%% apa:: Heller, S. (2015, April 9). The Evolution of Design. _The Atlantic_. [https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/a-more-inclusive-history-of-design/390069/](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/a-more-inclusive-history-of-design/390069/) %% # The Evolution of Design --- Heller, S. (2015, April 9). The Evolution of Design. _The Atlantic_. [https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/a-more-inclusive-history-of-design/390069/](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/a-more-inclusive-history-of-design/390069/) ^apa --- ## Metadata title: The Evolution of Design author:: Steven Heller cite-key:: heller2015EvolutionDesign date_published:: 2015-04-09T15:00:00Z url:: [https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/a-more-inclusive-history-of-design/390069/](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/a-more-inclusive-history-of-design/390069/) Type: Magazine article keywords:: [[Design]], [[Design, big D]], [[Design, small d]], [[Design education]], [[Design history]] ## Abstract Victor Margolin's epic World History of Design charts the practice's perceptual shift in approach from pragmatic to artistic. ^abstract --- ## Notes - Victor Margolin’s guiding principle for present-day design:“What we call design today is continuous with the basic human need to organize the material environment for survival purposes.” ([note on p.1](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/9HIMXF4J?page=1)) - [[Design, small d|Small d design]] is the act of creation to shape our environment and to satisfy human needs. [[Design, big D|Big D design]] is more heavily associated with mass communication and mass production. This is more in line with what the perception of [[Design]] is today. ([note on p.1](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/9HIMXF4J?page=1)) > "Margolin defined two kinds of design: design with a small "d"—by his definition, what people have always created to satisfy needs and organize their environment—and Design with a big "D"—his word for the official term associated with mass production and mass communication that may be its closest association today." ([Heller 2015:1](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/9HIMXF4J?page=1)) - Historically, design has centred around the creation of culture. However, it has been strongly aligned with aesthetics, or as an artistic endeavour. ([note on p.3](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/9HIMXF4J?page=3)) > "Design, in Margolin's analysis, is an activity that has always been central to the creation of culture. But, he says, "Somewhere along the line it became marginalized as an artistic or aesthetic practice only, which obscured our awareness of all the designing that was going on that did not fit that category."" ([Heller 2015:3](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/9HIMXF4J?page=3)) - Margolin believes that design has historically been tied to past economic, political, and cultural structures.This concurs with my understanding of design and design history (like Meggs). ([note on p.3](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/9HIMXF4J?page=3)) > "One of his objectives in publishing the books was to demonstrate that design and its history is inextricably linked to past economic, political, and cultural structures." ([Heller 2015:3](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/9HIMXF4J?page=3))