexterity; toencourage a sense of historical and cultural literacy; to create personal awareness; to stimulatecollaborative projects. In addition, design schools might add centres of research and new ideasutilising our growing body of knowledge and particular brand of research.Design curricula need to go beyond preparing students for professional practice. Design is afundamental human activity. Thus we need to develop programmes which enable students toappreciate with insight places, products and images; to take part in personal and public design57

SherryBlankenshipdecisions; to design for their own needs; to integrate design into their own work; to understandhow the environment has been and will be shaped; to work in teams of professionals fromappropriate disciplines specific to a project in order to understand the necessity of negotiatingcompromise in social, economic, technical, aesthetic, political, environmental and moralsituations.If design schools encouraged this kind of perspective, design could collaborate with manydisciplines, providing richer, deeper and more exciting solutions. Practical work has its place butit does not further the place of design in society or in academics.Though we will continue to provide the pragmatic, we will need to enhance our programmeswith theoretically based design courses that will attract a wider range of students and gain ingeneral educational value. This will mean a change in the academic profiles of students,portfolio requirements, our academic staffing, facilities, our position within education and ourrole in society.Design currently has pretensions to scholarship but our structures are still rooted in the crafttradition, dominated by modernist notions of rational problem solving and a search for theobjective universal forms. We tend to lack self-awareness and confidence in our potential toutilise language, culture and technology in meaningful ways. Society has changed with anuncertainty of values and a loss of consensus. Rather than the anticipated homogeneity ofincreased communications of the postwar period, we have evolved into multiple andmulticultural audiences. 6Designers need to have knowledge of their own and other cultures; a grasp of design historyand the impact it has had upon society. The significance of design history has been negligible inindustrial societies where we undervalue the role of technology, goods and services in formingour civilisations 7 Therefore, we might consider the advantages of a more holistic approach thatcombines rigorous analysis with creative intention.Currently the design field can be defined by three areas: professional practice, teaching, criticismand research. The design curriculum must support and encourage each of these areas and makemeaningful connections between them. For instance, theory, representing untried ideas basedon principles and techniques that actually work, addresses the why and how of design, directlylinking it to practice. Research and practice, working together, anticipate demands byresponding to challenges facing the field and effecting business, culture, politics and theeconomy. It is from research based work that new theories will develop. 8Though the application of literary theories (ie. rhetoric, humanities, structuralism,deconstruction, etc.) is not widely understood, those designers who know and understandthese theories have much to offer clients beyond creating forms. They will be able to provide theneeded link between design and culture; between material reality and the culture that shapes it.Design not only reflects culture but makes and moulds it. 9 Thus design, like any language, caninvigorate and express the culture from which it comes. At present, professional designersassume responsibility for translating, enhancing and delivering the message of every client. Thisis unfair to the client and to the designer unless design educators enable all designers to speakto all audiences.Assuming new roles58Design education is now undertaking and incorporating these issues into courses. This issomething that has come about from within design writing, research and education and notfrom industrial involvement. 10 Research serves multiple positions in society and culture giving usan opportunity for discovery and redefinition. Equipped with this knowledge, understandingand insight, new designers now transgress professional boundaries rejecting professionalstandards and societal conventions. 11

Among these new perspectives is a change in the role of the designer from problem solver forthe corporate world to problem seeker and mediator of meaning. Today, some students as wellas experienced designers are not only creating satisfactory forums for expression but alsodeveloping ways to control their creative activity by unashamedly assuming subjective positionsaimed at blurring the distinction between art, media and design. They transcend theserviceoriented/commercial role by taking on personal, social or exploratory activities whichrenew their sense of responsibility. They determine what they want to say by focusing on whatneeds to be said and taking power into their own hands. This places them in a position ofcatalyst for social change, allowing them to assume new roles as co-participants with the clientand the audience. 12SherryBlankenshipWithin the rationalist ideology, there was an adherence to the external, where the designersurrendered personality for objectivity and withheld interpretation. Now the designer bringsmultiple perspectives to solutions that create a tension intended to encourage critical thinkingfrom the viewers. This kind of design is diverse and inclusive of colour, gender, sexualpreferences, points of view, belief systems, etc. 13Not all designers wait to be asked by a client to carry out work, many initiate proposals with arenewed sense of responsibility. They yearn for the rough, the real, the believable rather thanadapting a culturally defined solution to a variety of audiences. They are not passively serving.They are participating in activist work which permits them to express a clear political agenda.They are involved in curating shows and developing exhibitions as well as writing and designingthe catalogues which then provide them with the opportunity to develop a theoretical andcritical analysis of work.Designers now have an opportunity to influence how any people are informed. This involves realresponsibility on the part of the designers but more significantly upon design education. 14 Theaddition of research, history, theory and criticism not only signals a coming of age for design asan academic discipline but also serves as a reminder that design curricula involves substantialchange beyond renaming the final credential we award.No matter what the programme, no matter how the curriculum might evolve, design educationstrives to inspire students to work with passion and intelligence. We must begin to reinterpretdesign and design education so that we offer students ways to define and research meaningfulproblems that expand and extend the limitations of the existing visual vocabularies.References1This is not as relevant in the Northern hemisphere, particularly the US and Europe, wheredesign institutions have had degree programmes as well as graduate programmes for a numberof years. The graduate programmes often served as a means of entry into design from otherdisciplines. Increasingly, students with undergraduate degrees in design continue on to thesegraduate programmes thus enabling the institutions to undertake substantive research andwriting by building upon the undergraduates’ design education and practical experience. TheIllinois (Chicago) Institute of Technology offers a PhD programme in design.2Thistlewood, David, ed. (1990) Issues in Design Education, Longman Group Ltd, UK.3Hightower, Caroline, ‘Leave-taking and unfinished business’, AIGA Journal, Vol 12 No 3, pages4-5.4Triggs, Teal ed. (1995) Communicating Design: Essays in Visual Communication, B T Batsford,Ltd., London.5Rock, Michael (Spring 1996), ‘The Designer as Author’, Eye 20, Vol 5, pages 44-53.59

SherryBlankenship6Dewey, Rob (Autumn 1994) ‘Facing up to the reality of change’, Eye 14, Vol. 4 pages 4-5.7Dilnot, Clive (1989) ‘The State of Design History’, Design Discourse: History, Theory, Criticism,University of Chicago Press, London, pages 213-232.8Wild, Lorraine, ‘Design Particular to the Tribes’, AIGA Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, page 9.9Blauvelt, Andrew, ‘Cultures of Design and the Design of Cultures’, Emigre #33, pages 2-23.10We must have ongoing collaboration between practitioners and educators lest designeducation becomes insulated from the real world.11Blankenship, Sherry (Dec./Jan. 1995) ‘On Proactive Design’, ProDesign, New Zealand, p9.12Lupton, Ellen (1993) ‘Shelia Levrant de Bretteville’, Eye 8, Vol 2, pages 10-16.13Ilyan, Natalia, ‘Fabulous Us: Speaking the Language of Exclusion’, AIGA Journal, Vol 12 No. 2,pages 14-17.BibliographyAylward, Bernard, ed. (1973) Design Education in Schools, Evans Bros Ltd, London.Barfield, Lon et al. (4.95) ‘Education: Interaction Design’, GDEA Bulletin.Blauvelt, Andrew (January 1995), ‘Surface Tensions: Between Explanation and Understanding’,Visible Language 29.1, pages 4-11.Davis, Meredith (May 1996) ‘How Advanced are Advanced Programs?’, GDEA Bulletin, pp 1-3.Bryne, Chuck, ‘The Theory Behind Theory’, AIGA Journal, Vol 14 No 1, pages 7-8.Coyne, Richard and Snodgras, Adrian (Summer 1995) ‘Problem Setting Within PrevalentMetaphors of Design’, Design Issues, Vol 11 No 2, pages 31-61.Freeman, Desmond (1996) ‘Late Twentieth Century Design Education in Australia: Observationsand Proposals for Change’, Designnews Education Feature, Design Institute of Australia.Houchan, Kevin, ‘Vox of the Young’, AIGA Journal, Vol 12 No 3, pages 10-11.Kelly, Rob Roy (January 1994) ‘Postwar Graphic Design Education: A Conclusion’, GDEA Bulletin.McCoy, Michael and Katherine (Spring 1996), ‘Design: Interpreter of the Millenium’, U&Ic, Vol.22, #4.Mr. Keedy, ‘Graphic Design (IS) Now’, AIGA Journal, Vol 12 No 2, pages 6-7.Munari, Bruno (1971) Design as Art, Pelican Books, London.Novosedlik, Will (Winter 1994) ‘The Producer as Author’, Eye 15, Vol 4, pages 44-48. Owen,Warren (June 10, 1996) ‘Teaching style has to change’, The Evening Post, Wellington, NewZealand, page 12.60

The Nepean Model - Design Education as a consequence of thePostmodern ConditionBackground: The Postmodern ConditionHeinzLuettringhaus,Tim Marshalland ChrisMatthewsIn Jean-Francois Lyotard’s (1984) view, the meaning of postmodernism is inextricably related tothe changing conditions of knowledge and technology which are producing forms of socialorganisation that are undermining the old habits, bonds and social practices of modernity. Hesees the postmodern defined through the diffusion throughout Western societies of scientificknowledge, advanced technology, computers and electronic texts, each of which accents andprivileges diversity, locality, specificity and the contingent, against the totalising narratives of theprevious age. Technical, scientific and artistic innovations are creating a world where individualsmust make their own way without the benefit of fixed referents or traditional philosophicalmoorings.In the place of such moorings, postmodernism appears as an ideological and politicalmethodology for referencing a world we now see as without stability, a world whereknowledge is constantly changing and where meaning can no longer be anchored in atechnological view of history.Conceptual shifts have occurred in many fields of western enquiry in recent decades. Twoexamples are Physics and Biology. Physics has developed from the focus on Cartesian andNewtonian causality to include explanations of different levels of reality, such as quantummechanics for the behaviour of microscopic particles and hydrodynamics for the behaviour ofmicroscopic liquids both of which include the concept of probabilistic behaviour of componentsof a system.In Biology, Darwinian assumptions about the nature of life have come under scrutiny. It appearsthat Darwin’s theory - arguably the longest standing unchallenged theory - works for small scaleaspects of evolution, namely the fine tuning of varieties to different habitats (based onmetaphoric concepts such as survival of the fittest, competitive interactions between species,selfish genes, survival strategies, etc). Brian Goodwin (1994) argues that Biology is in need for atheory that assists to unravel the problem of emergent order in evolution and the origins ofnovel structures in organisms. He reports that what is now being recognised within the‘sciences of complexity’, as studies of highly diverse systems are called, is that there arecharacteristic types of order that emerge from the interactions of the different components of asystem and that biological complexity and evolution has to do with the ability to processinformation.The increasing interest in the sciences of complexity is a result of knowledge that arose fromstudies undertaken since the emergence of and in relation to the ‘chaos theory’ in the sensethat it explores system behaviour at the edge of chaos. The notion of complexity recognises anongoing process by which phenomena become more complicated to a point where theyspontaneously jump to a new state of order.The Third Factor: Design?These concepts have a striking conceptual similarity with a definition of Design put forwardmore than twenty seven years ago by Herbert A. Simon (1969) which stated that ‘if the sciencesof the artificial are opposed to the natural sciences, Design is the scientific method to interpretand solve the problems related to the structure of complexity’.Heinz LuettringhausAssociate Professorof Design. Heinz is aconsultant withindustry in the areasof DesignManagement,Product Semantics,Value Engineeringand Product Designand Developmentand holds severalAustralian DesignRegistrationstogether withIndustry Partners. Heis a joint ChiefInvestigator of anARC funded industrycollaborativeresearch team andhis current researchfocus is in DesignManagement andProduct Semantics.Tim MarshallHead, School ofDesign. Tim has abackground inPhotomedia andVisualCommunicationsworking in bothdesign and the arts.He has worked in arange of professionalphotographicpositions andcontinues a freelancepractice. Tim has putin place flexible andinterdisciplinarycourse structuresand has introducedteaching projectsand researchdirections based on(inter) culturalawareness andsustainability at UWSNepean.Simon saw in the problem of artificiality an explanation of the difficulty that has beenexperienced in filling engineering and other professions with empirical and theoretical substancedistinct from the substance of their supporting sciences. Engineering, medicine,61

HeinzLuettringhaus,Tim Marshalland ChrisMatthewsChris MatthewsCoordinator ofFoundation Studies.Chris is a practisingArchitect and DesignEducationalist. He isinvolved indeveloping problembased learningapproaches and hasstructured the firstyear foundationsubjects around thenew course programthat has been set inplace at Nepean.Chris’ currentresearch areas are inDesign Educationand the Philosophyof Design.He established that artificiality is interesting principally when it concerns complex systems thatlive in complex environments. The topics of artificiality and complexity are inextricablyinterwoven.In a challenging paper, Bela Banathy (1993) has argued that humanity may be moving from aconsciousness of the evolutionary processes that have created life on this planet to thepurposeful management of those processes, as encompassed in his notion of ‘guided socialevolution’. He believes that Design, through which sociocultural change is substantially realised,is central to the concept of purposeful evolution.Current theory indicates that the human social system may operate according to similarunderlying principles as biological systems do, for example that the evolution of human systemsis affected by the ability to process information. Thus it would seem that if the science of theartificial - Design is to have a central role in the processes of ‘guided social evolution’ its abilityto perform that role will depend substantially on its capabilities to assimilate increasing amountsof information effectively into its processes.Nigel Cross (1981) expressed his belief that the prevailing paradigm for Design was based onthe Modern Movement and characterised it as ‘rationalistic, reductionistic and mechanistic. Heproposed that it would be succeeded by a post-industrial paradigm which he defined as having‘democratic, non-hierarchical, participatory processes, open to everyone and taking intoconsideration the long-term needs of the environment and society’.Terms such as customised, democratic, inclusive, collaborative, participatory can be broughttogether under the heading of ‘empathetic’. A Harvard Business School research team (Rifkin1994) concluded that ‘empathetic design comes out of understanding users’ needs throughempathy with their world rather than from what users themselves tell developers they want’and suggested therefore that ‘the most powerful aid to empathetic Design is ananthropological expedition into the user’s world’ in a way ‘much as anthropologists do inremote native villages’.Could design then become the essential, required link, the third factor to span the growing areasomewhat similar to a no-man’s land between the unilateral growth of science and technologyand the human/cultural complexity of post-industrial society?The Re-Orientation of Design EducationIn the context to education, Henry Giroux (1990) argues that the challenge of postmodernism isimportant for educators because it raises crucial questions regarding certain hegemonic aspectsof modernism and, by implication, how these have affected the meaning and dynamics ofpresent-day education. Postmodern criticism, he claims, is also important because it offers thepromise of deterritorialising and redrawing the political, social and cultural boundaries ofmodernism, while simultaneously affirming a politics of racial, gender and ethnic difference. Ineffect, he continues, postmodern criticism calls attention to the shifting boundaries related tothe increasing influence of the electronic mass-media and information technology, the changingnature of class and social formations in post-industrialised capitalist societies, and the growingtransgression of boundaries between life and art and design, high and popular culture andimage and reality.In addition, Giroux argues that the basis for a critical pedagogy is not to be developed around achoice between modernism and post-modernism. He quotes Ernesto Laclau (1988) who statedthat ‘post-modernity cannot be a simple rejection of modernity: rather it involves a differentmodulation of its themes and categories’.62Overlaying design with this template of education as postmodernist critical practice, establishesthat the rather one-dimensional perseverance of traditional, and to a large extent

contemporary, Design Education is focused on the design of the immediate embodiment ofobjects, layouts, type, computer-images etc. This has caused the oversight of the need forreorientation and the apparent inability to answer a question as big as the above.The need for a change of focus has been noted much earlier. In 1972 Victor Papanek wrote:‘Design can and should become a means for young people to participate in the evolution ofsociety’. He felt that Design will play an increasingly more important role if it can assume itsidentity, if it accepts fully its human and cultural responsibility as well as its prospectivedimension. This implies continuity as well as renewal and synergy with other economic andsocial agents of change.HeinzLuettringhaus,Tim Marshalland ChrisMatthewsChange, Multiplicity and Inclusivity: The Nepean Model of Design EducationDesign Education today therefore has to accept the responsibility to integrate the more inclusiveconsideration of context: the domestic, work, urban and leisure environments and all of thosein a local and a global understanding. It has to take notice of new and already operatingperspectives that are affecting the professional orientation of Designers and acknowledge alongside the traditional fields of Design such as Architecture, Interior and Industrial Design andVisual Communication new activity fields with a professional focus on Interface Design, Ecologyand Design, and Design and Technology Education to name only a few as markers of theextending fields of Design activity. (See attached list of employment opportunities for graduatesof Design)To make an educational model that offers greater variety of professional orientation work,educators have the obligation to engage with students in enquiry and discourse in their aim tointroduce a highly intensive problem based learning program. A program of this kind providesstudents with the experience that Design is a discursive process and that therefore team work isplaced at the centre of their activities. An integral part of such a program is to not always ogleat results but to understand Design Education as process. The study of Design should above allintend to acquire the ability based on knowledge and insight to perceive, analyse, transformand make associations. These educational priorities are aimed at providing students of Designwith broadly informed social, economical, ecological, technological, pedagogical, ethical andcultural competencies that are inclusive and allow for multiplicity of outcomes.Curriculum design at Nepean is understood as process and critique is seen as a fundamentalcomponent of the course.To shape and conduct an educational model of this kind requires insightful and cooperativestaff and those fantastic students, who in such wonderful ways, integrate utopian andpragmatic thinking, decision making and commitment, knowledge and experience, interest andpassion towards their chosen professional orientation.The structure of the course and the array of majors and electives, is laid-out around the notionof maximum flexibility and choice. This resulted in a modular course organisation that allowsstudents to chart ‘their’ course through the four years of study, leading to the professional focusof their choice. While they are moving along their chosen path they accumulate credit points foreach completed subject.Similar developments in other countriesModular course structures and credit accumulation now account for a majority ofundergraduate courses in Art and Design in the United Kingdom according to Buss (1995).Arguably the most important issue which an appraisal of credit accumulation and modularstructures must address is to identify how the learner benefits by studying within this type offramework. The FEU has identified the following advantages:63

HeinzLuettringhaus,Tim Marshalland ChrisMatthews> Greater opportunity to negotiate and plan learning programs appropriate to their needs,interests and preferred mode of learning.> Increased choice and opportunities for more varied curriculum combinations.> Opportunities to enter and exit education and training according to needs and circumstancesand retain credit earned to date.> Opportunities for changes in direction without loss of credit and with interim certification.At the Art University of Kodaira in Japan, Professor Shutaro Mukai (1955) has been teaching inand developing a course in Design that does not focus on the Design of things but has Designas its object. He describes the course’s aim to convey a basic theory of Design and designabilityas far as possible from an interdisciplinary point of view. The graduates are described asplanners, design researchers, teachers, critics and others who possess the ability to investigateproblems which will lead towards new developments in the area of design.In Germany the Fachhochschule Koln has recently introduced a new Faculty of Design lead byProfessor Michael Erlhoff (1955) who’s background, interestingly, is not in Design, butLiterature, Sociology and Art and Design History. The courses of this Faculty according to Erlhoffwere ‘formulated around a precise critique of the prevailing approaches to Design Educationand to offer a sensible, prospective and practical alternative’, and consequently, offer greaterchoice for students.A recent survey (form 150, 2/1995) that compared all German Design courses showed the Kolncourses in the lead based on numbers of applicants (803 students for 60 places, a ratio of 13:1)which seems to indicate a preference of Design students for the Koln curriculum.SummaryThe Nepean Model of Design Education is a result of the commitment to developing anapproach to Design Education that reflects the changing nature of design practice. Anintegrated approach is required which gradually dissolves the distinction between designprocess (practice) and design discourse (theory) in a way that the processes, methodologies andtechnologies of design are no longer presented hierarchically, but rather as a series of‘dialogues’ between the designer, the artefact and society.The general aim is to prepare students for a life of continual learning, transformation andadaptability to change.If designers are to help reinvent the world, they must find - or recover - the courage to placethemselves in relation to the important issues of society: the maxim of quality, the limits of ournatural resources, cultural identity, demographic imbalances, relations between developedcountries and the Third World, a code of ethics.The question of the designer’s role, or rather roles, arises from being originators, and it isimportant to preserve and respond to the diversity of modes of expression, creative talent andprofessional activities.Nepean aspires to be a place where young people can develop their future roles in society in anenvironment that is supportive to enquiry, discourse and planned action aimed at enhancing thequality of human life.64

ReferencesLyotord, J.F. (1984) ‘The postmodern condition: a report on knowledge, Minneapolis: Universityof Minnesota Press.HeinzLuettringhaus,Tim Marshalland ChrisMatthewsGoodwin, B. (1994) ‘How the leopard changed its spots: The evolution of complexity. London:Weidenfeld & Nicolson.Simon, H.A. (1969) ‘The sciences of the artificial’ Massachuesetts: The MIT Press.Bonathy, B.H. (1993) ‘From evolutionary consciousness to guided evolution’, World Futures, Vol.36, pages 73-79.Cross, N. 1981) ‘The coming of post-industrial design’, Design Studies, Vol. 2, pages 3-7.Rifkin, G. (1994) ‘Briefings from the Educators’, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 72, pages 10-11.Giroux, H.A. (1990) ‘Curriculum discourse, as postmodernist critical practice’, Geelong, Vic:Deakin University.Papanek, V. (1972) ‘Design for the real world: Human ecology and social change’;, London:Thames & Hudson.Buss, D. (1995) ‘The impact of modularity and credit accumulation on undergraduate art anddesign education’ NSEAD, Vol, pages 55-63.Erlhoff, M. (1995) ‘Kritik an der Strasse der Olsordinen: Pladoyer fur nene Wege iu der Design -Ausbildung’ form 150, No. 2/1995, pages 44-45.Spohr, K. 1(1995) ‘The necessity of founding a design science and new design training’, formdiskurs, Vol 1, No. 1/1995, pages 56-654.65

HeinzLuettringhaus,Tim Marshalland ChrisMatthewsEmployment Opportunities for Graduates of DesignInterface DesignerSystems DesignerDesigner for the service industryStrategic Planner for manufacturing/distribution companiesIn-House Designer with a manufacturerDesigner in design practiceFreelance Designer servicing international clienteleProduct Manager Designer (Production Processes)Consultant (socio-technical change, fitting industrial production to newly emerging forms ofsociety)Teacher in conjunction with Grad DipEd> Secondary and Tertiary institutions> Design and Technology> History of Design> Education Officer in Museums> Creative ArtsDesign ManagerMuseum/Gallery CuratorExhibition DesignerDesigner in Advertising AgenciesDesigner in Animation ProductionDesigner in Architectural PracticesDesigner in Audio Visual 3-D Presentation Production CompaniesCommercial and Industrial PhotographerGeneral PhotographerConsultant Designer, Planner, Researcher for:> Festival and Leisure Agencies> Exhibition Design companies> Product Design companies> Marketing Agencies> Manufacturing companies> Packaging companies> Performing Arts companies> Theme & Recreational park organising companies> Government Agencies> Graphic Design AgenciesIllustrator - books, magazines etcIndependent Freelance Production DesignerInteractive Media DesignerMultimedia DesignerInterior DesignerPublisher -Magazines, Books, Electronic MediaGallery CuratorNewspapers - graphic designer, illustrator, photographerRetail IndustryTelevision Industry66

Seminar Topic BInnovation and new technology in education and the professionChair: Professor Helmut Lueckenhausen67

John BrooksTechnology Aided DesignProfessional industrial designers in Australia are required to develop a very broad knowledge ofmanufacturing processes, marketing and mechanical and electronic engineering and nowcomputer operating on top of the specialist skills of understanding problems and creatinginnovative solutions. The USA and Europe don’t seem to demand the same breadth ofknowledge from their designers.Australian people have a reputation for readily accepting new technologies into their lives. TheAustralian designers have been no different. New technologies are very quickly changing whatand how we do business. Powerful computers have brought 3D modelling, rapid prototyping,CNC tooling, the internet and video conferencing into our business. They have changed whatwe do and how we conduct our business. Quality has improved, development times are shorter,design flexibility is easier, we are able to use more complex forms and the range of services weoffer has grown. It is easier to do business interstate and overseas. Computer files can betransferred using FTP sites and Electronic Mail. Video conferencing makes meeting with clientsin Boston and San Francisco almost as easy as meeting with clients in Adelaide.With all this technology around it is easy to get carried away. Computers and their software arejust tools on the shadow board of a designers workshop. They should be used as appropriatelyas a hot wire cutter or a Pantone marker. Designers should not be using high-poweredcomputers just because they can. They should be using them because they are the best tools forthe job, just as a ‘workshop technician’ is a trade in its own right so should ‘CAD-operating’ be.Education institutions have always exposed their designers to the broadest set of tools they canbut they should not attempt to train designers as skilled operators. Designers should be trainedas designers and should be skilled in the art of problem solving. It is vital that designersunderstand the capabilities of their tools if they are to get the most out of them but should notbe distracted by them. With new tools we open new ways to solve problems, but we shouldnever lose sight of the role of design ‘to improve the quality of life’.What of the future? Virtual reality sculpting? ‘Experience your product before it experiencesyou!’ Where will it take us? Will our designers lose touch with reality?This paper explores the effects that technology has had on one consultancy in Adelaide andconsiders the consequences for it’s future and the educational needs of it’s current and futuredesign staff.Technological status of educationDrawing boards, 1 term at TAFE learning 2D CAD, visit a CNC machining centre, a CNCpunched tape mill in w/shop and calculatorsTechnological status when DP startedDrawing boards, that’s itTechnology of ADD68ADD’s technological growth over last eight years> ACAD for 2D drawings> ACAD for 2D NC machining> ACAD 3D wire frame modelling> Pro/ENGINEER 3D modelling, rapid prototyping, NC machining

8 486 PCs2 Pentiums1 NT server4 SGI Indys2 seats of Pro/ECFD - PhoenixFEA - NastranACAD R13Corel DrawQuark XpressAdobe IllustratorJohn BrooksWe use video conferencing to meet with clients in Boston and San Francisco, Email, Internetand FTP to transfer information between vendors. We received CAD data on Email from Francethe other day that failed to reach us, cleanly, on a disk.ADD is far from technophobic. We have embraced technology and the benefits it brings us andour clients. But we try to use it as appropriately, as and when it is the best tool for the job. Westill present simple black and white hand sketches, realistic marker renderings and foam modelswhen they are appropriate and not be limited to our latest software.What has it done for ADD?It has dramatically changed our business. We rarely build plastic models and prototypes or dofull mechanical drawings. Now it’s usually rapid prototyping with SLS, SLA, LOM or FDM. Ourdesign times are reduced.When this realisation first hit us we wondered what we’d done. We were doing less work andmaking less money. But we embraced it, turned it around to our benefit and expanded ourservices to include FEA analysis, modelling tooling split faces, supply of tooling and evenmoulded parts.In fact our business has grown and we are in a better position now than ever before because ofthe technology we have employed.How do the designers feel about being CAD operators?ADD employs one senior Industrial Designer and one operator, both with excellent Pro/E skillswe use contract operators when we have overload and are currently training one seniordesigner in Pro/E. But be warned, the designers are adamant that they don’t want to becomeoperators. They want to learn the tool and how to use it to get the most out of their designsand are often disillusioned when asked to do a straight modelling job without design content.We are conscious of the mental well being of our designers and will be employing moreoperators rather than designers. We are currently in the process of setting up a separatecompany that will supply the modelling services we need under the direction of our seniordesigners.We want designers who understand the principles of a complete range of technologies.Designers who understand the workshop, who can draw, who can cut foam but above all whocan design.I believe that design educators should be aware of what industry expects from designers andshould be educating their clients in the most effective manner that allows them to be good butemployable designers. To quote Roger Simpson who quoted Ken Kato ‘right first - thenwonderful’.69

John BrooksHow has and will technology affected our designs?Because computers are a tool that has become so accessible to designers and is so versatile ithas affected our designs. This is particularly evident in graphic design where the majority iscomputer generated and I think suffers from it in many cases. Have graphic designers becomelazy? What about wood blocks, lino cuts and, heaven forbid, lead pencil. If were not careful wewill lose the freshness and quality that these mediums can give a graphic.I often wonder if the same is happening to product design. It seems that with the introductionof 3D CAD systems that products are softer and more sophisticated than when we had drawingboards and T squares. Because we can we do. Have we forgotten how to go into the workshopand sculpt a piece of foam or clay and feel the product into shape before we document it onCAD.Designers should not lose the fundamental skill of shaping with their hands and eyes. Educatorsshould not lose sight of what designers do best .What should technology do for designers?Technology should provide a shadow board of tools for our designers to use. Designers shouldbe trained in the basics of these tools. They should not be trained to be CAD operators just asthey should not be trained to be pattern makers or metal smiths. They should be trained to bedesigners first and foremost. Designers who are employable and will contribute to societythrough the application of their design skills.Designer educators need to be careful that they don’t get caught in the technology and loosesight of the real needs of young designers.Where is technology leading us?Will we break through the technology barriers to a system that gives total freedom? Maybe I ama technological pessimist and the new power of virtual reality will give designers access to all ofthe tools on the shadow board through one medium. Maybe one day we will be able to put onour VR helmets and gloves, our new age eyes and hands, and sculpt a product in virtual spaceusing virtual foam and virtual clay. Maybe we will be able to produce virtual images and presentthem to clients at virtual meetings.All the more reason for designers to stay closely in touch with technology, help with itsdevelopment and not become the artisans of the trade but remain the artisans of design.70

Making new connections for designKarin SchlegelAbstractIn a time where there is talk about the death of the designer (Richardson, 1993), in a timewhere networked computing and global communications will soon enable anyone to designtheir own materials and publish them on a global scale, and in a time of increasingdiscrepancies between design education and practice, there is alight at the end of the tunnel.This light is called: the World Wide Web.Based, like design, on the principle of lateral thinking (deBono, 1990) and associative linking,the World Wide Web is not just a hyped-up technological gizmo but a revolutionary newchannel of communication with a potential for astronomic growth. If, as designers, we can lookthrough the mist of hype and behold the true potential of the Web for design, then we aregiven the chance to defeat Richardson’s death and enter an era of new, enriched life fordesign...‘In this developing, centralized, yet shared, world order, designers have a new role to play. Atthe core of this restructuring of public communication is the need to design new tools to makeconnections among the many peoples of the world and new signs and symbols to transmitvalues from individual cultures as well as to represent common values and concerns.’(Margolin, 1994, p.66)What’s the problem?The disciplines of design are facing a crisis of confidence, not only in their image as perceived byother professions but also in their self-perception. While some writers go so far as to declare thedesigner as dead (Richardson, 1993, following the example of Barthes, 1988), others, such asSchon (1983), Bonsiepe (1994) and Margolin (1994), attempt to describe the situation in moreconcrete terms.In a time where the computer has democratised design to such a degree as to put it at theaverage person’s fingertips, it is no longer sufficient to equip the designer with skills - in fact, inview of the explosive development on the software front, it is almost impossible to keep evenskills up-to-date. Instead, designers are increasingly required to stretch their horizons beyondtheir area of expertise (cf. Margolin, 1994). Appeals for an interdisciplinary and reflectiveapproach to design which puts more emphasis on research and design theory are becomingmore pronounced and frequent (Freeman, 1995; Press, 1995; Newman, 1996). Design is calledupon to develop a self-awareness and reflectivity that goes beyond ‘design as highly saleablemake-up’ to ‘design as an integral production stage’ and ‘design as a cultural influence’.Karin Schlegel iscurrently concludingher Master’s degreein Design at theUniversity of SouthAustralia. Herresearch projectfocuses on theproblem ofproviding guidancethrough educationalmaterials deliveredon the World WideWeb with the helpof structural designand visual display.Before commencingher Master’s degree,Karin has workedindependently as aconsultant andtrainer in desktoppublishing inSwitzerland. Shereceived herBachelor’s Degree inDesign with highesthonours from theUniversity of NotreDame, Indiana,USA., in 1988.Achievementsinclude the MabelMountain Award forTwo Dimensional Artand the Notre DameDesign ExcellenceAward, 1988.While appeals for change abound, there seems to be very little concrete advice on how to effectthis change. However, many of the proposals for change agree on the fact that the key tosolving this crisis lies in the rethinking of design education. Unfortunately, while there isagreement that design education should be adapted to the new demands on the designer, theeducational and commercial branches of design seem to be drifting apart in their views of howexactly this should be achieved: commercial design wants graduates whose skills in the newesttechnology make them a competitive force, academia wants graduates who are able tocontribute to the design discourse and culture in a more reflective way. This, of course, does notexactly result in a fertile ground for communication between them, let alone between design asa discipline and other disciplines.What is needed to solve the crisis is, most of all, a readiness of the commercial and academicbranches of design to communicate. If this is not achieved, design graduates will continue to71

Karin Schlegelreceive a rude awakening at the end of their education when they enter the ‘real world’ ofdesign, where, more often than not, pressures of the market prevail over ideology. On the otherhand, just concentrating on the commercial impact of design and the dynamics of themarketplace is not enough to gain a greater understanding of the importance and socioculturalrole of design as a discipline. Here, a more theoretical and research oriented academic approachis needed. The question, thus, is not one of whether to teach designers practical skills orreflective practice but one of how to most efficiently combine the two. Luckily, we are living inan era that has, very recently, entered what has been termed the ‘communication revolution’.This development, in particular its most notable child, the World Wide Web, poses a veryconcrete and serious opportunity for design.In order to understand the potential the World Wide Web offers for design, it is necessary togain a grasp on some of the basic concepts of the Web.What is the Web?HypertextStructurally, the World Wide Web is based on hypertext. Hypertext is not a new concept, nor isit bound to the Web alone. As early as 1945, Vannevar Bush conceived a device called the‘memex’, designed to aid human memory (December and Randall, 1995) by storing informationin an associative way (much like the human brain), which would enable humans to recall a vastamount of information with a minimum requirement of effort and time. In the 1960s (Smith,1995) Theodore Nelson coined the term ‘hypertext’, which describes an entity that supersedesordinary text by being lateral, multidimensional and linked through relatedness in content ratherthan sequence in time. By virtue of its associative nature, hypertext is a natural environment fordesigners to dwell in as our very profession requires the ability to think laterally (cf. deBono,1990).Hypertext is open-ended and ‘random-access’, at least as viewed on the part of the author. It isnot read from a to z but can be entered at any point and any number of different pathsthrough the information ‘texture’ can be followed, depending on interest and understanding.Thus, hypertext is sequential in reader-chosen meaning and encourages exploration at the user’sdiscretion. This reflects in practise what Richardson described in the death of the designer:meaning is no longer a very clearly defined and influenceable matter but rather is subject tointerpretation.Designers, like authors, can no longer assume to have authority or control over their creationsbut need to accept the fact that users are now sufficiently emancipated to create their ownmeanings. However, this does not mean that designers are ‘bunk’, it just means that thecommunication paradigm becomes a bit more complex: rather than thinking in terms of ‘causeand effect’, designers need to pause and reflect and perceive communication not so muchdeterministically as ‘action and reaction’ but rather as a ‘dynamic interaction’.Origins of the WebBorn originally out of a military and then an academic research network, the World Wide Webwas first made widely accessible in 1993, when its first graphical browser application, Mosaic,was introduced (Smith, 1995). Since then, the Web has experienced a period of astronomicgrowth and expanded its reach to include not only academia but business and governmentalike. Because the basic concept of the Web was to create a uniformly accessible environmentfor research, it is not limited to a specific computer nor is it limited to a specific kind ofcomputer but rather exists as a network of many diverse and different machines.72As a result of the convergence of computer technology, telecommunications and audiovisualtechnology on the digital representation of data, the Web can not only offer all the advantagesof a computing environment (manipulation of and interaction with data), it can also display

contents in a variety of ways (multimedia) and provide the services of an extensivecommunications network: contact with actual people.Karin SchlegelStrengthsThe biggest strength of the Web is that it is both a very flexible and a very accessibleenvironment at the same time. It is flexible because of a distinct lack of specialisation whichmakes it capable of a multitude of functions. Moreover, due to the relative ease of authoring,contents residing on the Web are usually very up-to-date. Its accessibility is given not only by thelack of platform specificity but also through its ease of use and relatively small connection cost.WeaknessesOne of the most severe drawbacks of the Web is, in some ways, its popularity with relation tothe state of technology: to date, the bandwidth of the Web has difficulties handling theincreasing demand of its users. As a consequence, some contents have an extended waitingtime attached to them, which certainly can become very tiresome after a while. However, thissituation is constantly being improved through the development of faster applications, betterdata compression schemes and faster communications networks (Introduction of a hybridcoaxial-fibreoptic network by 1999, which will make access to the Internet up to a thousandtimes faster). Another weakness, perhaps, is the sheer volume of information available. The taskof finding a specific resource of sufficient quality can, at times, be quite daunting. OpportunitiesAs a result of its hypertextual nature and easy accessibility, the most significant opportunity ofthe Web is that of collaboration. Never before has any medium made cross-disciplinary andcross-cultural communication so easy. Naturally, the enthusiastic response to thiscommunication channel has resulted mostly in a great quantity of information. Designers canmake their most valuable contribution by encouraging an equally great enthusiasm for qualityof information, not by lessening the communication, but by ‘adding value’ (cf. Margolin, 1994).ThreatsLiving in an environment (the Internet) that has been referred to as the first working anarchy,the World Wide Web does its part in establishing new ways of relating. Perhaps due to itsphysical interconnectedness, the Web tends to emanate a spirit of ‘sharing’ which certainlyposes a threat to the conventional notions of ‘copyright’ and ‘ownership’. Refusing, untilrecently, to admit any kind of censorship, the Web relies quite heavily on the ‘netiquette’ of itsusers. While this may be seen as a dangerous approach to take, it is also one which leads to thedevelopment and implementation of much desired communicative qualities such as criticalthinking, discretion and responsibility. Where these are lacking, the virtual peer group is usuallyquick to act.What can the Web do for Design?Given these basic aspects and functions of the Web, there are several concrete ways in which itcan be used to further design:> it offers an accessible platform for dialogue, collaboration and interaction between thedifferent branches of design as well as with other disciplines,> it provides an integrated delivery medium for design education,> it is a new communications environment on whose quality design can have a direct influenceand in whose formation design can partake.Design on the WebNaturally, there are already a lot of design-related Web sites on-line such as design companiespromoting their services and design schools promoting their courses. There are even someserious on-line design publications (such as Design Studies) and there is certainly no lack ofconferences that are, in one way or another, related to design. However, many of theseresources’ Web presence is motivated mainly by commercial pressures and thus many of them73

Karin Schlegeltend to stand in isolation, defending their territory. Those sites that do make connectionsbetween different aspects of the field, where existing at all, are mostly unfunded, interestdriven, personal sites that may be very valuable but are equally hard to find.The Web offers the opportunity for an integrated effort of all disciplines and branches of designto create not just a ‘resource for the customer’ but a grand unified resource for design itself.Rather than focusing on personalised Web sites alone, universities and design businesses areable combine their efforts here to the benefit of all by creating collaborative Web ventures.Under the auspices of a central coordinating agency, these could provide a forum for dialogueand cross-fertilisation and feature, for instance, the following: design journals, both local,national and international, discussion forums, newsgroups and mailing lists for all areas ofdesign, articles on new potentials of the Web and virtual reality, software reviews, listings ofconferences by topic and state, courses and further education seminars offered by universitiesand or businesses that are open to all designers, a list of current projects/issues, humanresources and job openings, on-line design exhibitions with invited critiques, business profilesand market reports and any other item with which both the academic and commercial branchesof design can contribute.Beyond the more ‘static’ subject matters, such a site could have both real-time (chats) andasynchronous (mailing lists/newsgroups) open discussion forums, on-line seminars andconferences. Such personal virtual communication forums have the advantage that they areaccessible at any time and from any place equipped with a connected computer, in many casesfrom home. This may remove some of the conventional thresholds to contribution and result ina richer and more diverse mix of opinions.The design specifications for such a site could be obtained by means of an on-line survey ofwhat is generally perceived as particularly interesting, relevant and promising and contributionscould be taken in as general concepts, concrete proposals or finished Web sites.Far from diminishing the effectiveness of existing commercially driven sites, these collaborativeventures could help to enhance their visibility not just to outside customers but also, and equallyimportantly, to designers themselves.Design through the WebAnother area where the Web can aid design is in education. Within the general move towardsflexible delivery of learning materials there is, naturally, also a tendency to provide learningmaterials on the Web. An increasing number of teaching institutions are offering a wide rangeof courses on the Web, some in a hybrid form with conventional teaching and some entirelyWeb-based. The University of South Australia, for instance, is currently developing subjects for aMaster’s degree in multimedia to be delivered on the Web. Beyond its obvious advantages as aflexible delivery medium (multimedia, choice of time/place of learning), the Web is also a verypowerful research tool: more and more sites, resources, journals and libraries are becomingavailable on-line, and personal contact with respective experts is possible as well.While Web delivery is not a panacea for all subjects, design in particular can profit from it inseveral ways. A review of some of the proposals for a new design education (Richardson, 1993;Bonsiepe, 1994; Margolin, 1994; et al.) has established the following re-occurring themes thatneed to be addressed:74> developing team work skills in designers> developing managerial skills> encouraging independent and critical thinking> encouraging the development of a research culture> an ability to communicate intelligently with other professions as well as designers> a holistic and integrated view of design that relates it to other disciplines> an awareness of the position of design in society and culture

The Web can offer the following to respond to these demands:> By providing links in learning materials to other areas of expertise, design educators cansuggest the development of a more integrated and contextualised perception of design. Whileat first, such linkages would be quite ‘guided’, students will soon develop the skills to maketheir own connections and locate areas of special interest to them.Karin Schlegel> Because the Web is a virtual rather than a ‘real’ environment, it becomes quite easy to lookinto other disciplines. If provided with a flexible curriculum structure which allows or evenrequires a certain number of interdisciplinary subjects, students of design can broaden theirknowledge base by gaining an insight into related and influencing fields of knowledge and theirworkings.> Team work and collaboration can be facilitated through the participation in communicationforums, which could not only include instructors and students but also guests and visitors fromacademia, commerce, from overseas or from entirely different fields of expertise.> If design students were, for instance, asked to submit assignments in the form of a mini-site,this would not only require them to learn the necessary skills, it would also provide anopportunity to make these sites available on the Web for general comment and ‘critique’,resulting in something like a ‘Webstudio’ which not only lives on student-teacher but also onpeer interaction. Opening up external access to these sites would also have the effect ofallowing direct and personal input on behalf of commercial design on design education.> This, in turn, would encourage designers to develop critical thinking and communicative skillsamongst each other. It would serve to illustrate different approaches to problem solving andhelp students to evaluate their own work. Perhaps it would develop the designer’s ability toregard this work with some degree of detachment (cf. Schon’s ‘reflection on action’, 1983).> Ultimately, the interaction with a communications environment such as the Web, both interms of ‘receiving’ and ‘sending’ materials would not only leave students of design with theability to contribute to a larger design resource of this kind, it would also leave them with theconfidence to do so and hence result in more readily communicative and reflective practitioners.Beyond the immediate use of the Web for course-delivery, its flexibility and accessibility alsomakes it the ideal environment for continuing education. As such, the constant opportunity tomodify and update Web materials render the Web an ideal platform for lifelong and just-in-timelearning. Where lifelong learning provides the opportunity to enter a new field ‘from scratch’,just-in-time learning facilitates the updating of knowledge and skills as the need arises. Thiscould be of great value not just for students but be a means to maintain high standards ofpractice after graduation as well (cf. Freeman, 1995).Finally, the Web might be able to achieve what has not been possible in reality of the nonvirtualkind: it may bring different educational institutions, be they from different countries, states orbackgrounds (such as universities and TAFE) together and enable them to offer students a muchricher variety of subjects than any one institution by itself could. Such extended curricula wouldundoubtedly make design an even more attractive choice of study.Branching outAs design is quite often an integral part of a larger process, it needs to be seen in context andconnection with other, related areas. The World Wide Web makes this possible by providing theopportunity to link to other areas of expertise. In fact, listing other, related resources on aDesign Web is one of the simplest ways to express this connectivity. If enough of theseconnections exist and if design itself establishes attractive ‘targets’ for links, then theseconnections will be reciprocated and thus open the door to an even wider event horizon for75

Karin Schlegeldesign. A strong presence of design on the Web together with a number of quality links canserve to help others understand the importance and significance of design more clearly andmake its resources freely accessible.What can Design do for the Web?Design of the WebAs much as the Web can do for design - if taken up - there is also a lot that design can do forthe Web. To date, a large proportion of information providers on the Web are those with abackground in computing and programming. Designers can contribute a great deal to thequality of information provided on the Web by researching, implementing and exemplarisingnew and effective strategies of communication for this medium and thus contribute to a senseof order amongst ...’what might otherwise be a cacophony of utterances’ (Margolin, 1994,p.67). According to Timothy Leary (1990), ..’today’s human interface designers are about tounleash equally undreamed of changes in the consciousness of people all over the world bygiving them a tool for expanding their minds’ (Leary in Laurel, p.229).Accordingly, rather than sitting on the side lines, design should become one of the contributingand influencing factors of this exciting environment, which, undoubtedly, will shape futuregenerations . ...’For it is only at the initial stages that the designer has any chance of affectingthe ideologies that are to be propagated by the production line’... (Richardson, 1993, p.67).Thus the time to act is now.Potentials of the WebSummarily, these are the opportunities the Web represents for design:> By taking up the potentials of the Web for design, we have the opportunity to be the firstprofession to create a discipline-wide resource that would not only be of benefit to design itselfbut also serve to make design more visible to others. This resource need not be limited toAustralia.> Through an on-line collaboration between industry and academia constant communicationcould be facilitated and thus a discrepancy in perceptions and purpose avoided.> A collaboration on the design curriculum by a diversity of educational institutions couldcreate a much richer range of subjects for design education which would include bothskillsfocused and more reflective or research-oriented subjects. Through its mode of delivery, thiseducation would encourage team work as well as independent thinking and enable designersto keep up-to-date beyond graduation.> Finally, an active and creative involvement of design on the World Wide Web could serve tomake this environment a more user-friendly and qualitative one and at the same time enhancethe visibility of design as an important cultural influence and expression.The ChallengeWhether we consider the Web as a new platform to enhance design or whether we see designas a means to enhance the Web, the challenge lies with perceiving its potential and making thenecessary connections. What it takes is the capacity to reflect, the willingness and ability tocommunicate and the skills to act. As designers, we should have these.76

ReferencesKarin SchlegelBarthes, Roland (1988). ‘Death of the Author’. In Heath, Steven ed. Image, Music Text. NewYork: Noonday Press.Bonsiepe, Gui (1994). ‘A Step Towards the Reinvention of Graphic Design’. Design Issues,Volume 10, Number 1, Spring 1994, pages 47-52.De Bono, Edward (1990). Lateral thinking: creativity step by step. New York: Harper and Rowe.December, John and Randall, Neil (1995). The World Wide Web Unleashed. Indianapolis:sams.net.Dixon, Michael (1996). ‘Design education - a view from the edge’. Designews, January 1996.The Design Institute of Australia.Freeman, Desmond (1995). ‘Late Twentieth Century Design Education in Australia. Observationsand Proposals for Change’. Designews, January 1996. The Design Institute of Australia.Leary, Timothy (1990). ‘The Interpersonal, Interactive, Interdimensional Interface’ in Laurel,Brenda ed. (1990). The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design. New York: Addison Wesley.Margolin, Victor (1994). ‘The age of communication: a challenge to designers’. Design Issues,volume 10, number 1, pages 65-70.Newman, Ron (1996). ‘A response to the <strong>National</strong> Design Review on Design Education’.Designews, January 1996. The Design Institute of Australia.Press, Mike (1995). ‘It’s Research, Jim...’. Paper for the European Academy of Design Interfaces<strong>Conference</strong>, April, 1995.Richardson, Adam (1993). ‘The Death of the Designer’. Design Issues, volume 19, number 2,pages 34-43.Schon, Donald A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. NewYork: Basic Books.Smith, Tony (1995). ‘Why the Web’. Preliminary report of research. Seven Hills, NSW: PICA Pty.Ltd.77

Vesna PopovicProduct design education and knowledge baseVesna Popovic is anAssociate Professorin Industrial designat the QueenslandUniversity ofTechnology whereshe is responsible forthe development ofthe Industrial designdiscipline. She hasworked as anindustrial designerand ergonomicconsultant. Vesna’swork has beenpublished indifferent journalsand conferenceproceedings and sheis the recipient ofseveral distinguisheddesign awards. Herresearch interest is inarea of designresearch, designtheory and humanfactors and appliedergonomics. She is aFellow of the DesignInstitute of Australia.AbstractThe paper examines the product design knowledge base emerging from design research and itsrelation to educational curriculum and practice. It also discusses its implementation throughoutthe educational and commercial design environment.Technological, social and business changes that are occurring indicated that more research andin depth design is needed in order to achieve required goals.This paper emphasises the importance of domain specific design knowledge in order to supportdesign activity as a discipline in its own right.IntroductionTo succeed a product or system must provide satisfactory interaction with its user/customer onboth a functional and a cultural level. Manufacturing companies are competing on national andinternational levels to achieve a competitive edge in the market. This creates demand for fasterproduct development and production. Quality is the key word for product/system or businesssuccess. Product quality refers to the performance, overall design and interface design of theproduct/system, the manufacturing process and the product life cycle. This means that betterdesign developed in detail and based on applied research during the design and developmentprocess plays a significant role in the competitiveness of a company. This demonstrates theincreasing importance of the role of design both for economic competitiveness and forimprovement of the quality of life and work.In order to discuss the product design education and knowledge base one has to refer to thechanges that are effecting product design. They are demonstrated through global changes inmanufacturing. Rapid development of Advanced manufacturing systems and concurrentproduct design are changing the traditional design process. Application of computer-aidedindustrial design (CAID) is present at all levels. The traditional role of the designer and clientinteraction is changing into a more complex one. This also means that in depth research isneeded in order to design better and more valuable products/systems that will respond tocontemporary demands. Therefore, this will require designers to apply more sophisticatedknowledge in order to respond to market demands.BackgroundThe study of design process and problem solving covered different areas of design (softwaredesigners, engineers, architects, product, graphic and interior designers) applying protocolanalysis, interviews, observations and other appropriate methods. In many cases designersexplain their working process as intuitive, holistic, common sense or creative. In many situationsthe findings are toward the solution - focused approach. It seems that experts develop designsfirst and analyse the problem second. One of the examples is the study by UK Building ResearchEstablishment (Pratt, 1984) which concludes:781 Designers seldom work up alternate concepts. They tend to stick with their initial idea,modifying it only as constrains demand.2 Designers do not follow - and are unlikely to find acceptable - any rigid or innovativesequence of design decisions.3 Designers seem to make little attempt to record or even to get feedback from theircompleted buildings. They therefore tend not to complete their ‘learning loop’ in their designexperience.

4 Designers prefer calling up their own or others’ past experience of similar jobs, to usingpublished information. But they do not keep records, graphic ... of decisions taken as designprogresses...Vesna PopovicDesign is a prediction concerned with how things ought to be. It is aimed at changing anexisting situation into a preferred one. The designers attempt to predict the behaviour of aproduct and its users using their knowledge and expertise. To solve the problem the human hasto understand it. To achieve this designers have to understand what is the knowledge structuredomain that humans have regarding products/systems and their contextual environment.However, designers still operate in their traditional role (that is professional-client relations). Thedesigners receive the client’s brief in which needs and wants are specified and design a productoutside of its contextual environment by predicting the behaviour of a product and its users onthe basis of their knowledge as experts or from personal experience. The outcome of this areproducts/systems that do not respond to user’s expectations. This calls for the revision of theclient - designer relationship. This is very appropriate to consider as the Australianmanufacturing infrastructure consists of small businesses. QUT Product design educationincorporates this into its curriculum. The graduates are educated to work and create theirmarket niches within a small manufacturing environment.The diversity of Australian and Pacific Rim manufacturing bases ranges from multinationalcorporations to small businesses. This diversification of the region is providing challenges andopportunities for the development of a product design knowledge base that will emphasise thecommonality and diversity that exist in order to satisfy local, national and international needs.Domain KnowledgeKnowledge is of the major importance for the understanding of problem solving. The usersconcept about the product is supported by the view that problem solving depends on theirknowledge in a particular domain - domain specific knowledge. Domain specific knowledge isunderstood to be knowledge in the particular area of expertise. Many studies in domain specificknowledge exist. They are in well -structured problem domains such as physics andmathematics (Larkin at a11,1980; Chi, Felltovich, Glaser, 1981) and ill -structured domains asdesign (Cristiaans,1992 ; Venselaar,1987). All these studies show that detailed specificknowledge is necessary to solve problems successfully. A certain amount of domain knowledgeis necessary for utilisation of strategic knowledge to a domain task. This means that before thelearners apply strategic knowledge to the domain task they must posses some relevantknowledge to that domain (Smith and Good, 1984). Factual information in the knowledge baseis often accompanied by heuristic rules which provide advice about when and how to use theparticular information.It is stated that without the body of content knowledge the existence of domain - specificknowledge is unlikely. Smith and Good (1984) discussed that a certain body of relevantknowledge is a prerequisite to complete the task. All additional knowledge will increase theefficiency of completion of problem solving. The work done by Chi, Feltovich and Glaser (1981);Larkin, McDermont, Simon and Simon, (1980) ; deKleer, (1977) (physics) has shown thateffective problem solving depends very much on the content and structure of knowledge aboutthe particular domain. Alexander and Judy, (1988) overviewed some characteristics of theinteraction of domain-specific and strategic knowledge . They also suggested that a foundationof domain-specific knowledge seems to be a prerequisite for the efficient and effectiveutilisation of strategic knowledge. For the purpose of this paper the definition of knowledge byAlexander and Judy, 1988 is used.Generally accepted classification of domain specific knowledge consists of the following:1 Declarative knowledge refers to factual information - knowing what.2 Procedural knowledge refers to the compilation of declarative knowledge into functional units-chunks that incorporate domain specific strategies - knowing how.79

Vesna Popovic3 Conditional (Situational) knowledge refers to understanding where and when to accessparticular facts or employ particular procedures.4 Strategic knowledge refers to knowledge or processes and strategies that are used duringacquisition or utilisation of knowledge.Product Design Education and Research and Design KnowledgeDesign research emerged from design methods. In the last two decade’s efforts have beenmade to study design and its nature in the area of design methods. In the late 1970s ‘DesignMethodology’ had evolved into ‘Design Research’ (Archer, 1979). There are a lot of differentstudies of design that are attempting to understand how designers work. They range frominterviews with designers to experimental studies of protocol analysis (Cross at all, 1996),studies of expertise for knowledge based systems (Chi at all, 1988; Ericsson and Smith, 1991)and theories of design abilities. During the last ten years a reasonable amount of research intothe study of design activity was done. It justifies that design ability should be regarded as adistinctive form of intelligence and design should be seen as a discipline in its own right (Cross,1995).Cross (1995) summarised that designers do the following : (a) produce novel solutions, (b) workwith information that is not complete, (c) use drawings and other media as part of problemsolving and (d) apply imagination to problem solving. However, for a designer to derive anysolution knowledge of strategies, domain specific knowledge and general process knowledgeare required (Christiaans, 1992). The design activity is seen to be a special case of problemsolving process. It is an ill-defined activity and differs from well -defined problem solving asfollows:> the solution of well-defined activity can be represented by algorithms> the solution of ill-defined activity as design is numerousDesigning asked for generating ideas which lead to a new understanding (Greeno, 1978) . Thedifference from ill-defined to well-defined problem is that a different knowledge is needed inorder to provide a structure for ill-defined problem in order to reduce uncertainty and reach anappropriate design solution. According to Michell (1985) this encompasses : (a) knowledge ofimplementation methods for generating possible solutions; and (b) control knowledge forguiding the search for satisfactory design. It involves knowledge of monitoring and evaluationof one’s own design process.Simon (1973) identified that ill - structured tasks utilise domain specific knowledge andknowledge for organising the overall solution process. This means that designers should haveknowledge strategies to execute the tasks and monitor the design process.Categorisation of design knowledge based on Venselaar (1987) distinguishes the followingcomponents:1 Domain - specific basic knowledge in design (knowledge of contextual environment,knowledge about the human users , materials, etc)2 Domain - specific design knowledge (knowledge of design discipline itself - product design,that is related to problem solving and how this knowledge should be applied).3 General process knowledge (monitoring evaluation of design process).In summary, design knowledge incorporates basic knowledge and general process knowledge.Generally accepted knowledge categories and design knowledge categorisation interact as theyare used by designers during the design process. Design educators should be aware of thisinteraction in order to be able to disseminate relevant knowledge through the curriculum.80

Cultural, economic, political , technological, and lifestyle changes are influencing how weeducate and what we teach. The demand for more complex domain knowledge is evident andis required to be specified. This should take place during continuous curriculum reviews.Vesna PopovicThe product design knowledge base should satisfy contemporary changes and demands formore complex design tasks. The following is suggested framework:Undergraduate ProgramsProduct design specific knowledge with relevance to:> inventiveness and imagination> product design theory> design process> design methodologiesProduct design specific basic knowledge with relevance to:> contextual environment> material> human factors> science> business> technology> artGeneral process knowledge with relevance to:> strategies of knowledge integration> strategies to adapt knowledge to rapid changes> evaluation and monitoring strategiesPostgraduate ProgramsPostgraduate programs are seen as vehicles for the development of the product designknowledge base to be used in educational curriculum and applied to industry and communityresearch projects. This will allow different educational institutions to develop their own expertisein particular areas. The research is implemented through the following:> Masters programs> PhD programs> Specialised research for industry and communityQueensland University of Technology Product Design ProgramThe Queensland University of Technology Industrial Design Program is developing domain -specific knowledge base for product design. The research program is specialised to the disciplineand individual staff strengths. This will help to create the body of knowledge to be used inindustry and what is taught in the undergraduate program in the future. Therefore, the researchcomponent is the basic core around which QUT Industrial design educational curriculum iscentred. There are two types of research identified: (a) research into the nature of the designactivity and (b) applied design research. Their main directions are identified as follows:> product design> design for medical help> design for wildlife and animal husbandry> design for disability> design for the aged> design for rescue and relief> user - product interface design> computer aided industrial design (CAID)81

Vesna Popovic> applied human factors/ergonomics research> design thinking and design processParallel to the above postgraduate and undergraduate courses in industrial design wereevaluated using nominal group techniques and the analysis of survey data. Two major aspectswere evaluated - preparation for professional work and internationalisation of the discipline.In the current investigation, twenty participants (graduates of the course) were represented. Nosampling process was used. However, the participants came from a wide range of situations inthe field of industrial design in Brisbane and as such, could be regarded as providing a broadrepresentation of the industrial design field in the city. Because of the large number, theparticipants were grouped into smaller units to generate and discuss issues. The three broadfocus questions posed to the participants were:1 (a) The way in which the course prepared you for professional practice - what was helpful?1 (b) The way in which the course prepared you for professional practice - what would youchange?2 (a) The way in which the course prepared you to understand and deal with the implications ofinternationalisation for your work - what was helpful?2 (b) The way in which the course prepared you to understand and deal with the implications ofinternationalisation for your work - what would you change?3 What are the future directions in industrial design? - (degree to which you perceiveQueensland manufacturers as potential employers or users of design services).The nominal group session produced a number of informative insights into industrial designeducation as perceived by graduates. Their industrial experience has also allowed them topredict some changes that may occur in the profession. These predictions provide valuableinformation for Industrial Design educators and in a number of cases support the existingdirection.The general view of the respondents was that the course in industrial design developed in thema professional attitude by:> exposing them to real world situations;> providing them with breadth and diversity in design education which enables them todevelop appropriateness of body of knowledge and problem solving skills;> experience in communicating ideas in a number of ways;> exposure to CAD and other technologies;> developing a knowledge of monitoring design process.The most informative section of the evaluation was the student focus on future trends. Theissues raised in this section present useful discussion points in considering any curriculuminitiatives, particularly the emergence of changes within the Queensland industrial design sceneand the possibilities in the international field.In addition to the recognition that designers must understand cultural issues and work withcolleagues from other countries and cultures, there is a strong message that the marketing ofindustrial design products and the marketing of the advantages of industrial design itself is anecessary step to providing employment for increasing numbers of graduates from the course.In particular, employment prospects are seen to be enhanced by:82> better market awareness of the advantages of industrial design;> more emphasis on overseas markets;> increasing entrepreneurial role of industrial designers;> proactive designers who promote the profession (in particular to small manufacturers).

The second step of this evaluation encompasses survey of graduates and their employers. Theexpected outcome is the information about current and expected product design knowledgebase that will support curriculum development.Vesna PopovicConclusionGlobal changes are influencing product design education and design education in general andinternationalisation of the curriculum. Australian and regional diversity are creating thechallenge to educational institutions to develop an innovative product design knowledge base.Its foundation is on the existing communality and diversity in order to achieve balance of local,national and international needs.The studies of human expertise (Chi at all 1988; Ericsson and Smith, 1991), design (Christiaans,1992) and creativity (Gardiner, 1993) has demonstrated that domain knowledge plays asignificant part in achieving excellence in a particular field. It justifies that domain knowledgeand experience plays a significant role in achieving an exceptional level of design ability.There is enough supporting evidence to view product design as a discipline in its own right.However, design is seen to be an interdisciplinary field. This means that it will always depend onother fields of study (Cross, 1995) from which it will generate knowledge. If this remains thendesign disciplines will never be recognised as disciplines in their own right. Therefore, it isessential that design education, product design in particular, starts identifying domain - specificdesign knowledge base to be implemented in educational curriculum and applied in practice.ReferencesAlexander, P A and Judy, J E (1988) ‘The Interaction of Domain-specific Knowledge in AcademicPerformance, Review of Educational Research, Vol. 4 , pages 375 - 404.Archer, B (1979) ‘Design as Discipline ‘, Design Studies , Vol 1, No 1, pages 17 - 20.Chi, M.T.H. ,Glaser, R. and Farr, M. (Eds), 1988, The nature of expertise , Lawrence Earlbaum,Hillsdale, NJ.Chi, M.T.H., Felltovich, P. J. and Glaser, R., 1981, Categorisation and representation of physicsproblems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science 5, 121 - 152.Christiaans, H (1992) ‘Creativity in Design, The Role of Domain Knowledge in Designing’,LEMMA, Utreht.Christiaans, H and Dorst, K (1992) ‘An Empirical Study into Design Thinking’, in: Research inDesign Thinking, Cross, N, Dorst, K and Roozenburg, N (eds), Delft University Press, Delft, pages119 -125.Christiaans, H and Venselaar, K (1992) ‘Practical Implications of a Knowledge-based DesignApproach’, in: Research in Design Thinking, Cross, N, Dorst, K. and Roozenburg, N. (eds), DelftUniversity Press, Delft, pages 111 -118.Cross, N (1995) ‘Discovering Design Activity’, in : Discovering Design, Buchanan, R. andMargolin,V (eds.) , The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pages 105 -120.Cross, N, Christiaans, H and Dorst, K (1996) ‘Analysing Design Activity’, Willey, ChichesterdeKleer, J (1977) ‘Multiple representation of knowledge in a mechanics problem solver’ . InProceedings of the 5th International Joint <strong>Conference</strong> on Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge, MA,pages 299 - 304.83

Vesna PopovicEricsson , K A and Smith J (1991) ‘Prospects and limits of the empirical study of expertise: anintroduction’, In Ericsson, K.A and Smith , J. (Eds.) Toward a general theory of expertise,Cambridge University Press, New York , pages 1 - 38.Gardiner, H (1993) ‘Multiple Intelligence’ , Basic Books, New York.Gardiner (1993) ‘ Creating minds ‘ , Basic Books, New York.Greeno, J G (1978) ‘Nature of Problem Solving Abilities’, in: Handbook of Learning andCognitive Processes, vol 5: Human Information Processing , NJ:Earlbaum , Hillsdale, pages 239 -269.Larkin, J, McDermont, J, Simon, D P, and Simon, H A(1980), ‘Expert and novice performance insolving physical problems’. Science, 208, pages 1335 -1342.Michell , T M et al (1985) ‘ A Knowledge-based Approach to Design’ IEEE Transactions onPattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol.PAMI-7, pages 502 -510.Pratt, H (1984) ‘Case Studies in Design decision Making ‘, in : Design Theory and PracticeLangdon, R and Purcess P A (Eds.) The Design Council, London, pages 65 - 69.Simon, H A (1973) ‘ The Structure of III - structured Problems ‘, Artificial Intelligence , 4 pages181-201.Smith,M U and Good, R, (1984) ‘Problem solving and classical genetics: successful versusunsuccessful performance ‘, Journal in research in science teaching, 21, pages 895-912.Venselaar, K et all, (1987), The Knowledge Base of the Designer., in: Regulations of Learning,Simons P and Beukhof , G (eds) ,SVO,Haag , pages 121-134.84

Industrial Design - A management tool and educational challengeEdward KayserThis paper outlines the industrial design role in industry and its increasing importance as amanagement tool. Reference is made to the profession’s educational roots in Australia and thecontribution from the TAFE sector. The advancement of materials and manufacturingtechnologies and the introduction of computerised systems is bringing focus to bear ontechnical aspects of industrial design training, resulting in the introduction of engineeringcontent into courses here and overseas. Industry acceptance of graduates from the MonashUniversity course further substantiates initiatives introduced at Caulfield in 1989, whichpresented an alternative to existing industrial design courses conducted in Victoria.IntroductionIn management terms, the key objective of industrial design is to contribute to growth andprofitability of a business by design. The influence of technology and the realisation thatindustrial design plays a significant role in manufacturing industry, is bringing change to bearon course content and emphasis in higher education. Industry can therefore reasonably expectthe designer to be able to deliver a cost effective, commercially viable design outcome,specifically engineered to suit the needs of a particular market.The Professional ChallengeThroughout my career as a practising industrial designer, designing for quite different marketsand manufacturing capabilities, the fundamental fact emerges; the more familiar the designer iswith the potential (and limitations) of materials and production process, the more successful thedesign outcome will be for the purpose intended.Designing for production is primarily an interpretative activity. The product design specificationoutlines company marketing objectives and consumer needs. The designer interprets theseneeds within the terms of reference of the company’s manufacturing capabilities. Howsuccessfully this is done, depends upon professional skills which have been learned as a student,and upon experience as a design practitioner.By its very nature, industrial design can become one of the most disciplined and focusedoccupations of the applied arts. To design at all, considerable skill is involved, which may comeinitially from an educated awareness, but mostly from an insight into the order of things; or anunderstanding of appropriateness of application, which is evidenced in the outcome.With respect to process limitations, the industrial designer learns to discipline his or hercreativity and design within the scope of the process. It is only through the means of productionthat the design becomes a reality, and its value to the company marketing programmeidentified through sales.The educational challenge is therefore to equip the student of industrial design with the meanswhereby he or she can contribute within the company management structure.According to Norman Potter (an authority on design in the UK), ‘the most cursory study of theevents that configure the design process will reveal that effective communication is of theirnature. An experienced designer will call upon his experience, but will still find it useful to askhimself certain questions as he prepares a drawing, writes a letter, or considers the scale andpurpose of a model’.(1)Edward Kayser isDeputy Director,Centre for IndustrialDesign, MonashUniversity College ofArt and Design. Hewas appointedfoundation seniorlecturer for theBachelor ofTechnology IndustrialDesign) degreecourse in 1989 atthe then ChisholmInstitute ofTechnology, and haslectured widelylocally and overseason design forproduction in metalsand plastics.He practises inMelbourne and hasmanaged designdepartments formajor companies inSydney and Brisbane.Initial workexperience wasgained in London.He holdsqualifications inindustrial designengineering from theRoyal College of Artand also studied atthe Royal MelbourneInstitute ofTechnology. He is aFellow of theChartered Society ofDesigners (UK) and isa past Fellow andMember of theVictorian Chapter ofthe <strong>DIA</strong>.During the execution of developing a product design, those questions Potter refers to could wellbe the techniques of value analysis and value engineering, a methodology introduced in85

Edward Kayserthe ‘sixties, which seeks to achieve best possible outcome in the interests of material selection,production technique, and product attributes for the market intended. Potter further states: ‘itbecomes clear that the designer communicates with himself - he exteriorises his own thinking indrawings or, say in using a report to think with - and with his colleagues in ways that may behighly personal. Yet will assume recognisable conventions to the extent that some externalresponse, or feed back, is called for. As the work moves away from him, so must his chosenmeans become precise and his instructions as a contractor entirely free of ambiguity’.The indicative issue, to instruct others, is one of communication; of correctly specifying forproduction, by means of engineering detail drawings. In the age of computer aided design, thisprocedure (using the engineering drawing as the key communication means) has become moreparticular, more exacting. The use of sophisticated CAD systems in industry has moved theindustrial design interaction directly into the main stream of the production cycle, closer thanwas the case previously. A consequence of this is the need to ensure that undergraduates havetuition focused on techniques of design for manufacture, as a primary requirement, and ofmanagement skills, business training and marketing as supporting disciplines.It should be clearly appreciated that industrial design consultants can be held accountable atlaw for a proper execution of their professional skills. Many areas of product development aresubject to stringent standards to protect the public interest. There is a code of professionalconduct established through the <strong>DIA</strong>. On a number of occasions I have been in court as anexpert witness, and engineering drawings of product designs have been tabled for examinationas evidence in design plagiarism cases.It follows, therefore, that for industrial design training, a significant responsibility rests at thepoint of tuition, as industry has clearly identified the industrial design role as a managementtool. In the sphere of design education, models of the design process have become the basis ofscholarly enquiry on the one hand, (Bonollo, 1995) (2) and more recent inclusion of industrialdesign courses into the university curriculum, aligned in some cases with engineering courses toaddress technical training on the other, have moved the discipline into a different focus, awayperhaps from its traditional art school roots.I believe this to be an evolution, stemming from industry needs. Linking industrial design withengineering training is not new. The idea of the training of industrial design (engineering)students was initially discussed at a conference between industrialists and educationalists inLondon in 1959, organised by the Federation of British Industries.(3) Stemming from this, andat the present time, there are a number of “combined” courses at leading universities aroundthe world. In an attempt to introduce them into this country, Monash University has introduceda combined degree, three years engineering with two years of industrial design coursework, toprovide a Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Technology (Industrial Design) qualification. Theresponse to this has been very positive, and the calibre of candidates applying from here (andabroad) exhibit extremely high tertiary scores.There is also a more general view of the role of the professional designer. This stems from pastcourse arrangements, where the first two years of a four year diploma course were of commonissue resulting in a Certificate of Art, followed by a further two years of specialisation in aparticular field of the applied arts.There is merit in subjects being taught across disciplines, to provide a general, rather thanspecific design education. This approach is not entirely suitable for the industrial designtechnologist seeking an opportunity in industry designing new products for competitivemarkets, but more for the creative individual working as an applied artist, with little interest insubjects of a technical or business management nature.86The contribution of the TAFE system for teaching of the design professions has always beencentred on basic skills training, and para professional diploma courses, leading to articulationwith the university degree system of education. TAFE colleges appear to be well equipped, in

particular Casey Institute in Dandenong, where the Centre of Polymer Technology is a multimillion dollar investment for the training of plastics industry personnel. The first course ininjection moulding tool design has been initiated there. Extensive use of the computer and CADdrafting is involved. This part time course extends over 410 hours, and is well attended.Edward KayserThe TAFE colleges are equipped primarily to support the needs of industry. Today in someinstances, e.g. at RMIT TAFE sector college, industrial design degree students from the highereducation sector can have indicative exposure to the non ferrous foundry school as well as theplastics polymer courses conducted there.The first industrial design course conducted in the country in the 1940s at the then RMTC,made wide use of facilities external to the Industrial Design Department. These included thefoundry and pattern shops, the machine shops, weldery, and the management school.Woodworking and cabinetry was taught in the furniture school; engineering drawing wastaught in the aeronautical engineering school.In the School of Art, clay modelling and plaster casting was conducted in the sculpturedepartment; object and life drawing in the fine art department; calligraphy and lettering in theadvertising design department; metalworking, spinning and joining for making prototypes wasconducted in the gold and silversmithing department. English expression, and photographictechniques were also included in this programme. The belief being that the student of industrialdesign had to experience first hand the working of materials, somewhat like the Bauhausideology. Student contact hours were high, to 31 hours/week, and the classes were small bypresent day standards. The accent was on studio and workshop type tuition, quite different andmore costly when compared with the current approach.In New South Wales, in the Randwick College of TAFE, the Diploma course in Industrial Designwas set up in 1972, and this programme had the then production engineering certificate as abasis for the 4 year course. Entry requirements were at the matriculation level. The workshopwas well equipped with machine tools, and first class drafting facilities were provided for seniorstudents. These facilities provided by TAFE were considered at that time the best in the country.A strong interface with the professional body ensured that subjects such as product designanalysis, and professional practice were taught. Class student contact hours were 28 hours/week.The above two courses are quite different from the current Monash University Bachelor ofTechnology (Industrial Design) degree programme, as there is a different emphasis in bothcases. The RMIT course then, as now, stressed a strong creative emphasis, with appreciation ofartistic form as the key to design. The Randwick course was tilted towards issue of productmanufacture, and nearly all subjects were handled within the ID department, with the exceptionof life drawing. The Monash course seeks to address the direct needs of industry, with atechnical bias, and recognises the fact that industrial design contributes as a part of companymanagement structure. The Monash course is now offering an Honours year, and members ofstaff are also undertaking higher degrees in the discipline.The move into the university environment has resulted in a more academic approach ratherthan the former ‘hands on, one on one tuition,’ courses of the TAFE system, which are costly atuniversity level. Students are encouraged to self motivate and learn by researching. There is stillthe requirement for design studio activity, but the subject content of the course differs frompast-practice. The interface with the engineering departments at Clayton, both for academiccommitments and product development work related directly with research programmes,exposes the staff to a completely different culture.At the Royal College of Art, in the School of Industrial Design (Engineering), in the 1960s thethen four year programme employed staff to construct the student design project prototypes.The importance of correct technical drawings, documented for producing the design was87

Edward Kayserstressed. To ensure a high standard of work, there was only one attempt granted for gainingthe academic award. Currently that college offers post graduate awards only, with two streamsof industrial design training; one in industrial design engineering, in conjunction with theImperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.The certificate of art and design courses offered by a number of local TAFE colleges in theMelbourne area certainly equip industrial design candidates with well documented folios, butfolio skills are not the only criteria which the student of industrial design needs for universityentrance, at least at Monash.A good level pass in mathematics, as well as English and preferably physics is needed. Ofparticular concern (to me), is evidence of a lack of skills in English expression, and a lack ofpurpose of scholarship, although textbooks are purchased and available for the different levelsof the programme, it is often necessary to insist that they are bought. Perhaps in a perfect worldall students, not just a select number, would demonstrate scholarship.On this point the most studious candidates, and the most technically successful, are usuallythose coming into the programme who already have prior learning in an engineering discipline,often from overseas. It is frequently the case that these graduates obtain quite responsiblepositions in international companies. At Monash, we keep a record of where the graduates areemployed. The employment rate from this course is encouraging. The following breakdownshows the areas of design engagement, and overall employment spread up to the end of 1995,since the introduction of the course in June, 1989.Monash University, Bachelor of Technology (Industrial Design) Degree Employment details sinceinception.Vehicle Manufacturing and Automotive Design Studios 14Industrial Design Consultants 17Architectural and Interior Design Consultants 6Computer Animation 3Manufacturing: Appliance and Equipment Design 5Manufacturing: Housewares and Furniture Design 6Manufacturing Support: Tooling, Product Development 12Electronics Industry, Telecommunications 7Hardware Products Manufacturers 4Recreational Equipment, Playgrounds and Toy Design 2Sporting Goods Manufacturers 2Custom Plastic Moulders, Glass Container Design 4Rural Equipment Manufacturers 1Exhibition, Display Design and Point of Sale Merchandising 16Retail Store Design, Shopfitting 2Desk top Publishing 6Graphic Design, Advertising and Packaging Design 7Design Education 3Design Related = 117 (70%)Other employment- Retail, Sales, Catering, etc 34Overall Employed = 151 (90%)Further studies 8Unemployed, Travelling 8Total number of graduates 16788The above figures are the latest available, and this suggests that the programme is meeting withacceptance here and overseas. Included in the above are figures for 21 overseas full fee payingstudents, 18 of whom are employed with a higher percentage in the design related area (76%).

The employment overseas is often with multinational companies, eg. Nissan, Europe; Opel,Germany; 3M, Indonesia; Singapore Automotive Engineering; Bell and Order, Malaysia;International Design Network, Korea; Bandai Tool Co. Japan. etc.Edward KayserThe current Monash University three year industrial design course is presently under review.There is a strong possibility that a fourth year will become established in other than the presentHonours year part time arrangement, which is difficult to maintain due to the fact thatgraduates are in employment, and cannot afford day time attendance for class activities. Feesare high. Unless the candidate feels he or she can deliver a quality outcome, they prefer to defercore subjects requiring project work.Recently, computing facilities for CAD and ALIAS silicon graphics systems were upgraded atCaulfield, and it is mandatory at Monash that final year students deliver their work by thesemeans, as there is the perception that industry expects CAD literacy, particularly with respect topart design detailing and documentation for production.The studio facilities at Caulfield are currently under review; the modelling laboratory wasimproved with additional equipment and extended in 1995, to comply with recent OHSrequirements. As a direct comparison, the industrial design department metalworking facilitiesoffered through the TAFE system at Randwick in 1972 were better although not as well staffed.It is fair comment that good technicians make a profound difference to the quality of studentproject work. Basic training in machine shop procedures is considered important for industrialdesign undergraduates. With applicants admitted into the university programme with hightertiary scores and appropriate drawing folios coming from secondary schools other thantechnical colleges, there is often no familiarity with workshop machinery and practice. Studentsfrom other engineering disciplines show a distinct advantage in the execution of prototypes andmodels, revealing prior knowledge and an inherent degree of mechanical aptitude. This samemeasure of understanding is exhibited in tutorials when complicated tooling drawings areunder class discussion. The undergraduate industrial designer must become familiar with termsof manufacture and inherent limitations, as well as material properties, if he or she is tocontribute meaningfully within the profession in industry. At university level, curriculum contentand the calibre of teaching staff determines the learning outcome.This therefore suggests that the incoming industrial design student may be advantaged fromreceiving basic skills training prior to the commencement of the university degree, or that thisequivalent training is offered within the university programme.There is also the premise that engineering students may not possess good folio skills, (drawingability) or exhibit creative design potential, in an artistic sense. This is a matter of opinion, butthe fact remains that Monash medical students attending drawing classes at Caulfield achievevery good results, but this may have something to do with high tertiary entrance scores anddisciplined learning abilities. In this computer era, the use of silicon graphics systems replacesthe lack of skills in this area. My personal view is that gifted drawing skills are essential todesign. At Monash, we conduct quite successful short courses in techniques of productillustration. This enhances the level of folio presentation of those students seeking entry into thecourse who have degrees in engineering or town planning etc. As mentioned above manycandidates use the TAFE college TOP courses to improve design and presentation skills. Weoften recommend such courses to applicants and frequently it is found that this results in amost significant improvement.ConclusionsFrom the above it can be concluded that an ongoing contribution from the TAFE sector can bebeneficial for some students of design and particularly in those areas not serviced through lackof facilities at university level.89

Edward KayserThe ready acceptance by industry of students from the Monash University Bachelor ofTechnology (Industrial Design) degree, substantiates including the perceived technical biasoffered in the programme. The high calibre of candidate entering the five year double degreeprogramme conducted with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Clayton, furtherjustifies the move towards technology, and finally the introduction of CAD CAM has broughtindustrial designing more directly into the manufacturing sector, resulting in the need to equipstudents more directly for the needs of industry. I believe industrial design to be a managementtool, and that there is potential to develop the profession further within the university educationsystem.References1 Potter, N. (1969) ‘What is a designer: education and practice’, Studio Vista/Nan NostrandReinhold, pages 71-752 Bonollo, L (1995) ‘Incorporating the Power of Industrial Design in Business’ AIC<strong>Conference</strong>s P/L, Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering, Sydney 12-13 October, 1995,3 Federation of British Industries, (1959). ‘The Training of Industrial Designers (Engineering)’A Report of a One Day <strong>Conference</strong> between Industrialists and Educationalists, London, May1959.90

Seminar Topic CResearch and continuing professional developmentChair: Marina Lommerse91

Alun PriceDesigners and clients: some research outcomesAlun Price ispresently Head ofthe School of Designat Curtin Universityand is also a StateCouncil Member ofthe <strong>DIA</strong>.Brought up inSwansea, SouthWales, he originallytrained as a fineartist in an appliedarts course called‘Fine Art inArchitecture’ at theSwansea College ofArt.This has lead to acontinuingeducational pathwhich has beengreatly assisted byworking at auniversity. The pathso far has lead froma vocational coursein Applied Art to aDiploma inPhotography, a BA inDesign, an HonoursDegree inCommunicationStudies at Murdoch,a Masters Degree inLiterature andCommunication atMurdoch andcurrently researchingfor a PhD in theHistory andSociology of Designin Western Australia.IntroductionThere has been considerable concern expressed in Australia over a long period about the level ofdesign use, and even awareness, in Australian industry. Similarly at the international levelcommentators on the design industry have expressed anxieties about the recognition and useby industry of professional design expertise. Despite this, there has been little empiricalinvestigation of industry’s views of design, managers’ impressions of their design experiences orthe value of outcomes when professional design is used.This paper introduces two investigations into the connections between designers and theirclientele. The first project, a small-scale pilot study, examined a group of Western Australianbased industry executives’ views about a variety of design aspects (Price & Seares 1995). Thesecond is an investigation into the micro level of client/ designer interaction.These studies are part of a long term project to inform the design industry about what it does,how it does it, how the doing is received and how we could do it better.Design Innovation in AustraliaIn Australia, design is normally promoted through examples of ‘good design’ and ‘bestpractice’, in the hope that these examples will lead to design becoming a part of normalindustry activity. It is the hope that this evidence of good design will lead to the innovation ofdesign within industry. There is no hard evidence to show that this is the case.However, the problem for design, and professional designers, may not be in the acceptance ofthe process, or the ends of design, but in the problems experienced by industry in accepting thepeculiar and creative nature of design and designers behaviour. (Brearley 1975).Designers and not design may be at the heart of the problem of design usage. Perhapscontemporary research should be more ‘demand’ oriented rather than focused on supply.But design is not alone in this situation of professional acceptance by industry. Similardifferences or dichotomies have been found in studies into other organisational/expertisedichotomies - for instance the acceptance of the market researcher’s results by the marketingmanager. Are there lessons in these other areas that designers can examine for solutions to theenhanced acceptance and usage of professional design? We believe so, and these provided thebasis for our research approach.The Concept of ‘Use’ in InnovationThe enhancement of the role of professional designer use may be looked at as an issue ofinnovation for industry. In particular we believe the use of professional design to be akin to theinnovation of pertinent knowledge by industry. Fortunately there is a wealth of information andresearch on innovation theory and practise for us to draw on.92Glaser (1983) suggested criteria that describe ‘knowledge’ as a resource. He describes‘knowledge’ as:> Facts, truths or principles associated with an applied subject, a branch of learning orprofessional practise.> Information or understanding based on validated, broadly convergent thinking.> Reliably identified exemplary practice, including unusual know-how.> An item of personal information, tested and validated.> Findings of validated research.

These criteria are compatible with design, suggesting design offers the potential for a usefulknowledge base. Recognition of this peculiar knowledge base is perhaps necessary for theinnovation of professional design and designer use.Alun PriceHowever it occurred to us in our consideration of the problem of designer usage, that this doesnot assure on-going support for design as it is conceivable that an organisation’s ‘first use’ maybe its only use.It is reuse that is important to the professional designer and the economy. This will indicate trueinnovation. We hypothesised that the innovation of designer use is likely to be decided byclients’ satisfaction with the design process and the outcomes of this process, as well as thewillingness of potential long-term users to accept design as an innovation.The perceived speculative, creative and intangible nature of design is the antithesis of theculture of management thinking within industry, which seeks, in general, to reduce the riskinherent in these qualities. Real innovation is in fact affected by external factors anduncontrollable dynamics. Therefore serendipity and luck play a role in some successfuloutcomes. This serendipitous factor may also be an element in the successful outcomes ofdesign as the visual interpretation and execution of introspective and intangible design ideascan be difficult. It was necessary for us to consider the difficulty that industry has in acceptingthe culture of design and to acknowledge the ‘two communities’ of thought that exist betweendesigners (as divergent thinkers) and industry (as, by and large, convergent thinkers).Within the literature on innovation the identification of sets of variables that explain anorganisation’s willingness to innovate has led to the development of several lists. One widelyused list is Davis and Salasin’s (1979) A VICTORY set. This set assesses an organisation’sreadiness to adopt a change, identifying those factors that affect adoption and that may needto be examined before attempting implementation. As we were concerned with the propensityof clients to innovate professional design we adapted and included this list in our research.Time does not permit the fuller expansion of the concepts of innovation as they apply to design.Suffice it to say that we feel there is some benefit in viewing designer usage by industry as theinnovation of a recognisable knowledge base - ie. an expertise.The present study attempted to test such issues by asking a sample of Western Australian designusers their views about their experiences of professional design.MethodologyThis study introduced the use of quantitative measures and analysis to the consideration of theproblems of design usage in industry in Australia. In this sense it was an objective andstatistically analytical assessment of the prevailing market attitudes of industry to design issues.The methodology of the study drew heavily on the work of various American marketingresearchers and theorists. The objective was to provide tangible and counter intuitive evidencefor the development of policy and training.The SampleThe research objective was to obtain a cross-section of manufacturing and service industriesthat could provide information about their experiences with professional designers. A databasewas developed, based on selected statistical groupings of manufacturing and service groupstaken from the Western Australian Department of Trade and Industry’s ‘Industry KnowledgeBase’ list. The database included the names of recipients of the <strong>National</strong> Industry ExtensionScheme’s design subsidy as these were known to have used professional designers. Not alldatabase members had necessarily used designers but the companies and organisationsincluded were from a broad spectrum of likely user organisations, ranging from lightmanufacturers to a variety of service industries.93

Alun PriceThe QuestionnaireThe questionnaire developed included eighty-one questions. Questionnaire content and designis published elsewhere (Price and Seares 1995).A covering letter asked executives dealing with design matters to make their assessments basedon their organisation’s last professional design activity. A total of 163 useable survey responseswere received, which was a 17 percent response rate. Feedback suggested some respondentorganisations had difficulty identifying who should answer the survey as design responsibilitywas not well-defined.Data AnalysisGeneral descriptive statistics were first estimated to provide an overview of the results.Subsequently, a series of exploratory factor analyses were undertaken to determine theinterrelationships between the items included in the various parts of the questionnaire. Thefactor analyses were used to find out if there were underlying dimensions in responses to theindividual questions used to measure design experiences and outcomes, design attitudes andorganisational structure.As will be seen in the results section, several dimensions were found, suggesting the presence ofmultidimensional constructs. Consequently, a cluster analysis was used to find if there weregroups of respondents with different views about their design experiences. The Howard andHarris (1966) clustering procedure was used for this purpose. The number of groups was variedbetween two and eight clusters and the point biserial correlation coefficient, suggested byMilligan and Mahajan (1980), was used to decide the appropriate number of groups in thedata.As cluster analysis identifies distinct groups, discriminant analysis can be used to examine thesegroups as group membership is a nominal variable (Klecka 1980). In particular, discriminantanalysis was used to examine differences in respondents’ design attitudes and differences inorganisational structure. Following suggestions by Johnson (1977) and Soutar and Clarke(1981), the groups were plotted as a multidimensional map.Results ObtainedThe design experience and design outcomesFourteen questions within the survey were related to design experiences and outcomes andthese questions were factor analysed to see if there were any underlying dimensions. Basedupon loadings suggested by this analysis Factor 1 was termed ‘organisational satisfaction withdesign’, Factor 2 was termed ‘design as a valued asset’, and Factor 3 was termed ‘designconviction’, as it was related to design commitment and potential future action. (Table2)The ‘organisational satisfaction’ results suggest a positive appreciation of the design experience,shown in high quality design, the creation of little organisational stress and a generalappreciation of the design experience. This factor is concerned with reflections on past resultsand is important in shaping the organisation’s future predisposition to design.Design appeared to be viewed as a ‘valued asset’. Respondents felt the success of the project towhich the design task related was enhanced by professional design and that designers played apart in the success obtained. This factor seems to relate to the tangible and practical returnsfrom design.94‘Design conviction’ can be described as a projection into the future (ie. a real commitment tothe future use of design and designers). This future-focused factor had the highest mean andone that was close to the neutral point on the five-point scales used. This suggests that, whilethere is a motivation to commit to design, there is equivocation about how specific, orrealisable, this commitment will be. There is some appreciation that design should be part of

future actions but respondents were not sure how willing they would be to commit resourcesto the future use of design. The significance of this result can only be assessed by examiningorganisations’ future actions but it should be of concern to the design community.Alun PriceAttitude towards designAs can be seen in Table 3, six factors relating to organisations attitudes toward professionaldesign were reliable and therefore only these factors were examined. These factor loadingssuggested clear interpretations for the factors:> Factor one was related to the congruency and confidence respondents had about thedesigner and the brief and the factor was termed ‘project focus’.> Factor two was related to organisations’ views about the need for a commitment to designand it was termed ‘internal integration’.> Factor three was related to the level of understanding about the need to properly source andresource professional design input, and this factor was termed ‘resourcing awareness’.> Factor four related to respondents’ sensitivity to the designer’s advice and the factor wastherefore termed ‘sensitivity’.> Factor five was related to expectations that a designer’s work would be creative but relate toagreed parameters. This factor was termed ‘idiosyncratic design’.> Factor six was related to respondents’ view about clarity of design services and costings andwas termed ‘clarity of services’.Observation of these means and standard deviations indicate that overall the sample had apositive view on issues concerned with the appraisal of design activity. Hence, the means forfactors such as ‘project focus’, ‘internal integration’, ‘clarity of services’ and ‘idiosyncraticdesign’ rated at 2.3 or above with small standard deviation. However, issues concerningexpenditures and resourcing tended to the mid range, while still being positive. Factors such as‘resource awareness’, ‘sensitivity’, ‘outsourcing’, and perhaps ‘empathy’ (non reliable) suggestan underlying conservative tendency to resourcing.Cluster AnalysisA major objective of the present study was to consider the relationship between respondents’design experience and their attitudes to designers. Cluster analysis suggested that four groupsshould be used in the subsequent analysis.The four distinct segments in the sample had, as can be seen in the mean scores in Table 4,differentiated views on the outcomes of the professional designer experience. These were:Group 1 - were committed design organisation. They were satisfied and saw design as valuable.Generally they were willing to commit resources in the future.Group 2 - was ‘happy’ with the outcome. They saw design as valuable and were satisfied, butthey were not convinced about resourcing future design.Group 3 - were ‘neutral’, having average responses on all dimensions, and were equivocalabout future activity.,Group 4 - were concerned about the experience and, while not negative, were the leastcommitted, satisfied and least likely to resource future design activity.The percentage of respondents in each group are set out in Table 5.While the committed group are a large percentage (26%), they are not a majority. The others,representing 74% of the sample, are less than certain about future design commitment and areat best neutral about their design experience. Most respondents did not see the need for adesign culture within their organisation, even if they were happy with the design experience.95

Alun PriceThis should be of concern to designers. The short term positive attitudes shown in these resultsdo not necessarily indicate longer term cultural change.As was noted earlier, a major purpose of the present study was to see if there was a relationshipbetween design experience views and attitudes toward design and organisational structure. Theresults of this analysis are outlined in the next section.ConclusionsThe project examined a range of views that industry design users have about professionaldesign and designers. Specifically, the research examined respondents’ views about the processand outcomes of their most recent design interaction in the hope that the information obtainedmight provide clues about how design can be better promoted to industry. This type of researchhas not been undertaken previously in Australia or, apparently, internationally.The approach had some novelty that was an impediment and an opportunity. The impedimentwas a lack of comparable research specific to the design industry that might have provided abenchmark to compare with the Western Australian experience. The opportunity was thechance to adapt research approaches used in other areas and to test their usefulness inunderstanding more about why industry did or did not use professional designers.The project’s objective was to see if insights could be obtained about how industry’s use ofprofessional designers might be increased. From initial discussions it seemed conventionaldesign promotion has not led to a high level of professional design use. Designer use isdependent, among other things, on clients’ beliefs about the value and worth of theprofessional designer. If so, an increased use of design services may lie on the demand side ofthe equation. The present project supported this view, suggesting designers themselves will playthe pivotal role in increasing the demand for professional design services. This will requiredesigners to better understand industry requirements and take a true marketing orientation intheir interactions with present and potential clients.The present industry sample had positive views about their design experiences. Forty-ninepercent of the respondents were likely to continue using professional designers in the future.Many of the ‘neutral’ group were also willing to use professional designers in the future. Itshould be borne in mind that these results are the product of a design industry that has alimited understanding of ways to effectively marketing its services and suggests that there maybe a large, latent demand if professional designers better understood the marketplaces in whichthey operate.Despite this positive aspect of the survey, it is important to recognise that most of the samplewere not fully persuaded by their experiences and were not committed to the use ofprofessional design in the future. Indeed, if negative experiences reduce the likelihood ofdiffusion, designers need to understand why 14 percent of the sample was disenchanted withtheir design experiences.The results obtained suggest that further research should focus on the decision processes thatlead to the choice of a designer, as well as on the quality of the design experience once thatdecision has been made. This type of research should provide the information so that designerscan properly adopt the marketing orientation needed for the design sector to become trulyrelevant to industry and to create the design culture many believe is necessary for, in our case,Australia’s long term economic well being.Further Work96One area where some work has been done is in the area of client communication. The choice ofdesigner and the subsequent satisfaction or dissatisfaction can both be influenced by the

communication between client and designer. Peter Little at Curtin’s Architecture School haddeveloped a professional practice unit which dealt with relationships between client andpractitioner. Unlike the more usual professional practice units, which deal with aspect of billingand office management, this unit dealt with more intimate reaction with the client. Much of thetheory behind the work carried out in this unit was based on the work of Donald Schin (1987),author of the seminal book in this field ‘Educating The Reflective Practitioner’.Alun PriceBasis for the projectThe project was funded by a Curtin grant received by Cherry Barlowe, Peter Little and Alun Price.The aim of this study is to observe and analyse (using the communications laboratory at Curtin)the initial stages of the interaction between client and designer. This includes ‘foliopresentation’, ‘design briefing’ and ‘concept presentation’. It is a multilevelled investigationcovering designer and client interaction potentially revealing aspects of client satisfaction anddissatisfaction; providing a learning tool for student designers and a source of reflection forpractising designers.Design has, since its educational inception been taught within an Atelier teaching structure, orMaster and Apprentice, basically the lecturer gives individual feedback to the student based ontheir professional history. This was a very effective practise when you had 15 students. In 1995our class sizes are 20 plus and each year they grow. We believe a case study approach wouldplay a significant part in resolving the large class number issue.The project will expose students to the working strategies of current professional designers,giving them a practical insight into the processes currently used in the industry and anopportunity for reflection on these practices. The students and staff will be involved beingwitness to creative thinking processes, verbal client presentation, visual client presentations,written analogies, and reflective journal writing.Students will have more choice in how they handle the practice of design by modelling theirown designing strategies against relevant exemplars, enabling them to try on and experimentwith alternative approaches. Students in being able to say “I relate very closely to that” willmake comparisons to their own design work in areas that are of concern to them Facilitatinglearning by comparative understanding. This would be measured by written student reflectionson the completion of experiencing the case study and then applying it to a given project.Whereas in the past students have decided what is appropriated designing procedure by fittingand matching what they see as appropriate designing behaviour with what is espoused byother students, tutors and role models, they will now be able to fit and match what they aredoing against what actually happens in practice.The provision of a theory of practice will enable students and staff to establish their own sets ofstandards against which they can judge their own designing practices. These standards will givethe teaching program in the design discipline one basis against which assessment can be made.This may help in overcoming some of the difficulties expressed by students about value ladenassessment.In the first stage of this research two presenters were selected for their reputation as ‘good’communicators of design. Subject one has five years experience in design and marketing inclient liaison and design presenting. Subject two has twenty five years experience as a designerand design presenter. The clients were chosen by the subjects with instructions that one shouldbe a new client and one that they had worked with before.Video notebooking, a technique developed in the communication lab was used to recordcommentary on the interviews by the researchers. A psychologist with experience in97

Alun Priceinterpersonal behaviour is consulted at this stage to comment on the session. Also during thenotebooking session the designer chooses a communication issue to focus on, such as rapportbuilding. The psychologist coaches the designer on where they are and are not building rapportand how they can improve the process.The difference between the first video session and the second in the case of subject one wasmarked as she consciously put into place the coaching offered by the psychologist. This is asmall indicator of the potential benefits of reflective practice and the attention to aspects ofprofessionalism not concerned with the myths of creativity and design as a special practicewhich only lacks a sufficiently educated client body.ReferencesBrearley, A. (1975), ‘The Management of Drawing and Design’, Gower Press, Epping.Davis, H. R. and Salasin, S. E. (1979), ‘Change: Decisions and their implementation’, in Davis, H.R. and Salasin, S. E. (eds), The Administration of Mental Health Services, Thomas, Springfield,Illinois.Glaser, E. M., Abelson, H. H. and Garrison, K. N. (1983), ‘Putting Knowledge to Use: Facilitatingthe Diffusion of Knowledge and the Implementation of Planned Change’, Jossey-Bass, SanFrancisco.Gold, E. (1985), ‘The Business of Graphic Design: A Sensible Approach to Marketing andManaging a Graphic Design Firm’, Watson Guptill, New York.Howard, J. N. and Harris, B. (1966), ‘A Hierarchical Grouping Routine, IBM 360/65 Fortran IVProgram’, University of Pennsylvania Computing Centre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Johnson, R. M. (1977), ‘Multiple discriminant analysis: Marketing research applications’, in Seth,J. (ed.), Multivariate Methods for Market and Survey Research, American Marketing Association,Chicago, pp. 65-79.Klecka, W. R. (1980), ‘Discriminant Analysis’, Sage Publications, Beverley Hills, California.Milligan, G. W. and Mahajan, V. (1980), ‘Note on the procedures for testing the quality of aclustering of a set of objects’, Decision Sciences 11, 669-677.Price, A, and Seares, R (1995), ‘Users Satisfaction And Dissatisfaction With Design Services: AnInterdisciplinary Study’ ‘Radical’ conference, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University,Aberdeen, 14-16 September.Schon, D (1987), ‘Educating the Reflective Practitioner’, Jossey Bass, London.Soutar, G. N. and Clarke, Y. (1981), ‘Life style and television viewing behaviour in Perth, WesternAustralia’, Australian Journal of Management, 109-123.98

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics: Significant VariablesAlun PriceVar Description Mean Score Standard Deviations2 Design work was high quality 2.12 1.046 Design services need definition 1.31 0.8128 Costs of design should be clear 1.44 0.7844 Des. decisions made at the top 1.93 0.944 Design not understood in org. 3.38 1.327 Designers know the best solut. 3.20 1.0710 Des’rs understand clients situat. 2.35 1.1321 Designer assistance needed 2.10 1.2029 Design expenditure unnecessary 3.65 1.2460 Design seen as irrelevant 4.35 0.8113 Design benefits outweigh costs 2.54 1.2519 Design process not stressful 2.50 1.1424 Design enhanced success 1.94 1.0326 Resources available in future 3.00 1.1334 Felt good about results 1.88 0.8664 Future use of designers likely 1.77 0.98Table 2: Descriptive Statistics: Design Experiences and Outcomes 1Dimensions Mean Score Standard Deviations Alpha ReliabilityOrganisational satisfaction 2.15 0.71 0.71Design is a valued asset 1.56 0.62 0.71Design conviction 2.76 0.81 0.621A low mean score implies a more positive outcome.Table 3: Design Attitude Dimension-Descriptive StatisticsFactor Mean Standard Deviation Alpha coefficient1 Project focus 2.30 0.77 0.742 Internal integration 2.30 0.71 0.783 Resource awareness 2.70 0.80 0.614 Sensitivity 2.98 0.89 0.555 Idiosyncratic design 1.81 0.66 0.546 Clarity in services 1.38 0.70 0.717 0.398 0.349 0.3610 0.33Table 4: Groups’ Mean Scores-Design Experience DimensionsGroup Organisat.. Perceived Relative Size Groupsatisfact value commitment Description1 1.57 1.38 1.83 41 Committed2 1.67 1.78 3.31 36 Happy3 2.48 2.17 2.71 56 Neutral4 3.26 2.78 3.74 22 Concerned99

Alun PriceTable 5: Percentage of Sample by Cluster GroupGroupPercentageHappy 23%Concerned 15%Neutral 36%Committed 26%100

‘...But I am a designer, why do I need to know all this?’Robyn RobinsIn April this year an honours year design student asked me this question. We were in a DesignManagement lecture discussing Written Communication principles and practice and inparticular letter writing. My first reaction wasn’t to say indeed, why do you need to know this,but rather, “how can I demonstrate to this designer effective communication is an importantpart of professional practice?”. Just as design skills make a designer, so does the ability tocommunicate clearly and understand needs of both colleagues and clients.The relevance of university/TAFE curriculum to professional needs is worthy of discussion.We can consider various components:1. What does a designer need to know?> design and communication skills> how to take a brief> written skills for proposals and business correspondence> presentation skills for meetings, design presentations, new business submissions> working in a team whether it be a studio or project team situation> problem solving with colleagues and clients2. How and where should this be integrated into existing design curriculum?> where does the subject, or subjects fit - is it all under one subject, Design Management?> at what level is it appropriate - second, third, or fourth year?> to what depth should the subject be assessed through written assignments?> should some topics be covered only at 4th year or should a little of everything be coveredprogressively throughout the course, each year increasing in complexity?3. What are the key competencies for design management?Design management is the ability to achieve a given business objective by the most direct andeconomical means which draws on expertise in the following:> personal communication skills such as presenting face to face> written communication skills such as correct usage, proposals and letters> strategic skills such as probing, questioning, and interpreting information to arrive at asolution which works for the client (not just the designer)> interpersonal skills such as working in teams, negotiation skills and problem solving4. What is the relevance to a designer of professional business skills.Mastering business skills will result in quality relationships through benefits such as:> greater clarity in communication generally> better briefing sessions, more productive meetings, clarity of outcome> enhanced ability to communicate about problem solution with clients> ability to work in teams harmoniously> professional conduct leading to mutual respect with colleagues and clientsIf design students are unable to guide a client towards a mutually rewarding brief through aprocess of challenge and interpretation; and they cannot structure and write a proposal for thedesign project; and if they are not able to express their ideas coherently to a group of businesspeople who haven’t the faintest idea about design and why it is important; then we need toquestion the relevance of our university/TAFE curriculum to professional needs.Design ManagementConsultant, LecturerSwinburne School ofDesignRobyn heads aDesign Managementconsultancy basedon Melbourne.Established in 1985the organisationcomprises a networkof designers,researchers,psychologists,project coordinatorsand other personnelnecessary to carryout assignments.Trained as a marketresearcher andmarketer Robyn heldmanagementpositions at severalmultinationaladvertising agenciesin NZ, UK andAustralia beforesetting up her ownbusiness.Robyn is a memberof the <strong>DIA</strong> andlectures at theSchool of Design atSwinburne Universityin Melbourne inDesign Managementa position held since1993.Other businessmemberships includethe Melbourne ArtDirectors Club,Marketing Instituteof Australia andvarious businessnetwork groups.Robyn hasaddressed theAustralian GraphicDesign Associationin Victoria onseveral occasionson the subject ofMarketing101

Robyn RobinsReferencesand New BusinessDevelopment ( 1995)and SurvivalStrategies for theRecession( 1992).Based on personalcommunication skillstraining andindividual coachingwhich has been anintegral part of theconsultancy overrecent years, Robynis launching a publicSeminar Series in1996 specifically fordesigners. Subjectswill include businesscommunicationskills, marketing andnew businessdevelopment.In 1995 RobynRobins wasnominated for theTelstra BusinessWoman of the YearAward.Throughout my communication skills education I draw on a variety of sources when givingexamples. In today’s paper the views are my own, and there are no texts quoted.The reference for today’s paper will be my own (to be published) book on Design Managementdue in early 1997.Partridge, Eric , new edition Janet Whitcut( 1994) ‘Usage and Abusage: A guide to GoodEnglish’ISBN 0 - 241 - 13301 - 7Walsh, B.’Communicating in Writing’ISBN 0 644 09537 7Eagleson, R.D, ‘Writing in Plain English’ISBN 0 644 06848 5Hughes, Barrie (1993) ‘Working Words. An Australian Guide to Modern English Usage’ISBN 0 670 90363 9Readers Digest, (1992) ‘How to Write and Speak Better’ISBN 0 86438 023 2Wall, D.( 1990 ) ‘Communication Skills for Business’Wrigley, J.& McLean, P (1990 ) ‘Australian Business Communication’Murray-Smith, S. (1989 ) ‘Right Words. A Guide to English Usage in Australia’Stanton, N. (1982) ‘What Do You Mean ‘Communication’? An introduction to communicationin business’ABC, (1992) ‘Watch Your Language. Words and how to use them the ABC way’102

The role of professional associations in design educationRussell BeversEvery alternate year The Australian Graphic Design Association holds a conference inQueensland. The conference covers a range of issues and a variety of designers from around thecountry put their views and show their work. An internationally known designer is usuallyinvited to be the keynote speaker.Last year that speaker was well known New York designer -Alexander Isley. Alexander, who isrelatively young, has in a few short years created a reputation based on a fresh and highlyoriginal style. So much so that he has established a thriving practice in a highly demandingmarketplace.He made a comment during his presentation that in a way sets up the core idea of what I amabout to say to you. He said...‘All of the things that we designers use - computers, paper, ink -are just our tools and areuseless if we don’t know when or why to use them. What we need to remember as designers isto start with a good idea and to decide why a design should do something, before we decidewhat it should look like.’What Alexander Isley is saying, is that what we need to be is ‘design thinkers’ first andforemost. It must follow then that education is a training ground for design thinkers.If we agree on any thing at this conference it must be that.We all accept that there have been great changes in design education in recent years.I can remember my years at Swinburne Technical College back in the sixties. Graphic designtraining in those days was all about learning a set of skills that would set you up to functionefficiently once you gained a job in an advertising agency or design studio. We learnt theelementary rules of colour and composition, perspective and life drawing. Our instructorsthought that it was good for us , one afternoon a week ,to keep our hand in, as it were doingpottery, metalwork or printmaking. I have no regrets at all being required to participate in theseactivities . It gave me a broader perspective and appreciation of the skills and creativity required.Learning the rudiments of typography by actually setting text using metal type was a fascinatingprocess and led to a real understanding of how typography developed and how to use type in awell judged fashion.Our creativity was of course honed and developed during these years and it was wonderfulbeing given free rein to come up with design solutions that satisfied the meagrest of briefs andour own egos.All in all the life at art school in the 60s was loads of fun.Towards the end of the 60s the Swinburne Graphic design course became more receptive to therequirements of employers. Someone asked professional designers and art directors inadvertising agencies what they wanted in graduates. What talents and abilities would makethem employ a Swinburne graduate over any other. The answers came back and final yearprojects and folios began to reflect an industry perspective. Programs where students workedfor a year in industry were born, these in turn became well accepted in the market place.Swinburne gained a reputation for being a superior course because it listened to the marketplace and trained its students to fit the needs of that market place.103

Russell BeversMany other graphic design courses followed Swinburne’s lead and the final year folio andgraduate exhibition has become the yardstick and the marketing tool for many universitycourses.Where are we now?Are our design courses still responding to industry needs?Did they ever?Design education is now subject to differing criteria. Reduction in funding has placed on goingpressures on design courses so that educators have to play politics with University councils inorder to maintain student levels . Meanwhile contact hours continue to be whittled away andthe professions complain that students are undertrained because of it.Technology , specially digital technology is moving so quickly that it is impossible to equipgraduates adequately for a world that is demanding a level of knowledge unheard of only a fewyears ago. Any reasonable person employing a graduate has in the past seen that graduate asserving an apprenticeship for several years until they gained in knowledge and experienceGraduates now have to have at the very least basic computer skills and a knowledge of how tothink as a designer if they are going to score a good job first up.The pressures on employers to make every employee earn their keep is enormous, many tend toonly employ designers that have experience. And those that have experience tend to stay put insecure jobs for longer. Many of my colleagues complain that it is impossible to find gooddesigners with experience and that advertising doesn’t produce good quality applicants.What the professions seek is well rounded design graduates, people who have the skills toequip them to meet at least the minimum requirements of professional practice in their earlyyears. But more than this, graduates that have the thinking skills that will make them effectiveprofessionals.I come here to my major point . The state of design in this country and how design education isdirectly related to it..and further, what roll the professional associations play in the standard ofdesign in Australia.If we think about Alexander Isley’s comment - that we should think about why a design shoulddo something before we think about what it should look like. Then we have to understand thatdesign has to be seen as a problem solving process, a way of answering the marketing orcommunication needs of a client in the most effective and quantifiable way.Australian design has been very bad at doing this. One reason for design having such a lowlevel of understanding within the business sector and the community at large, is that designershave not understood how to sell what they do as an important component in the clientsstrategic and marketing thinking. Clients still consider design to be something that you onlythink about at the end of the project- the icing on the cake as it were and only then, if thebudget will allow it. In fact one reason designers have to fight for their fees, is that budgets areoften not structured to include a design cost component.Let me give you an example of how design is not understood as a powerful communicationtool.104My company is at present working on a large corporate identity design program for one ofAustralia’s largest multi nationals. Middle management was very keen to change the company’slogo - an image that had been around for many years. The decision had to go to board level,the managing director was not persuaded that a change was necessary. The only argument thatwould persuade him was one that demonstrated how a change would improve his ‘bottomline’.

In other words how could we show him in dollar terms, within a given period, how much moreprofit his company would make by changing the logo.Russell BeversWe are faced with two issues here. One: a lack of understanding on the part of the ManagingDirector as to the value of a strategically considered design change to the company’s image. Butmore particularly he had no idea of the process that was being put forward, a process thatwould in time improve his ‘bottom line’, and two: the failure of the design profession to haveeducated this managing director specifically, and management in general, over the past severaldecades as to the value of design.This is a scenario that is repeated time after time and the fault lies with us - the designers. The<strong>National</strong> design Review -Competing By Design - spells out the shortcomings of the professionand the opportunities open to us as designers through recommendations contained there.It states...’Professional standing of designers is a key issue hindering the overall status of theprofession and its recognition and use by industry.’A major reason for our singular lack of impact in changing the thinking of business and thecommunity is that education has not prepared us to think as true professionals.Once again the Design Review says...’There is a need to improve the effectiveness and relevanceof current design education and management education in design at all levels.’If we accept this, what is to be done?. I believe that the professional design associations have animportant role to play in design education.Firstly the professional associations mission is to improve the quality and practice of design- Ifwe are to achieve this the associations must work with practitioners, educators, suppliers to thedesign process and the market.The associations can provide quality benchmarks and self development opportunities forpractitioners. They can provide industry requirements, expectations and feedback to educatorsand suppliers to the design process. They can do a tremendous amount to inform and educatethe market place about the value of design to business.In fact, working together is what the professional associations are doing very effectively rightnow . In the past 18 months or so a climate of genuine singleness of purpose has grown upamongst us. So much so that a serious endeavour is under way to explore the possibleunification of all the associations, so that we can speak with one voice to business, governmentand educators. Our philosophy is simple - to lift the profile of design, to make designunderstood for the benefits it can bring to industry and the community. I emphasise here that Iam talking about all design disciplines.It is by no means certain how this new body will be constituted, but there are working partiesexamining major issues, important to us all. Things like accreditation, administration and,economy of scale. A steering committee made up of all the national presidents of theassociations - <strong>DIA</strong>, AGDA, SIDA, and ATDA meet weekly to guide this process of consultationand planning. At the moment the working title for this endeavour is The Australian DesignProfessionals. Our agenda is to broaden out the scope of our discussion and the participation ofas many designers as possible. Public meetings are planned in all capital cities to help in thisprocess.If our avowed aim is to lift the profile of design, it is just as much about lifting design quality.This means working not only with design practitioners and design educators but also with themarket for design services.105

Russell BeversThis diagram called The Drivers of Design Excellence will help explain how wecan go about this / 2Design QualityDesign practice(supply*)fGraphic designfProfessionalPracticeMarket fordesign services(demand*)* Restricting the supply of services is considered anti-competitiveand therefore illegal in Australia but educating buyers on whatis rubbish or inadequate is encouraged as it improves Australia’sinternational competitiveness.Increases in thelevels or quality of these‘drivers’ will improve thequality of designIf we are to improve design quality in a professional sense, then there are two aspects we needto look at. The first is ‘design quality’ the second ‘professional practice’. I believe that there arefour distinct groups of design ‘practitioners’. First - amateur designers, second - students ornew designers, third - suppliers to the communication process and fourth - experienceddesigners.Lets look at The Design Practice Matrix to help explain this / 3HighDesignQualityLowAcceptable to high indesign quality but lowin professional practiceeg. students & newdesignersAcceptableLow in both design qualityand professional practiceeg. amateurs© ALTP 1996AcceptableAcceptable to highin both design quality andprofessional practiceeg. experienced designersLow in design quality but highin professional practiceeg. suppliers to thecommunication process- printers, film housesLow Professional Practice High106

How does education fit into this matrix ? The next version looks at the ‘supply side’ -in otherwords the design practitioners.Russell BeversDesign Practice Matrix- supply side / 4HighEncourage and assist newdesigners and students intheir development of anacceptable level ofProvide feedbackprofessional practiceto educators onindustry expectationsLowof graduatesEducate amateurs on whatis required to become anexperienced designer and whyit is important© ALTP 1996Encourage and assistexperienced designers intheir development of designquality and professional practiceImprove the partnershipbetween designers andsuppliers to thecommunication processLow Professional Practice HighHow do we influence the buyers and users of design? This is the ‘demand side’Design Practice Matrix - demand side / 5HighDesignQualityLowAcceptable to high indesign quality but lowin professional practiceeg. students & newdesignersAdvocate theuse of high quality,professional designersAssist buyers and usersof design in distinguishingbetween levels ofLow in both design qualityand professional practiceeg. amateursLow in design quality butdesignhighqualityin professional practiceeg. suppliers to thecommunication process© ALTP 1996- printers, film housesAssist buyers and usersof design in distinguishingbetween levels ofLowprofessional practiceHigh107

Russell BeversWhat I should do is clarify what I mean when I talk about ‘design quality’and ‘professional practice’Definitions of design quality and professional practice/ 6Tests for ‘useful’definitionsDesign QualityfFitness forpurposeVisual power-Do the components lendthemselves to assessment?eg. on a scale of 1-5?DesignPracticefProfessionalPracticefTechnicalexpertiseDesign ProjectManagementStudioManagement-Would an increase in thequality or level of eachcomponent create anincrease in what is beingdefined?-Is each component‘actionable’? eg. can youthink of activities whichwould help designersimprove each of theirtechnical expertise?GeneralBusiness Skills-Do the componentscollectively cover allaspects of what is beingdefined?-if no, what ismissing?I believe that design education and professional associations have an exceptional opportunity towork more closely to improve the quality and practice of design. There are a variety of ways wecan make this happen.Firstly: The associations are a conduit between education and the professionsSecondly: AGDA is planning an educational institutions surveyThirdly: Professional practice courses are being put together by AGDALets look at the first point. The professions have for some years provided practising designersfrom all the disciplines to sit on course advisory boards or committees at various colleges andUniversities. The main purpose has been to give those institutions a more accurate picture ofwhat industry requires of graduating students. Or put another way, to allow the professions tohave an input into course content so that those courses could be better structured to meetneeds of future employers. This process has been relatively successful in some places, but overallrather patchy. The disadvantage with this process is that it may take two or three years toconsider and implement the recommendations put forward by design professionals sitting onthese boards. This is too long. The professional world is moving too quickly these days anddigital technology is advancing at a bewildering rate. This process then, has somedisadvantages.The second point. AGDA is planning an education institutions survey. It in no way is supposedto replace the advisory board process, but is intended to provide market perception data ongraduate knowledge and skill levels institution by institution.108This survey will continue annually and will provide a useful reference point for potentialemployers. Among educators, it will provide a useful reference point for how graduates arepositioned in the employee market. It will also measure how graduates match up against thepositioning of the institution they have attended. Once a year AGDA will survey its members,

and ask for their feed back on, - firstly their expectations - specifically - skill, knowledge, rangeand level, of graduates from specific institutions. Then how interviewed graduates compared tothose expectations.Russell BeversAs with most benchmarking surveys, the data quality and results effectiveness is expected toimprove over time. The survey will be conducted by experienced staff and two members of ournational committee who are both educationalists will act as educator referees in thedevelopment of the survey questionnaire. The results will be published annually.The third and final point, concerns Professional Practice Courses. These are planned as short,business skill courses for graphic design practitioners who wish to improve their grasp andunderstanding of the non-creative aspects of design practice.The sort of subjects covered would be...> design project management ( including project-related client contact)> studio management> general business skills (marketing, accounting and finance, legal issues, human resources etc)The plan to introduce these courses is in response to many requests and comments frommembers and non- members who have found that initial tertiary or vocational education andin-work experience are insufficient to meet workplace and marketplace challenges.These courses will be targeted predominantly at design studio owner / operators. Part of theprogram will be dedicated to developing studio employee skills. It should be made clear that theneed in this area is significant as the majority of practitioners work in small 1 to 3 peoplestudios.It is planned that the courses will be run at night or at weekends, preferably in partnership witha local educational institution. Our aim will be to develop packages and licence the delivery toeducators, co-marketing the courses with partnering institutions in each state. Every two years,the course contents and material will be updated.This concept has some major advantages to institutions who choose to become our partners...> the generation of an additional revenue profit stream> the use of existing facilities after-hours> positioning the institution as a provider of educational needs all through working life> positioning the institution as having very close links with industry and the professions.> no need to provide development resources for course content and materials.This idea is not intended to supplement directly or replace any existing undergraduate or entrylevelvocational programs, but rather to be complementary to these initial programs oncegraduates have had a reasonably substantial amount of work experience.Our aim is to have the initial suite of courses ready for delivery by partnering institutions in early1997.We are of course open for suggestions and input from educators on any of the issues or ,suggestions I have raised here.AGDA is looking for ways to improve its ability to act on behalf of its members to improve thepractice of, and market for, graphic design in Australia. This means working more closely witheducators. We do not expect ‘to get it right first time, every time’, but we do hope that we canimprove existing relationships so that we can learn together.109

Jacqueline ShawDesign education’s paradox: is it to lead or to follow?Ms Jacqueline ShawBA (Design) is theSecond Year CourseCo-ordinator ofDesign at CurtinUniversity ofTechnology, PerthWestern Australia.Professionalexperience includesworking in industryLondon, UK asCreative Director of aC Dry Group for 6Wars and previous toflat as a designer for 3years for H SAGLondon- Has workedfor Curtin Universityfor the past 3 years asa lecturer in VisualCommunications,Graphic Design andTypography.Co-chair of theTeaching and LearningGroup and currentlyworking on curriculumdevelopment andassessmentprocedures.Currently studying forMasters in the area ofDistant Education.Principal areas ofresearch interest are:assessment of designstudents; reflectiveteaching; and qualityassurance.AbstractThe author identifies the major points of the articles ‘After School-a Discussion of DesignEducation: Part One & Two,’ by C.G. Walker in Communication Arts and reflects upon theirimplications with reference to historical and contemporary sources, including the author’spersonal research (United Kingdom, 1995) with three major design companies and from withinthe changing climate of design education at the School of Design, Curtin University. The authorobserves from the philosophical debate that there is a perceived division between what industrywants and what education is providing.The paradox is that industry is saying, ‘academic curriculums often seem out of touch with therapidly changing business environment leaving graduates ill-prepared to enter the workforce.’ 2and more vehemently, ‘design education [is] covered in cobwebs, stuck in a theory rut andeducators [should] ‘get real’ or ‘get out’,’ 3 and education is saying that they are ‘getting real’and giving industry what they require. The threat to the next generation of designers is that ifdesign educators continue to cater to industry’s specific requirements then they will always be‘behind the field.’ 4 The author proposes an alternate strategy which could liberate designeducation from this paradox.Paper‘After School-a Discussion of Design Education,’ a two part article by C.G. Walker inCommunication Arts, is written in order to have the ‘beginning of a fascinating, far reachingdialogue’ 5 about these particular issues. In Part One industry discusses its concern about thestate of design education and comments on what it requires from graduates. In Part Twoprofessional educators respond to these comments and concerns.We can glean from Part One that much of the design industry believes that design educators arebehind the times when it comes to preparing graduates for the ‘real world’. They are sayingthat educators are not providing graduates with a realistic attitude for industry and there ismore that schools could be doing to prepare these people.Industry seems to be asking design education to provide graduates who are more experiencedand educated, who have good communication and interpersonal skills, and who are good teamplayers. They are also looking for graduates who have ‘magic’, fine craft skills, business skills, aswell as having an understanding of marketing.‘Today we are looking for more experienced candidates. Companies are running lean and haveless time to nurture and train junior talent. We need employees who can hit the road running!We look for candidates with a well-developed sense of how to build links between conceptualproblem solving, visualisation and the lifestyle needs of our consumers. Candidates need tounderstand how to market their ideas to the creative and business communities. They musthave strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well in teams.’ 6In response, many educators are saying that they try to teach students the expertise required forindustry by employing ‘a faculty mix of full-time professors and part-time workingprofessionals,’ 7 who ‘bring a genuine sense of the rhythms and realities of the working worldinto academic studios.’ 8 Some are claiming to have ‘taught their students to think’ 9 , to beoriginal, to be conceptual and to know the tools of their trade. A few still defend highereducation as a preparatory period not a trial run, different from the industry but equally valid.110

‘There is little room for the ‘this is the real world, kid’ characters who feel that a classroom is asecond-class imitation of the work place. Higher education is something very real in and ofitself, as well as preparing people for their afterlife which includes a career.’ 10Jacqueline ShawSo what role should higher education play? If it were to imitate ‘real life’ and could producegraduates ‘who can hit the road running’, student efforts would be overwhelmed by the paceof business and production practices. They would have little time to develop a broad range ofcomplimentary skills and knowledge not to mention an adaptable and creative approach.The fact is that society continues to change rapidly and what industry wants now may not bethe same thing that industry will want in the future. By the time design schools implementchanges to the curriculum to suit industry’s expectations, graduate designers may have skillsthat are no longer a priority.This phenomenon occurs historically in cycles. If we were to view this over the last 10 to 15years we would see that from the early eighties to the end of that decade many designcompanies wanted graduates who could operate desktop publishing systems. In Britainpresently the design industry is experiencing a change in priorities. Companies such asPentagram claim they are now looking for graduates who can ‘demonstrate they have basiccraft skills and can draw.’ The Macs are run by technicians and the designers are expected to‘concentrate on getting the thought process right not on how it is done’. 11Creative Director, Jim Allen of The Team in London is critical of industry dictating itsrequirements to the design educators:‘Students should be a lot more experimental at college rather than being channelled too far intobecoming industry orientated. It’s almost as if the industry is deciding on how [students] areeducated and that’s stupid.’ 12Allen goes on to say that although Mac skills have provided students with more opportunitiesto work he feels it has also made them easy prey for studios who use them for production andnot design. Allen also believes that industry dictated skills fulfil only a temporary need. As theeducation system continues to produce graduates with the same skills these skills becomesurplus to requirements. This is because different skills have taken priority.In the late sixties student revolutions at Hornsey and Guildford in the United Kingdom causedchanges to the curriculum. From these revolutions grew the idea that, ‘the aim of art/designeducation should be to produce generalists and not specialists.’ 13 The argument was ‘thattechnology now develops so quickly that anything the student learns will be outdated by thetime he [sic] is in professional practice.‘ 14 Another side to this argument is, if education were toswing in the other direction and focus purely on the design methodology, the studentsproduced would be too inexperienced to use that knowledge in solving an actual designproblem and producing a viable result.‘The practising designer know[s] that they [sic] can only produce valid results by the intenseconcentration of all their professional skills on the task ...Those who have been faced with theneed to make a positive concrete creative statement know that this demands not onlygeneralised appreciation but also a background of accumulated specialised skills andexperience.’ 15There seems to be a general agreement that students having access to a broader education, onethat includes skills, is a essential requirement. In the late thirties and early forties educatorsstarted to discuss the issues related to broad based education programs. One of the exemplarsof this concept came from the Bauhaus. When discussing Moholy-Nagy’s realisation that bothscience and technology had to be considered when deciding what is fundamental to design111

Jacqueline Shaweducation at the New Bauhaus, Alain Findeli, in his article ‘Moholy-Nagy’s Design Pedagogy inChicago (1937-46)’, states that:‘To the two basic elements of the formula that Gropius made famous (‘Art Technology: a NewUnity’), Moholy-Nagy added a third element: science. As a consequence, the curriculumincluded a series of courses in physical, life, human, and social sciences.’ 16Moholy-Nagy, as well as his predecessor Gropius, recognised the need to deliver a broad basededucation. Both felt the important requirement was a balance between theory and practice, aswell as art and technology.‘Indeed, the discipline of design has to be considered as paradoxical in essence, and anyattempt to eliminate one pole to the benefit of the other inevitably distorts its fundamentalnature.’ 17There is also a general agreement that there are other considerations beyond educatinggraduates to have a mastery of technical and creative/aesthetic skills and an understanding oftheir responsibilities towards their clients. ‘Students must also be taught to realize theirresponsibilities as world citizens in a changing world.’ 18If Ezio Manzini is right and ‘the designer’s ultimate responsibility can only be to contribute tothe production of a habitable world, a world in which human beings not merely survive butalso express and expand their cultural and spiritual possibilities’ 19 , then most design schools arenot doing enough towards educating graduates to understand what is commonly referred to asthe larger global perspective. The reason is that this requirement is still a low priority on themajority of industry’s wish lists and design schools are trying to appease all of industry. Thiscycle is likely to continue until either industry or education change its way of operating.Designer and chairman of foundation studies at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena,California), Ramone Munoz sums it up when he says, ‘I feel that the question of where design isheaded as a profession is a bit pointless. A more important and related question might be: whatdo we define as important goals for human beings in general? Do we crank out countlessdesign automatons who can simply be good workers, or do we make better use of the formaleducation as a means of instilling in students a way to find their true nature and becomesensitive to the nature of humanity in general?’ 20Maybe it is unrealistic to expect an industry, which is pragmatic at the best of times and is alsostruggling to keep abreast of the changes in technology, to pioneer a new ‘global perspective’.In many cases when money, or lack of it, is involved industry tend to focus on the profit marginand the bigger picture is forgotten. Munoz also reinforces this view of industry:‘For most companies, design is a given, and speed and profit are first and foremost on the list ofpriorities [and] if there is any truth in [this] statement then we cannot look to the profession forany meaningful guidance regarding long-term goals for design education. The profession issimply too caught up in trying to survive.’ 21Another consideration which is raised in Part Two of Walker’s articles, is the amount of studentsentering the workforce in the design field. ‘There is an explosion in design education, anexplosion without a corresponding need in the field. There are more young people entering thefield than there are job opportunities. The recession and computer efficiency has changed thisto a service directed business-more production than creativity-with less possibility of youngpeople doing creative work.’ 22112Design education’s clients, the students and often their parents who pay for the education havecertain expectations, one of them being that ‘once the student graduates, he or she will beadequately prepared to get a good entry level position in the world.’ 23 Sadly, because many

institutions continue to ‘pump out’ students through courses at a high rate then thisexpectation can not always be fulfilled.Jacqueline ShawSome would argue that design education should consider the option of cutting back thenumbers of students. However, cutting back on the number of students entering universitieswill also cut back on the amount of funds available for the course. Universities are becomingmore business minded and as a business they must been seen to be self sufficient. Under thecurrent educational finance system reducing the number of enrolments would not be viable.‘It is easy to argue that the number of [students) should be reduced to equate them moredirectly with job potentialities ...but this is the council of despair; curtailment of art/designeducation would be the action of an emasculated society which is only able to vizualize itsfuture in the misleading terms of simple arithmetic.’ 24Others argue that any student should be allowed entry to university and that natural selectionwould eventually take its toll, with the best getting the good jobs, the medium level studentsfinding work at the low-end of the market and the ‘duds’ becoming unemployed. Thisargument does nothing towards meeting the clients’ (students and parents) expectations and insome respects does more to damage the reputation of design as a profession. It is the author’sopinion that it is the right of everybody to go to university to learn a profession, but that rightshould be earned through merit and dedication.Katherine McCoy in her article, ‘Professional design education: an opinion and a proposal’,recommends that institutions should introduce a pre-design school (like pre-med or pre-law),where any student would be allowed to enrol. During that year students would be taughtliberal arts and the social sciences and shown how these relate to the design field. Thepredesign school’s objective would be to identify those students who were particularlydedicated and interested and who had the intellectual calibre to succeed.‘Comparisons with other recognised professions such as law or medicine would reveal howmuch more thoroughly educated their students are before they begin the ‘professional’ phaseof their university education.’ 25In ‘Design Education in the Information Age’, Charles Owen writes; ‘A new vision for designeducation begins with the student best suited to receive the education’. 26 He believes thatuniversities need to change the perception of prospective students because those students whoare traditionally attracted to design are not necessarily ‘best suited’. ‘Students who enterprogrammes of design often do not do so because they have actively sought this career.Instead, they arrive through a process of elimination: deciding against potential careers thathave strength in mathematics, science, or language arts.’ 27Owen believes we could attract a higher calibre of students ‘who excel in many subjects’ by‘popularising’ the field. This he says ‘can be done through exhibitions, awards [and] makingdesign education more visible and competitive’ and by extending undergraduate courses to fouror five years. Owen also advocates a broad based education, ‘alongside the special program ofknowledge and skills necessary for design should be a strong program skilfully mixing elementsof a liberal arts education with those of a technological one.’ 28Do institutions have the funding for this broader education? This area is mentioned but notexpanded upon in C.G. Walker’s article, ‘Discussion about Education: Part Two’. Budgetconstraints have had a massive impact on the educational sector and this in turn has intensifiedthe struggle to keep up with the expectations of industry. Expectations such as, ‘students willhave a well-rounded education; that history, literature, science, language and social sciences beintegrated into the curriculum along with basic courses in business...’ 29 , as well as wantingmore experienced graduates who have ‘magic’ and fine craft skills, are impossible to meet from113

Jacqueline Shaweducation. A few design companies like Lloyd Northover in the United Kingdom recognise this.‘I think it’s totally impossible [to expect] institutions to provide graduates with the skills andoutlook required for working in the industry. The problem is not so much trying to cover theground, but trying to prioritise what’s important for the students to learn because you can notteach them everything they need to know. ‘ 30The author concludes from this commentary in C.G. Walker’s articles ‘After School - ADiscussion of Design Education: Parts One and Two’, that there needs to be a growingawareness of the larger implications of design education. Awareness that both industry andeducation must start looking towards the future; that they must define their role in society; thatthe balance of funding and student numbers need to be carefully considered and finally thateducators catering to the dictates of industry may not be the answer.Design education and industry are subject to increasingly rapid changes of requirements andpriorities and the response to these changes have been in the majority reactive. Perhaps theanswer lies in being adaptable. Education can not provide students who are expert at their craftby the time they graduate, however, it can prioritise what students are being taught. Instead oftrying to respond to industry’s expectations and producing graduates with specialist andprobably outdated skills, education should be teaching students the importance of problemsolving and encouraging them to become responsible, ‘life long learners’. These two skills areessential to enable a student to become adaptable.The ability to be adaptable is an essential core requirement needed not only by students but alsoby industry and education. Education needs to adapt to changes in budgets, student numbersand the perception of the community. Industry needs to adapt to the students who willgraduate with generalist skills and who will need to learn the majority of specialised skills oncethey are employed. By accepting that education should play a fundamentally different role inthe educating of students, and allowing the emphasis to be on adaptability, industry can beprovided with the calibre of graduates ready for the future - intelligent, with adaptable skills andthe ability to maintain an awareness of changes and their effect on society.References1Cummings G. Walker, (1992)2Jani Mohr, director of creative recruiting, Hallmark, Kansas City, as quoted in ‘After SchoolADiscussion of Design Education: Part One,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p 184.3Bob Gill, designer, as quoted in ‘Graphic Design Education-Struggling Through ThoseAwkward Teenage Years,’ (Holland, D.K).: p 24.4Milton Glaser, (1992), designer, as quoted in ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education:Part One,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p188.5Cummings G. Walker, (1992): p189.6Jani Mohr, as quoted in ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part One,’ (Walker,Cummings G.): p 184.7Professor Anne Ghory-Goodman, (1992), Chairman of the College of design, architecture, artand planning, University of Cincinnati, as quoted in ‘After School - A Discussion of DesignEducation: Part Two,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p 242.114

There is neither enough time nor resources to cover every aspect of what the industry expects $Paul Hauge, (1992), Director of Graphic Design, Academy of Art College (San Francisco), asquoted in ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part Two,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p242.Jacqueline Shaw9Professor Anne Ghory Goodman: p 243.10Gordon Salchow, (1992), Professor of Design Education, University of Cincinnati, as quotedin ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part Two,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p 242.11John McConnell (1995), Art Director, Pentagram, UK.12Jim Allen, (1995) Creative Director, The Team, UK.13Misha Black (1973): p 32.14Misha Black (1973): p 35.15Misha Black (1973): p 36.16Alain Findeli (1990): p 7.17Alain Findeli (1990): p 8.18Sam Smidt, (1992), designer, as quoted in ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education:Part Two,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p 188.19Ezio Manzini, (1992): pp 5-6.20Ramone Munoz, (1992): p244. Chairman of Foundation Studies and Coordinator ofGraduate Studies at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, California), as quoted in ‘AfterSchool - A Discussion of Design Education: Part Two,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p 244.21Ramone Munoz, (1992): p 244.22Milton Glaser, as quoted in ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part Two,’(Walker, Cummings G.): p 244.23RitaSue Siegal (1992), RitaSue Siegal Associates (Design Recruiting Agency), as quoted in‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part One,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p 188.24Misha Black (1973): pp 29-3025Katherine McCoy, (1990): p21. The author notes that certain changes have taken place in theeducation of medical students since the publication of McCoy’s article ‘Professional DesignEducation: an Opinion and a Proposal,’ and may only be relevant as a past example. (Ref: J.Yates).26Charles Owen, (1991): p 29.27Charles Owen, (1991): p 29.28Charles Owen, (1991): pp 29-30.115

Jacqueline Shaw29Eric Baker, author and principal of Eric Baker Design Associates, (New York), as quoted in‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part One,’ (Walker, Cummings G.): p 188.30Jim Bodah, (1995), Director, Lloyd Northover, UKBibliographyAllen, Jim (13/9/95), Creative Director, The Team, UK. Taped interview with J. Shaw.Black, Misha (1973), ‘Notes on Design Education in Great Britain,’ Readings in Art and DesignEducation-After Hornsey Ed. David Warren Piper, Davis-Poynter Limited, London, U.K. pp 29 -36.Bodah, Jim (15/9/95), Director, Lloyd Northover, UK. Taped interview with J. Shaw.Findeli, Alain (1990), ‘The Methodological and Philosophical Foundations of Moholy-Nagy’sDesign Pedagogy in Chicago (1937-1946),’ Design Issues Volume VII, Number 1, Fall. pp 4 -19.Holland, D.K. (1992), ‘Graphic Design Education-Struggling Through Those Awkward TeenageYears,’ Communication Arts Sept/Oct. pp 24 - 30.Manzini, Ezio (1992), ‘Prometheus of Everyday: The Ecology of the Artificial and the Designer’sResponsibility,’ Design Issues, Volume IX, Number 1, Fall. pp 5 - 20.McConnell, John (21/9/95), Art Director, Pentagram, UK. Taped interview with J. Shaw.McCoy, Katherine (1990), ‘Professional Design Education: an Opinion and a Proposal,’ DesignIssues Volume VII, Number 1, Fall. pp 20 - 22.Owen, Charles (1991), ‘Design Education in the Information Age,’ Design Issues Volume VII,Number 2, Spring. pp 25 - 33.Walker, Cummings G. (1992), ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part One,’Communication Arts Photography Annual. pp 184 - 189.Walker, Cummings G. (1992), ‘After School - A Discussion of Design Education: Part Two,’Communication Arts Advertising Annual. pp 242 - 244.AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank the following people for their input and help: Paul Green-Armytage, Michael Pearson, Helen Richards, Paul Spicer and Jill Yates.116

The need for consultation process in professional developmentRichard Coker‘The place of design in the Australian contemporary moment needs to be registered as both thecontext of design education and its referential frame. This means a linking of understanding(and) . . . the need for new modes of relational organisation. These understandings should notbe seen as additions to the curriculum but rather as means of its transformation.’ 1This paper suggests that ‘professional development’ begins when a student enters a designprogram and goes on throughout his/her professional career. It suggests design occurs in adynamic, ever advancing and changing terrain. A terrain which needs to be explored fromvarious vantage points. The paper also suggests that developed, rather than simple models ofdesign education need to be utilised in contemporary preservice and inservice education andtraining. Such models employ cooperative and mutually respectful consultative techniques,which foster a process in which the diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences and expertise oflearners, teachers and practitioners are complementary and mutually supportive.We are all explorers who benefit from the experience of our travelling companions who canhelp us to understand the professional terrain. No one knows everything about design, andnoone knows nothing about design. Teachers and professionals can lead, inspire, initiate, anddirect in a knowledgeable, creative, innovative manner. Students can also be active agents,rather than passive recipients in this process. We as developing designers, professionals, andeducators need to dialogue and develop skills of consultation in order to release the creativesynergy necessary to address the design needs of an interdependent world.What should design education be and what is its relationship to professional development?When we look at traditional learning and teaching models, we may categorise them, accordingto Dennis Fox of Trent Polytechnic (Nottingham), as Transfer Theory, Shaping Theory, GrowingTheory and Travelling Theory. 2In a simplified example of Transfer Theory, we imagine knowledge as a commodity in a pitcherbeing poured or transferred to another container such as a cup. Verbs such as ‘convey’, ‘give’,‘transmit’ and ‘expound’ are often used to describe the activities of the teacher who is viewedas a type of ‘pump attendant’ for information transfer where the students are the waitingcontainers. Transfer Theory teaching methods include lectures, reading lists, duplicated notes,and so on.Shaping Theory depends more on modifying the learner as a product, rather than as an emptycontainer, but the learner is still seen as a passive agent in the learning process. The approach ischaracterised by the use of verbs such as ‘mould’, ‘develop’, ‘instruct’, ‘produce’ and ‘direct’.The teacher in this case is viewed as a skilled craftsman working on raw material or assemblingcomponents, while the student is perceived as inert material such as clay or wood ready forshaping. Teaching methods in this case would be practical instructions, like recipes given inlaboratories or workshops. These would be exercises with predictable and fairly uniformoutcomes determined in advance by the teacher.Neither simple Transfer Theory or Shaping Theory can hold water upon closer inspection. If weimagine the teacher as a pitcher and the liquid it contains as knowledge we can easily visualise ascenario-of pouring that liquid into a waiting container, the student. What if the container hasholes in it? The obvious result is similar to difficulties related to retention and distraction in theeducational environment. What if the container is not situated under the pouring spout of thepitcher? This is equivalent to the physical or mental absence of a student. What if the containeris already partially filled? No university student is initially totally devoid of any information. Asthe pitcher continues to pour after the container has reached its limit there is an overflowproblem. Reshaping the container won’t solve the overflow problem. What if theAfter post graduateschool at theInstitute of Design atIllinois Institute ofTechnology RichardCoker joined TRWSystems to work onthe NortheastCorridorTransportationproject. As anindustrial designerwith the office ofCharles and RayEames, he workedon projects includingthe IBM Museum,<strong>National</strong> Aquariumproposal, and softpad furniture group.A casual criticism ofLos Angeles led totwo years asassistant city plannerwhere he superviseda project to identifyblighting factors inthe city. Hesubsequentlyfounded a companybased on theprinciples presentedin Schumacher’sbook Small isBeautiful, employingtraditionallyunemployablepeople. Thecompany wasresponsible for theproduction of labourbalanced,ecologically sensitiveproducts, and designsupport to otherorganisations andbusinesses interestedin similar goals.Becoming a part ofthe full timeacademiccommunity in 1987he is currently alecturer in the Schoolof Architecture,Interior andIndustrial Design,Department of BuiltEnvironment,Queensland117

Richard CokerUniversity ofTechnology,Brisbane. During hisacademic career, hehas also continuedhis professionalinvolvementsincluding three yearsas staff designer for ,David 0. ChaseDesign whileAssistant Professor atSyracuse University.container has a large capacity but a narrow opening difficult to pour into? This may be likenedto a learning disability. Designing the spout of the pitcher to fit only one shape will notcompensate for the myriad of shapes in which the container may exist. Teaching in one way willnot compensate for a diversity of learning styles and current research into learning styles wouldindicate that students have a variety of processes which they may employ as they learn.As we have seen the metaphor of the pitcher and container and its variations has its parallel inthe actual educational environment. I challenge you to examine your own experience as teacher,professional and student in this context. These are the shortcomings of Transfer and ShapingTheory. The key difference between these simple concepts of teaching and learning and what istermed ‘developed theories’ is that in the latter the learner is considered to be an activeparticipant in the process. They make a significant contribution to the direction, process,objectives and pace of their learning. These developed theories are often referred to as GrowingTheory and Travelling Theory.Verbs typical of Growing Theory include ‘cultivate’, ‘encourage’, ‘nurture’, ‘develop’, ‘bring out’,and so on. The teacher is viewed as a gardener and the student as a growing plant ordeveloping personality. Teaching methods are experiential and spontaneous. Northedge offersthis view of the theory:“In this case we conceive of the teacher as a gardener with the student’s mind, as before, anarea of ground. But this time I suggest we view the ground as already covered with vegetation(concept systems), some of which is clearly worth retaining and cultivating. Indeed the areashows all the signs of having been tended by many previous gardeners. And, in fact, thepresent gardener is only one of a group each of whom tends to specialise in different kinds ofplants, but whose work may well have side-effects, good or bad, on the work of others. In thegarden, plants will tend to grow quite readily regardless of intervention from the gardener and itis his aim to encourage certain plants at the expense of others; finding ways of acting as acatalyst in bringing out the best he can from the available ground. The gardener does not worktowards a precisely defined end, since the garden is continually changing as different plantscome to their prime. “ 3This seems a more sensible approach to education than the simpler Transfer and ShapingTheories, however it alone is not the most appropriate method to apply to design education.Investigating further it can be seen that emphasis is placed on the student developing as aperson rather than the subject matter having a position of importance. The Growth Theory onlyconsiders the subject matter as significant if it contributes to the personal growth of the learner.This is not a position which could reasonably be held by design educators. For design educators,the terrain has its own identity and importance.The most important theory for design educators to understand is the Travelling Theory. It seemsclosest to a paradigm appropriate to design education needs and harmonises with a progressiveview of professional development. Verbs such as ‘lead’, ‘guide’, ‘initiate’, ‘help’, and ‘direct’ asin ‘show the way’ are used. The educator is viewed as an experienced and expert travellingcompanion, a guide who provides travelling aids. The learner is seen as an explorer. Teachingmethods including ‘simulations’ such as visual thinking, projects and exercises withoutpredictable outcomes. It is often discuss based and emphasises independent learning.Describing his view of the Travelling Theory, Dennis Fox presents the following scenario,“Education is seen as a journey and the subject being studied represents one of manyinteresting and challenging areas of countryside to be explored. There is nothing flat about thisterrain (and) the effort of climbing the hills is rewarded by the views from the tops. These viewsenable the traveller to see, in perspective, features previously only experienced out of context. .118

all now appear as part of a pattern that is interconnected and meaningful when viewed fromabove.Richard Coker‘Some subjects encompass a number of relatively small but isolated hills and one can get anappreciation of the whole area only by climbing several of them. As more hills are climbed,more of the area comes into view and many of the most exciting climbs are towards the edgeof the territory because these give tantalising views into other regions.‘Some subjects on the other hand are dominated by a huge mountain. In this case the higheryou climb, the better the view (except when the mountain has its head in the clouds), but thereis no easy way up this mountain. The higher slopes can only be reached by first getting up thefoothills and establishing well-provisioned base camps.‘The teacher in this analogy, is a local guide. He has climbed all the hills and mountains; heknows most of the views. He walks along the tracks and byways with the assurance of one whohas seen it all in context - but he is still exploring. He knows that the countryside is continuallychanging and that there is always something new to learn. He enjoys sharing his experiencewith newcomers; he can provide maps and compass and other travelling equipment and he willaccompany novice explorers as a travelling companion with lots of helpful suggestions aboutthe best routes and about what to look for on the way. He can help others to make sense ofthe views from the tops and he often finds himself learning something new himself - perhapswhen one of his students from a slightly different perspective, points out something that hehimself has never seen before. At one time he used to feel embarrassed when that happened -feeling that it showed up some of his inadequacies as a guide. But now he recognises that hewill never know everything and he shares the excitement of being a fellow explorer - albeit anextremely knowledgeable and experienced one.’ 4The central concept this presents is that of the world being ‘out there’ to explore. In otherwords, the material, knowledge, subject matter which is to be understood and applied tocomplex interrelated problems is ‘out there’ to be discovered and/or learned through apartnership between the learner and the teacher.119

Richard CokerSUMMARYTRANSFERSHAPINGGROWING TRAVELLINGSHEETTHEORYTHEORYTHEORYTHEORYVerbsconvey, impart, develop, mould, cultivate, lead, point theCommonly implant, imbue, demonstrate, encourage, way, guide,Used give, expound, produce, instruct, nurture, develop, initiate, help,transmit, put over, condition, prepare, foster, enable, show, directpropound, tell direct (give orders) help, bring out (show the way)Subject Matter commodity to be shaping tools, experiences to terrain to betransferred, to fill pattern, blue print be incorporated explored,a container into developing vantage pointspersonalityThe Student container to be inert material developing explorerfilled (clay, wood, personality,metal)growing plantsto be shapedThe Teacherpump attendant, skilled craftsman resource provider, experiencedfood processor, working on raw gardener and expertbar maid material or travellingselecting andcompanion,assemblingguide,componentsprovider oftravelling aidsStandard lectures, reading laboratory, experiential simulations,Teachinglists, duplicated workshop, methods projects, etc.,Methods notes practical similar to exercises withinstructions like travelling unpredictablerecipes, exercises theory but less outcomes,with predictable structured discussions,outcomes and more independentspontaneous learningMonitoring measuring and checking site and listening to comparingProgress sampling, shape of product reflections on notes withcontents of vessel personal travellingdevelopment companionExplanations leaky vessels, flawed, faulty poor start, blinkered visionOf Failuresmall container raw material inadequately lack of staminaTeacher’s View prepared, no unadventurouswill to develop lethargicExplanations poor transfer incompetent restricted diet, poor guides,Of Failureskills, poor aim craftsman, unsuitable food, poorStudent’s View poor or missing incompetent equipment,blueprint gardener too manyrestrictions onroute120Attitude need simple need shaping to need skills of need skills ofTo Trainingskills of transfer British Standard diagnosing needs expert guideTeacher of individual plants as well asknowledge ofterrain

Travelling Theory is consistent with the outlook of designers who see design as problem solvingthrough an attempt to create a frictionless fit between forms generated and the contextconsidered. Charles Eames drew a simple diagram of the design process as he saw it.Richard CokerA diagram of the design process drawn by Charles EamesThe diagram consisted of an area which represented the ‘interest and concern of the designoffice’, a second area which represented the ‘genuine interest of the client’, and a third areathat represented the ‘concerns of society as a whole’. Eames indicated that the smaller areacreated by the overlap of all three areas represented the area of mutual interests and concernswithin which “the designer can work with conviction and enthusiasm.” He added two veryimportant notes to this diagram. First, “these areas are not static - they grow and develop - aseach one influences the others.” Second, “putting more than one client in the model builds therelationship in a positive and constructive way.”It is also noteworthy and predictable to add that this map like example revealing a patch ofshared concern and interest serves as an example of the mountainous terrain described earlier.Eames drew upon the expertise of a vast number of people including scientists and artists. Hisbelief in this kind of collaborative lead him to work with Leonard Berstein, composer; Geo Ponti,architect; John Whitney, early computer imaging artist, to mention just a few. These expertfellow travellers would be brought into the consultative process as needed. Eames was alsoinvolved in specifically educational activities - an example is the Elliot Norton Lectures on VisualCommunications given at Harvard University in the early seventies.This brings us back to our original concern and the next question. Who should be included in,the consultative process of professional development in the field of design? It seems apparentthat not only should educators be key participants but also practitioners. The nature and level oftheir participation will be governed by their interests, needs and time. They can be recruited asadditional guides in order to prepare young people to enter the professional world. Theseguides should not limit their activities to simply assisting the learner to acquire a skill base. Theyshould also be pointing to a vision concerned with raising the standards of the profession. Thestudents as identified in the Travelling Theory not only have an interest in the outcomes of suchinteractions as learners, they will also become professionals and educators in the future.Therefore in the present, they have a vital role as participants in the consultative group.121

Richard CokerDesign practitioners, educators, and students should become the core consultative group. Inaddition, and in Australia especially, there is also a need to include manufacturers. This inclusionis necessity to educate them to the benefits and role of design in their particular businesses. As aresult of this inclusion there would also be a gain for the Australian economy. There is certainlya history of products, originating in Australia, which have been developed elsewhere because ofthe inability to find funding and manufacturing support here. Two examples are of course theFAX machine and the rotary lawn mower. An educated base of manufacturing and investmentagencies are needed to enable design to assume its deserved and needed position in theAustralian business economy.Views of ‘concurrent engineering’ gaining popularity along with JIT management approaches inthe U.S., Europe, as well as Australia, point to the need for the inclusion of suppliers,production managers, distributors, sales and marketing representatives, packaging and graphicdesigners, and of course industrial designers and engineers, as well as others appropriate toeach project, to meet at the very beginning of the conception stages. Continued meetingsthroughout the developmental processes would be advantages. This replaces the antiquated‘over the wall’ concept which dominated product development until recent times. This is theout dated method in which sales throws an idea over the wall to marketing who develops abrief then throws it over the wall to the designers who throw the conceptual solution over thewall to the engineers who develop it and toss it over the wall to the manufacturer. Although‘over the wall’ allows any shortcomings to be conveniently blamed on the previous provider itdoesn’t result in optimum solutions.So far we have pointed out the core group for design education and professional development.It should consist of design practitioners, educators, and students as the initiators of theconsultative process. These may be joined by manufacturers, businesses, and others asappropriate. Now we reach the question of what the consultation process should be and whatends it is directed toward.‘Consultation is a problem solving process whereby two or more people consider a definedproblem from various perspectives in an effort to arrive at a solution that reflects the collectivewisdom of the group. Consultation is based on the premise that any given individual’s definitionof a problem is a product of his/her own filters and assumptions and is therefore limited.Through consultation this limitation is overcome. Consideration of divergent viewpoints leads toa ‘truer’ definition and analysis of a problem. The subsequent solution more nearlyapproximates ‘the ideal solution’ to the defined problem.’ 5This definition assumes that there is a problem to be solved. Who decides what the problem is?This is the first agenda item for the consultative group and the first step in the consultativeprocess. The following steps and requisites for successful consultation are taken from RichardThomas’ work 6 . They are somewhat self explanatory and will not be elucidated further in thispaper.Requisites for a Successful Consultation1221 Search out the truth.2 Respect each person’s views by listening carefully and not belittling or censuring.3 Suspend judgement and consider the problem from the perspective of another.4 All participants must have the freedom to express their views freely and openly. Solutions often come from the clash of opinions.5 Express your view with dignity, care and moderation. Use frankness and candour.6 Put your opinion on the table and consider it no longer yours. The need for defence of anopinion will evaporate.7 Exercise humility. Consider that your perception or solution is one of many. The final decisionwill most likely reflect the collective understanding of the group rather than of just one person.8 Be focused. Consultation is goal oriented.

9 Be patient with the process. It takes time to learn the skills of consultation and to arrive at asolution that reflects all viewpoints rather than just a few.10 Strive for solutions that reflect unity of thought. Refrain from criticising the solution orbuilding coalitions within the consultative group.Richard CokerSteps of Consultation1 Define and agree on the problem. This includes sorting out which facts are relevant to thesituation.2 Acquire information about the problem-its causes and possible solutions.3 Analyse the deeper issues underlying the problem.4 Identify any principles that apply to the problem.5 Consider solutions. Agree, through a vote of consensus, or a majority of the participants onsolutions.6 Make a plan for implementation and evaluation.7 Implement the plan.8 Reflect on the results and adjust your activities accordingly.The consultation process itself is a rich terrain to be explored and it is important to realise it is anon-going process to be learned, practised, refined and improved by the individual and thegroup. Any sincere attempt by a group to employ this process will yield positive outcomes.There are numerous sources of techniques and tools which can be employed within theconsultative process.Personal communication skills such as patience, courtesy and assertiveness are extremelybeneficial within the framework of consultation. These skills are not necessarily the same skillsneeded in an authoritarian, hierarchical system. Taking assertiveness as an example it is notperhaps defined the same way as it has previously. Its definition is seen most clearly whenplaced in context with its less desirable counterparts, submissiveness and aggression.According to Neil H. Katz 7 , when one is assertive she/he states their feelings, needs, views, andwants; takes clear positions; assumes a straight posture and competent air; maintains good eyecontact and listen well; they are able to disclose and they are initiators. Submissive personshowever allows themselves to be interrupted, subordinated and stereotyped; they tend to havepoor eye contact; they withhold information, opinions, and feelings; they are often indecisive;they will apologise, avoid, and leave. An aggressive individual will dominate; is abusive andmanipulative; interrupts, is a poor listener who is prone to yell, blame and even hit; tends to besarcastic and also conceals feeling and information.An interesting dynamic becomes visible when we cross reference these three behavioural modes(submissiveness, assertiveness, and aggressiveness) with self esteem. A normal bell curveappears beginning with very low self esteem (submissiveness), transitioning into high selfesteem (assertiveness), and then back to low self esteem (aggressiveness). The process ofconsultation requires structural behaviour changes which have been studied in the socialsciences and are personal factors relevant to the consultative process, and necessary for mentalhealth in our society.It is important not to approach these changes with a ‘wouldn’t it be nice if’ attitude but ratherwith a clear picture that at this point in time we have the ability, knowledge and the need todevelop in this way. This interdependence is visible or needed in every arena of humanendeavour.What should we expect to be the initial outcomes? This paradigm shift in process will requireperseverance as we travel over strange terrain. M. Scott Peck, author of A Road Less Travelled,claims in his latest book, The Different Drum, that individuals as well as groups develop throughfour stages.123

Richard CokerThey are:1 Chaotic, antisocial2 Formal, institutional3 Sceptic, individual4 Mystic, communalThe first stage, chaotic and antisocial, is exemplified in pre-schoolers who exhibit selfish andaggressive behaviour revolving around their own individual wants. Stage two, formal andinstitutional, means the child begins to not only accept a formal set of rules to replace the chaosbut also builds a belief in the appropriateness of those rules. Stage three, sceptic and individual,is often personified in adolescence where there is frequent questioning of basic principles ofbehaviour accompanied by individualistic behaviour. The fourth stage, mystic, communal, isholistic in nature. It reflects the acknowledgment of the whole human being, physical,intellectual, emotional and spiritual. In the individual it is typified in the ability to meet the needsof self and others at the same time, create a higher unity, function with goals and aspirationswhich include things beyond the material. Individuals, groups, and institutions all move throughthese stages if their goal is full participation of the members.Peck goes on to describe groups as developing through four stages, pseudo community, chaos,emptiness and finally true community. Pseudo community, as is implied is typified by artificiality,superficial conversation, withholding of information. Chaos ensues when conflicting opinions,needs and desires are expressed. This is followed by emptying which is characterised bymembers going through the process of ‘emptying’ their real feelings, thoughts, and attitudes.After emptying the group can become a true community which develops a mutually supportiveand inclusive character. However as Peck warns, it might become sidetracked throughhierarchical organisation which will prevent community and full participation from emerging.This four stage process repeats itself to some degree when there is an influx of new people andin fact might cycle through the four stages periodically depending on situations and need. Theongoing characteristic of true community is an abiding desire to maintain a mutuallysupportive, inclusive, flexible sense of community.This applies to the design consultative group in as much as there is a need to keep in mind thefour stage process so as to avoid confusion when traversing from pseudo community, to chaos,to emptying, to true community and also to avoid the temptation to lapse into a controlledhierarchy. The consultative group cannot function effectively in a ‘Robert’s Rules of Order’mentality. It needs the most supportive environment for the process to succeed.The final concern of this paper has to do with goal setting and implementation. The <strong>National</strong>Design Review Report, Competing By Design, prepared by the <strong>National</strong> Design Review SteeringCommittee through the Australian Academy of Design is a rich resource of topics and issueswhich could and should be considered. The important thing is to establish a clear goal thatresults in action. Regional interests, needs, and resources have to be considered and the processshould be fun. It is important to remember the overlapped areas of concern whichEames diagrammed. Client, designer, and world considerations maintain the value of the workof the consultative group.One example of a project based goal might be looking at trash collection during the OlympicGames in Sydney, from the point it is discarded to the recycling centres or land fills. Whether afew hours or a semester is dedicated to a project of this kind, design educators, practitioners,and students can participate side by side in an exciting, fun, and worthwhile project.124Other ideas can be a look at new technologies which could be applied to industry. This can beconsulted on by the group leading perhaps to a symposium and/or field trips and subsequentworkshops. The subject of internships can be investigated under the umbrella of thisconsultative group keeping in mind that there are no where near enough professional design

offices to support every school and student in Australia. Full and frank discussion in aconsultative environment by design practitioners, educators and students should be able togenerate creative options both regionally and nationally.Richard CokerIn conclusion I offer the following example of the use of the consultative process in a projectjust completed at QUT this last semester. Kristine Jerome, lecturer in Interior Design, organised acompetition with a local lighting manufacturer, Interlux. The competition revolved around theintroduction of a new lighting technology which offers the same illumination as a standardfluorescent tube but in a much smaller package. The new 7 mm diameter tube, a third or lessthe length of a standard fluorescent fixture has a much smaller ballast as well. The objectivedescribed in the brief was to investigate the application of this lighting technology to the hotelindustry.The actual project ran less than a semester and involved industry professionals including theInterlux’ CEO, manager of sales and marketing, and their industrial designer. QUT participantsincluded the second year interior design class, an interior design lecturer, an industrial designlecturer and a commercial services representative. The HOS, area coordinator of interior designand other interior design faculty participated at various junctures. This list is included as apractical demonstration of who can participate in a consultative process operating within acollaborative environment.The consultative process was utilised throughout the project with the notable absence of vestedinterest groups or participants dominating the direction or outcome of the project. Thecooperative consultative environment led to results which are soon to be published inMonument Magazine. A similar competition is to be offered next year as an elective.Benefits to the participants were as follows:> Students benefited by exposure to and interaction with the professional environment withinthe controlled milieu of an educational context.> Professionals benefited by exposure to and interaction with students and educators withinthe educational environment.> Educators benefited by facilitating desired outcomes within the context of the collaborativeexperience between the students and industry.All of the above participants emerged with a more comprehensive understanding and modifiedoutlooks after the experience. An added dimension was the level of enjoyment experienced.References1Dr. Tony Fry, Director, Eco Design Foundation, Submission - <strong>National</strong> Design Review, 19952Dennis Fox, “Personal Theories of Teaching”, from Studies in Higher Education Vol 8 No 23Dennis Fox, “Personal Theories of Teaching”, Studies in Higher Education, Vol 8 No 2,19834ibid.5Dr. Richard Thomas, from a synopsis of the Techniques of Consultation, New World Associates- Training and Development, Lansing, Michigan 19956ibid.7Neil H. Katz, director, Program in Nonviolent Conflict and Change, Syracuse University125

Richard CokerBibliographyFox, Dennis, Personal Theories of Teaching, Studies in Higher Education Vol. 8 No. 2, 1983Katz, Neil H., Lawyer, John W. Communication and Conflict Resolution Skills, Kendall/HuntPublishing Co. 1992Neuhart, John, Neuhart, Marilyn, and Eames, Ray, Eames design, The Work of the Office ofCharles and Ray Eames, Abrams, Inc., New York 1989Peck, M. Scott, The Different Drum, Ryder, Great Britain 1989Thomas, Richard W. Racial Unity: An Imperative for Social Progress, 1993<strong>National</strong> Design Review Steering Committee (1995), Australian Academy of Design126

Towards a review of the Design Education Policy of the <strong>DIA</strong>Harry StephensAbstractEducation must be of central concern to any professional body. The degree to which such abody involves itself in the education of its potential members, may, with some justification, beinterpreted as a reflection of the quality and depth of its ‘professionalism’.The current Education Policy of the Design Institute of Australia is presented in a short two pagedocument of approximately 700 words. In its division into the four headings:1 Recognition of courses leading to professional qualifications at tertiary level,2 Professional involvement in course delivery,3 Professional expectations and4 Support for research enterprises, postgraduate study and professional staffed development,it touches on the most important aspects of design education. However, for all of this, itspecifically avoids anything but the most cursory involvement in the education process.A review of the policy is urgently required. This paper is intended as the catalyst for such areview. It does not pretend to have all of the answers but in calling for the development ofdiscipline-specific education guidelines and proposing a system for ensuring that theseguidelines are followed by the institutions, it suggests a way to begin a most important andurgently needed process.IntroductionThe Australian community and our design professions in particular are supported by a designeducation system which, judged by any standards, is of a generally very high level ofprofessionalism. It has demonstrated a capacity to change and adapt effectively to theexpectations of a society of ever more diversity and sophistication.The increasing complexity and scope of the expertise demanded within the various designdisciplines place more and more specific expectations on those wishing to enter them. Thedesign education academies have proven themselves to be generally responsive byendeavouring to redirect their courses to satisfy these trends. Their courses have to varyingdegrees taken the broad and valuable concerns of the education offered by the fine art schools,from which most have either grown or been historically closely associated, and haveaugmented, embellished and redirected these to accommodate the levels of professionaltraining demanded by a world seeking specialists in all fields. Other courses have beenspecifically instituted to educate such specialists.Together with this emphasis on design education focusing to a greater extent on the specialistareas serviced by the design professions, there is a parallel emphasis on the “general education”component of the major courses, particularly within the universities, so that a design educationis not a technical training but a preparation for a wide variety of later life experiences which mayor may not fall within the confines of any specific professional discipline.And whilst the balance between these two aspects of design education will vary from course tocourse, all courses recognise that to place an undue emphasis on one to the detriment of theother is to run the risk of being and/or being seen by the professions and prospective studentsalike as irrelevant.127

Harry StephensThat having been said however, it remains in the interests of each design profession to ensure towhatever extent possible that the education being delivered in their specific discipline isappropriate to the needs of that profession.The <strong>DIA</strong> and EducationThe fact that our institutions are doing as well as they are is due in large measure to theirinternal structures and the efforts of those who run them rather than any specific directivesfrom without. With the exception of the heads of industrial Design courses in Australia meetingas AIDER (Australian Industrial Design Education and Research group) who have established verygood communication with one another, there are very few organised initiatives towardsnational coordination of the efforts of courses. The success of AIDER demonstrates there is anobvious need for such coordination, communication and cooperation and that this need can beaddressed in excellent fashion.The <strong>DIA</strong>, as the body charged with the task of upholding the professionalism of the designdisciplines under its umbrella, is in the unique position of being able to act effectively not merelyas a catalyst for such coordination, communication and cooperation but as an instigator andfacilitator. Indeed, if it is to act in a truly effective professional manner, it has the responsibility todo just this.An essential aspect of this responsibility is to seek to ensure that the design courses are offeringan education which is appropriate to the needs of the community in general and of theprofessions in particular. Whilst there are obviously enormous benefits to be had by thecommunity from a general education in design, and whilst the professions will always benefit inthe long term from pure academic inquiry into theoretical issues, the vocational training role ofthe courses is to them of most immediate importance. And the responsibility for all of this mustbe discharged in a manner which is appropriate to the task. Unhappily the level of commitmentto the task at present falls somewhat short of what is reasonable.The current <strong>DIA</strong> Policy statement on education maintains that the <strong>DIA</strong> ‘has an interest in theprovision and quality of the education for future professionals and the wider community””.Stated elsewhere in the policy is that it also has an interest in continuing education of existingprofessionals. To have ‘an interest in the provision and quality of the education’ is fine but toleave the nature of this interest unspecified is really not acceptable. Even to embrace the firstgoal of the <strong>DIA</strong> as presented in the general <strong>DIA</strong> brochure which is ‘to encourage the higheststandards of education and practice in the design professions” would have been better. Thisvague opening statement is followed by one equally as vague which says only that ‘the <strong>DIA</strong>seeks to influence the provision for design education in a non-prescriptive and consultative rolein offering advice on professional competencies and future trends in the industry which mightaffect the curriculum for design training and education.’ It makes no attempt to define thenature or extent of this ‘influence’ seemingly making a virtue of passive non-involvement. Thepolicy statement goes on to require that each course conforms to the IFI, ICOGRADA and ICSIDstandards and has a <strong>DIA</strong> representative on its review panel. Such a ‘policy’ is without vision,direction or conviction. It is simply unworthy of an organisation purporting to have acommitment to upholding and promoting high professional standards in the design disciplinesit represents.Need for <strong>DIA</strong> Vision for DesignThere is every reason why a professional organisation like the <strong>DIA</strong> should seek to monitor andpro-actively influence the quality of education which its future professionals will undertake andto play a significant role in the continuing education of its members. In order to do soeffectively however, it must demonstrate that it is worthy of the task. And this would require128

firstly that it have and proclaim a vision for design and therefore a vision for design education. Itsimply cannot be neutral on this issue. Such a vision ought to be based upon the premise that agood education in design is one which:Harry Stephens> promotes a striving for design excellence in all things,> seeks to provide the basis for its graduates to build sound professional careers;> and challenges the design professions to creatively extend their horizons so that they betterserve the community now and in the future.The recent <strong>DIA</strong> brochure entitled ‘We believe in the power of design’ represents a positive stepin this direction. Its opening statement reads ‘On behalf of its members, the <strong>DIA</strong> encourages thehighest possible standards of education and professional practice in the design professions.’This is a restatement of the first goal of the <strong>DIA</strong> published elsewhere but in this context, under abanner as strong as this one (‘We believe ... power’!), it implies a greater degree of commitmentto the ideal. The release of such a publication needs to be followed by positive action toreinforce its message if it is not to be seen as just so many more words.Scope of <strong>DIA</strong> Education PolicyThe present <strong>DIA</strong> design education policy statement lists four areas of concern - ‘ 1. Recognitionof courses leading to professional qualifications at tertiary level; 2. Professional involvement incourse delivery; 3. Professional expectations; 4. Support for research enterprises, postgraduatestudy and professional staff development’ 3 . In each of them however, the statement illustratesat best a minimal and at worst a mere nominal interest. Any full-blooded design educationpolicy must spell out in detail just what this interest is in breadth and depth.Any overhaul of the policy should begin with undergraduate tertiary education. A strongcommitment here will have its natural spin-offs in the direction of the community in the firstinstance and create a base for the development of a well directed positive commitment topostgraduate education and further professional training.Accreditation of Undergraduate Design CoursesAppropriately, the first goal of the current policy is ‘the recognition of courses leading toprofessional qualifications at tertiary level’. An argument may be mounted for the word‘recognition’ in this context to be exchanged for the elsewhere more commonly used‘accreditation’. Even though the two words are very similar in meaning, the latter carries astronger connotation of an active involvement on the part of the acknowledging body than theformer.The accreditation of design courses is ultimately the most important role for the <strong>DIA</strong> inundergraduate tertiary education and its policy must develop a method which is moreappropriate than the present system whereby recognition is sought and bestowed.A Possible ModelThere are many models one might look to for assistance in setting up a system of accreditingdesign courses. One which is possibly the most useful for the <strong>DIA</strong> is that which is used by theRATA and the Australian Architects Registration Boards in assessing and accrediting architecturecourses. They have the responsibility for ensuring that the architecture courses, which areprerequisites for ultimate registration of graduates, are of adequate standard. Their findingscarry considerable weight due in part to the link between the courses and the legal registrationof their graduates according to the Architects Act. Their accreditation system is currently underreview and indications are that the ideas which are being generated will considerably improvethe system making it an even better model for a <strong>DIA</strong> scheme than it is at present. To adopt asystem which is based on similar foundations would not only be desirable educationally but129

Harry Stephenswould have the added benefit of allowing a closer relationship between the <strong>DIA</strong> and the RATAat this level - a goal not to be taken lightly in the light of current moves towards amalgamationof the design bodies.The effectiveness of a similar <strong>DIA</strong>-conducted system to accredit design courses would not havethe weight of law behind it and would depend to a very large extent on the respect which thedesign community has for the <strong>DIA</strong> as a body able to act effectively in the best interests of therespective disciplines. With the <strong>DIA</strong> taking such an initiative however, the very existence of asystem like this would ipso facto raise the level of respect it enjoys. To remain with the currentfar-from-ideal system is to invite the criticism that the <strong>DIA</strong> is not acting as the professional bodyit purports to be.This is a most crucial point. The membership of the <strong>DIA</strong> is a long way short of what it could be.There are large numbers of designers who are not members. How many have or will not joinbecause they do not believe that the <strong>DIA</strong> is ‘professional’ enough? With the kind of involvementin education suggested here it would be absolutely clear that the <strong>DIA</strong> takes it seriously.<strong>DIA</strong> Discipline-Specific Education GuidelinesBefore it would be possible to establish an appropriate system for accrediting design courseshowever, the <strong>DIA</strong> needs to develop clear guidelines for what it sees as an appropriate designeducation in each of the design disciplines. As does the present policy, such guidelines must bedeveloped from the IFI, ICOGRADA and ICSID standards so that our courses remaininternationally oriented and competitive but they must be augmented to accommodate localconditions. There has been considerable energy and expertise invested in looking closely atdesign education in Australia over the last few years. Turning to the fruits of this and continuinglabour in the field must yield sufficient information to develop a sound set of <strong>DIA</strong> EducationGuidelines and this is a task that ought to be undertaken as a matter of some urgency.The general nature of the IFI, ICOGRADA and ICSID standards render them ultimatelyinadequate to the task not only of establishing appropriate guidelines for each of the disciplinesrepresented but inadequate in that they are too narrowly focused on practice issues with toolittle concern for the value of design education which is based on a more theoretical intellectualinquiry. Whilst such inquiry may not bear immediate fruit in practice, it is essential to thewellbeing of any profession nourishing and developing its knowledge base. This sentiment isclearly stated in the current <strong>DIA</strong> Education Policy which says in its second paragraph ‘Educationthrough design as well as education for professional practice is a necessary development fordesign to be more widely understood in the general community.’ 4Furthermore, acknowledging that the <strong>DIA</strong> is an umbrella organisation for all of these disciplinesis most important but it must also act to serve the best interests of the individual professions aswell. It must resist any tendency to seek common ground which would result in all conformingto a lowest common denominator. As the disciplines define themselves ever more clearly, theynaturally develop a sense of individual identity that can and ought to be expressed. Separateeducation guidelines developed for each discipline would assist in this inevitable and healthyprocess. The <strong>DIA</strong> is the natural and most appropriate body to promote and guide this process.Examination by Accreditation PanelThe degree to which the courses follow these discipline-specific education guidelines wouldthen need to be examined when they seek accreditation. A process needs to be developedwhich does not tax the meagre resources of the <strong>DIA</strong> and the design professions unduly butwhich can nevertheless ensure that the courses are performing adequately.130

The system employed by the RAIA requires the formation of accreditation panels which visit thecourses from time to time and make recommendations to the RATA and the state Boards ofArchitects based on their assessment of written reports and personal observations. Whilst thisprocess is quite effective, the costs involved are not inconsequential. It would seem that thesame or similar benefits could be achieved by a well constituted and empowered accreditationpanel assembled at a convenient location, without needing to travel to the various schools,studying written and other responses by the course authorities to tasks/questions set by the <strong>DIA</strong>augmented by reports by the <strong>DIA</strong> member currently appointed to each course. The costsincurred by this process would no doubt be readily augmented if not completely covered by thecourses in whose interests the panel meets.Harry StephensTo this end a guideline document would need to be developed which ensured that the mostappropriate questions were asked so that the responses are as revealing of the course underreview as possible.Composition of the Accreditation PanelThe panels should be discipline-specific and be made up of practitioners, academics andstudents. Chaired by the federal <strong>DIA</strong> councillor responsible for education (or by a nominee ofthe federal <strong>DIA</strong> president in the event that a conflict of interests could occur), the panel oughtto consist of at least two practitioners, two academics from courses other than the ones underreview and a student from a course in the discipline under consideration. The method ofselecting panellists could perhaps be by ballot from a list of volunteers solicited and compiled bythe <strong>DIA</strong> but must provide for discrete and reasonable rights of veto by the head of the courseunder consideration.Assessment CriteriaThe assessment criteria or guidelines employed by the accreditation panels will need to be basedupon a specific set of requirements for each discipline. Whilst the IFI, ICOGRADA and ICSIDstandards and the present <strong>DIA</strong> design education policy statement offer a good starting point,their very general nature and their severe brevity demand that they be very considerablyaugmented and elaborated upon. The guidelines must be solidly based upon the assumptionthat the education being delivered in the course under consideration is an appropriate trainingfor future professional involvement in the discipline and that its philosophical basis or mission isbroad enough so that it might be a positive influence in the promotion of excellence in designthroughout the community and the design profession.The development of these guidelines should be undertaken as a matter of urgency. Workingcommittees drawn from each of the design disciplines should be immediately established toprepare draft guideline documents to be presented to a specially convened <strong>DIA</strong> designeducation policy review committee. The formation and commissioning of such a reviewcommittee is essential. The NSW chapter should take the lead in this matter, establish acommittee and request of the national committee of the <strong>DIA</strong> that it be recognised andsupported.ConclusionIn conclusion it must be reiterated that there is an urgent need for the <strong>DIA</strong> to take a far moreactive role in design education if it is to be seen as a credible organisation concerned, as itclaims to be, with the promotion of excellence in design in Australia. The above comments andproposals may not be as well considered as they could be but they must be addressed with theutmost seriousness and urgency.131

Harry StephensReferences1<strong>DIA</strong> Design Education Policy Statement undated, issued 1995.2<strong>DIA</strong> information brochure titled ‘The Design Institute of Australia’3<strong>DIA</strong> Design Education Policy Statement.4<strong>DIA</strong> Design Education Policy Statement.132

Reports/summing up from the Seminar Chairs:Topic AThe relevance of present curriculum to professional needsChair: Carol LongbottomTopic BInnovation and new technology in education and the professionChair: Professor Helmut LueckenhausenTopic CResearch and continuing professional developmentChair: Marina Lommerse133

CarolLongbottomTopic AThe relevance of present curriculum to professional needsPaul Huxtable was the first speaker, his talk was entitled, amazing design - pity its not what thecustomer wanted. His assertion the student is our product and the educator the designercreated a great deal of debate on both sides of the argument.Harry Stephens delivered an impassioned plea for designers to ‘banish the brute’, to seriouslyseek clearer understandings of the spiritual dimension of human kind and the world so thatthey may best serve society and the world.Phil Bassets suggested we were at an intersection where education and industry (do we readprofession there or not) are travelling different paths, do we have this capacity to react, withreference to a number of points from Michael Bryce’s’ ‘Sleeping with Gropius’> Practice and education on parallel paths?> Loss of passion in education.> Do graphic designers know who the leading current product designers are?> Design needs a more respected place in society a professional underclass. They don’t knowwho designed them.> Entry into courses.> Where should design begin?Both Sherry Blankenship & Heinz Luettringhaus described new and future directions for thecourses they are involved in primarily the integration of the parts of the curriculum.134

Topic BInnovation and new technology in education and the professionHelmutLueckenhausenThe first speaker for the profession was John Brooks, Director of Applied Design Development(ADD) who spoke on “Technology Aided Design”. ADD is a multifaceted practice, the work ofwhich bridges engineering and industrial design. John’s first question was what is designtechnology? In the first instance that means materials developments polystyrene foam, as asingle material innovation is still almost as valuable as computers are to the company. In thesecond instance it means the computer developments that since 1988 have become inseparablefrom the core business of ADD particularly since the advent of solid modelling.The first impact of new technologies on ADD were negative. Design was slowed, rapidprototyping replaced workshop model making, drawing programs replaced other services andthe result was that a huge investment in new technologies brought reduced income. Thecompany focus had to change and now services are centred on planning and productionmethodologies and brokering the concept to production continuum.The issues these new developments present include the flexibility, changeability and rapidresponsiveness now required of designers, the need to reiterate the difference betweendesigners and operatives and the influence that changing tool capability has on contemporaryaesthetics and form.The challenge is for designers to remain at the forefront of technology rather than bedominated by it. Do we foresee virtual models created for the global village within a virtualreality?Representing both education and the profession, Karin Schlegel utilised expertise connectedwith her Masters Degree focusing on the problem of providing guidance through materialdelivered on the WWW to discuss ways of Making New Connections for Design+.The challenge of these new technologies is to deal with the crisis of confidence they bring withthem - if everyone can do it, why do we need designers? The promise is that hypertext is openended and lateral, new and personal meanings can be constructed from the base information.Why is everyone getting on to it? A key reason among many is communication, you canconnect with people.The classic SWOT test helps us to understand. Strengths include flexibility, ease of authorship, itis up to date, accessible and economical. Weaknesses include a reduced capacity due topopularity (soon to be addressed by improved systems) and the unmanageable quantities andpoor quality of information. Opportunities offered are interdisciplinarity and the potential forcollaboration. The Threats come from what may be the world’s first working anarchy whichchallenges authorship, ownership and copyright and which operates with a doubtful etiquette.What, therefore, is the proposal?‘Design on the Web’ a site that covers a range of communication and information on allprofessional issues in design including:> industry connections> education> professional associations> discussion groups> publications> funding sources> conferences> international links135

HelmutLueckenhausenThe capabilities of all sectors of design in Australia could be raised and its global visibilityenhanced.The last two speakers dealt with subjects only obliquely associated with technologies if at all.Vesna Popovic of QUT spoke from the educators viewpoint on ‘Product Design Education andKnowledge Base’. Her premise was that domain specific knowledge (DSK) is a necessary base todesign practice and education. She argued in favour of re-stitching the seams into RonNewman’s liberally-generalist paradigms.Designers do not research the results of their own projects, do not seek feedback or direct dataon what happens after the fact and without research into at least minimal levels of DSK,efficiency and proficiency are compromised.DSK I specific to particular forms of practice, to geography and to time, should be covered inundergraduate and postgraduate programs.Similarly, Edward Kaiser from Monash explored the specific qualities and roles of ‘IndustrialDesign’ (as) a Management Tool and Educational Challenge.These included: contribution to growth and productivity, familiarity with potential limitations ofmaterials and processes, crediting ‘profession specific’ skills, insight into the order of things(creativity linked to production), functioning within managerial and production structures,locating personal thinking within recognised conventions, requiring education which recognisesdesign as a management tool.Edward maintained that design education must move away from traditional art school roots,that the industrial design technologist is not suited to cross-disciplinary study and that theindustry must be addressed from a technical bias. He voiced the concerns of many at thisconference, that the generality (and liberality) of some of the design courses being offered inAustralia is based on a statement of faith rather than on hard evidence, liaison with theprofession and industry and quantifiable employment rates.136

Topic CResearch and continuing professional developmentChair: Marina LommerseMarinaLommerseSummary1 My Background Related to TopicIn my experience there is a difference in attitude to lifelong learning between Australians andNorth Americans. In North America there is a culture of continuing education. The onus ofcontinuing education lies with individuals and the firms employing them, as the need for careerprogression occurs. The supply of this continuing education and career development is through:1 Tertiary education at University and TAFE level.2 Government agencies.3 Private consultantsTo realise the filters and prejudices I report this session with, I offer you my background.> Moved to Australia in 1993 to take up Head, Department of Interior Design at CurtinUniversity.> Masters topic and research - Life Career Planning in the Design Field.> In my previous life I practised in Canada for sixteen years. I ran a fifteen person design firmwith annual fees of one million dollars. I am a licensed Interior Designer under the umbrella ofthe Alberta Association of Architects. To become and stay licensed in North America you mustgo through and maintain a rigorous professional accreditation including:1 Completion of an accredited professional course.2 Two years work experience with log book, folio, and professional reference letters.3 Write North American Design Examination (NCIDQ).4 Study prescribed professional practice courses, write licensing exam and attend interview.5 To remain licensed, Interior Designers must complete a prescribed number of approvedcontinuing education units annually.2 SpeakersWe had a mix of 5 speakers including Practitioners, Educators and Design Managementconsultants presenting Papers on Research and Continuing Professional Development.Alun PriceHead, School of Design Curtin UniversityDesigners and Clients: some research outcomesAlun presented outcomes of two research projects delving into the experience of Design fromthe Client’s perspective. The research raised many questions regarding Designers ability tocommunicate effectively.Robyn RobinsPrinciple, Design Management Consultants‘ But I am a designer, why do I need to know all this?’ ‘Robyn talks about her experience teaching Design Management Courses in tertiary education.What communication skills need to be taught and at what level in the curriculum? What areappropriate ways to communicate verbally and in written form? Her talk centres oncommunications areas largely ignored in most design education and ties back to the researchAlun Price is conducting.137

MarinaLommerseRussell BeversPrinciple, Rankin Bevers DesignProfessionals and Educators - there must be a common purposeRussell presented plans for AGDA to develop accreditation standards for graphic designeducation. In addition he proposed developing a package of required continuing professionaldevelopment for graphic designers. AGDA is hoping to interest tertiary education to partner inthe delivery of this continuing education.Jacqueline ShawLecturer, School of Design Curtin UniversityDesign education’s paradox: is it to lead or to follow?Jacqueline discussed the division between what industry wants and what education isproviding. Industry demands specific graduate requirements - these requirements are rapidlychanging - educators argue that if they deliver what employers want the students skills areoutdated by graduation. Jacqueline offers some view points on this continuing debate.Richard CokerLecturer, Dept. of Built Environment Queensland University of TechnologyThe need for Consultation Process in professional development.Richard’s theme was that we work in an interdependent world. That the student, teacher andpractitioners in education all come with knowledge and experience. That in education thesimple mode of delivering prescribed information for the student to learn is no longerappropriate in a rapidly changing world. A more developed mode of design education needs tobe adopted using a consultative basis ...he goes on to describe this more complex approach tolearning.3 DiscussionCentred around the following areas:> Appropriate verbal and written communications skills are weaker now as the generaleducation system has moved away from this area and interface technology has affected ourways of communicating.> Should tertiary courses be accredited in Australia, does this in fact restrict the richness ofcurrent individual programs by homogenising them?> Pride and belief in Australian Design capabilities and the Communication of this to thegeneral public.> The profession is too caught up in trying to survive to be objective about what designgraduates need in education to grow with the future profession.> Acceptance of prior learning in people entering education.> Professional development- needs to be much more focused on communication skills- needs to be nurtured and developed- needs to start at the beginning of education and developed through career.> A lot of techniques and structures exist in programmes but communication requires moredevelopment.138Raised the following questions:> What should design education be? And what is it’s relationship to professionaldevelopment?> Who is responsible for continuing education and accreditation, (the profession, the designassociations, and/or tertiary institutions)?> What tertiary education groups are interested in partnering with AGDA to develop acontinuing education programme for Graphic designers?> Is it the role of AGDA to be involved in accrediting tertiary education for Graphic designers?> Should the Design Institute of Australia (<strong>DIA</strong>) or AGDA be accrediting tertiary education

courses? Will the tertiary education programmes participate in this accreditation, especially inlight of the rigorous quality reviews currently being done at university level?MarinaLommerse5. Conclusions I offer for discussion:> Design Education needs to change the modes of delivery and curriculum to service:- diverse backgrounds- changing focus- career changers> Culture of continuing education needs to be reinforced during tertiary studies. The onus ofcontinuing education must be shared by individuals, design firms and educators.> Professionals and educators need to put structures in place for continuing educationopportunities. The structures must support people pursuing further study such as flexible time,relevant course offerings and accessible timetables.> Communication skills both verbal and written are central to professional development> Professional employers need to recognise that the first degree cannot offer a fully competentdesigner - it never has and never will.> Responsibility lies with tertiary educators to change the culture of students - they need to bemade aware that continuing education is required and the strategies they need for ongoinglearning. Practitioners need to look at their own lifelong learning - how are they pursuing it theyneed to facilitate their employees. Individuals in practice need to develop career plans andcontinuing education to keep them abreast of a changing world.> Options for c continuing professional development could include short courses in specificareas of development: double degrees ie (design/education, design/management, design/communications); or matters in design.139

Plenary sessionThe Saturday morning session provided an opportunity for delegates to have an open debateon issues arising from speeches and papers which had been presented the day previously. RonNewman and Eilish Bouchier chaired two informal sessions and Helmut Luekenhausen madesummary notes on comments from the floor. They are presented here as reminders to delegatesof some of the issues and wide ranging attitudes which were exchanged.Following the reports of the plenary session an open discussion session was held and thecomments from this session are recorded in the order that they occurred. Our thanks to Helmutwho had the onerous task of recording.Donald Welch: Can we move towards integrating TAFE and Higher Ed into cohesive deliverysystems? Strategy: national discussion / investigation. Result: nationally integrated accreditation.Cal Swann: UK experience of entry into Higher Ed through foundation programs was that itlimited access to some potential students. Therefore the TAFE channel should not be exclusive,articulation should remain an option.Harry Sprintz: Supports Vesna Popovic’s concept of DSK. Design appreciation is a worthygeneral study but should not replace vocationally specific courses.Phillip Basset: TAFE / Higher Ed needs a symbiotic model not articulation. Articulation is a jokewhich doesn’t work and <strong>DIA</strong> needs to be an agent of change creating alliances betweensectors.Ted Kayser: TAFE is the ‘engine room’, the university is ‘on the bridge’. Vocationally orientedtagged degrees are an increasing phenomenon. TAFE supplies facilities appropriate to industrialpractice and universities supply the framework for research and the pursuit of knowledge.Lance Green: Progress will be measured in leading positions taken up by graduates in majorcompanies. Designers need to become managing directors and influence the business culture.Mark Watson: Design competency standards (as developed in Victoria?) are re-mapping thedesign profession and offer an innovative model.Ron Newman: Many <strong>DIA</strong> members strongly oppose competency standards for design. The <strong>DIA</strong>has an official representative on the (Victorian?) committee which has developed competencystandards. It is bad form for the <strong>DIA</strong> to be seen to be endorsing issues / policies not agreed toby the membership.Phillip Basset: Universities oppose the principle of competency standards they were evolved forTAFE use and are causing irreparable harm. They have been badly designed and ill-conceived.The federal <strong>DIA</strong> needs to redress the mistake of having been connected with the endorsementof these standards, which has occurred at state chapter level. Michael Bryce: Commented thatthe Australian Academy of Design has also attempted to address a structured model for designpractice based on that of the Harvard business School. The work has provided some usefulguidelines but should be taken ‘with a pinch of salt’. This conference can make a difference bycontinuing the dialogue between design education and practice. Quality control, nomenclature,structure and process need to be addressed.140Harry Sprintz: Felt that until design gets into the board rooms, a re-evaluation of its potential will notbe realised. Design schools are not the place for management ‘big picture’ training. No teachinginstitute can teach everything. The global view will come out of professional development, notundergraduate training. Design schools will not produce the Renaissance man.

Cal Swann: The dangers of competency regulations, of ‘definitions’ need to be recognised.Prescription doesn’t work, design needs variation.Bob Miller-Smith: Many professionals have specific aspirations. What do designers want to do?Do they want to be in the board room? We need to connect with student aspirations.Marina Lommerse: While designers shouldn’t try to be everything to everyone, opportunitiesneed to be identified and communicated to students.Sally Gibbs: Competency standards do not work. Implementation is totally impractical,curriculum development based on them is impossible and <strong>DIA</strong> needs to help solve this problem.Comments on:(i) education policy for <strong>DIA</strong>,(ii) credentialing / registration methodology by <strong>DIA</strong> accreditation.Cal Swann: Supports review and improvement of current policy as suggested by Harry Stephens.However diversity and not uniformity aught to be the goal. Accrediting design courses is a silly,counterproductive activity which will mitigate against diversity. He will resign from anyprofessional organisation that pursues that nonsense. Quality auditing is far more rigorous thananything the <strong>DIA</strong> can do and it should not take that on.Harry Stephens: Reiterated his view that we can do it effectively and economically.Alun Price: We are primary educators constructing a ‘narrow’ argument. We need to thinklaterally.David Denne: Agrees with Harry that we need accreditation. He would welcome endorsementby <strong>DIA</strong> and dialogue with other experts.Vesna Popovic: We need to recognise national, regional and international diversity. Excellencemust be judged by the market needs within which each institution operates. Universityaccreditation procedures are far more rigorous than <strong>DIA</strong> could be.Robert Treseder: Students are more mobile and discriminating than in the past. Design coursesmust not become proscriptive in the way architecture tends to be. <strong>DIA</strong> should take the interimstep of accrediting individuals.Ted Kayser: Accreditation is a necessary step in lifting levels of professionalism.Michael Bryce: In the field of medicine, examiners need to be examined themselves. If <strong>DIA</strong> is todo this, it must do it properly or not at all.Lance Green: Can we model on another professional association? Engineers, for example, aresubject to an extraordinarily rigorous process.Karin Schlegel: How is personal accreditation possible in an international environment, withhuge variations in international standards?Jill Stansfield: International diversity occurs in all professions -this is not an insurmountableproblem. <strong>DIA</strong> needs to be represented on course advisory boards or other overseeing bodies.141

<strong>DIA</strong> <strong>National</strong> Working Party on Design EducationThe Saturday morning session of the <strong>Conference</strong> was devoted to an open seminar/plenarysession to discuss future activities for the design community and educationalists to worktogether on a long term basis, leading towards a suitable education event at Sydney 99.Cal Swann was nominated as Convenor of a <strong>National</strong> Working Party on Design Education andan electronic mailing list has since been established to facilitate debate, hosted at CurtinUniversity of Technology, WA. The initial subscription list comprises:Sasha AlexanderRussell BeversGeorge BorzykowskiAnthony CahalanDennis GohLance GreenHelmut LueckenhausenHeinz LutteringhausRobyn Oswald-JacobsVesna PopovicHarry StephensCal Swann (Convenor)Robert TresederDonald WelchThe terms of reference were fairly general, but determined as a concentration on therelationship between the Australian organisation of professional designers (whatever the newnational body will be) and design education at tertiary level. That is, the influence that can beassumed to be essential for professionals to exert on design education, and that which might bedesirable. This must be a two-way dialogue - neither the professionals instructing theeducationalists of what they want, nor educationalists telling the profession what they’ll get.Agenda:1 Review of the <strong>DIA</strong> Education Policy Statement.2 Breadth versus depth: the <strong>DIA</strong> position on the broadening of design education for the generalcommunity.3 The relevance of undergraduate course curriculum to professional needs.4 Research and continuing professional development.5 <strong>DIA</strong> accreditation of design courses.6 The role of the <strong>DIA</strong> in supporting design education and research7 Future events, eg. an annual <strong>National</strong> <strong>Conference</strong>?8 Planning towards Sydney 99.Professor Cal Swann MA F<strong>DIA</strong> FCSDSchool of DesignCurtin University of TechnologyEmail rswannc@cc.curtin.edu.au142

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