A Sense of Design: The Embedded Motives of Nature, Culture, and Future - Principia Designae: Pre-Design, Design, and Post-Design - page 51

design. Much of the development of science and technology is driven by academics.
Academia requires scholars to explore the behavior of nature and attempt to
understand its mechanisms and functions. This made sense in industrial society,
and the basic ideas of conventional design were reflected in evaluation criteria that
required products to be “useful,” “rational,” and “economical.” Most design
researchers have contributed to generating and adding beneficial knowledge to
increase the usefulness, rationality, and economic value of products. Accordingly,
the aims of university education have tended to cultivate students who will con-
tribute to industry and society after graduation. In the twenty-first century, this
tendency has become increasingly important. A number of studies on design
highlighted the importance of “originality” in both product and engineering design.
However, in contrast to art or science, originality has not been scrutinized in
conventional design. Rather, the “originality” of a design was included as an
“economical” criterion in industrial society. It is supposed that imitating a product
becomes common sense when it is not protected by patent and copyright systems.
Imitation can be part of the production system if expenses are paid for permission in
conventional design. Naturally, in art and science, originality is valued. That said, it
is not to prevent imitation, but to protect the authority and reputation of the author.
Indeed, many imitations sometimes raise the value of the original work.
On the other hand, in advanced society, an advanced design framework is
needed. To reform a framework of design from a design creativity perspective,
embedded concepts in society, nature, culture, and future will be incorporated as the
internal components of the system.
Papanek's critical view sheds light on this issue (Papanek 1971 , 1995 ). In the
1970s and 1980s, he claimed that one must consider “design for humans”—
effectively suggesting that design for customers in the 1990s must explore ways
to live in harmony, instead of in conflict, with nature. His critical essay about
industrial culture and a society that represents mass production is especially
valuable. Among design students in the late twentieth century, his message that
“design has become the most powerful tool with which man shapes his tools and
environments” has been discussed from two opposing perspectives—namely, a
positive and negative intention. Furthermore, future subjects are pointed out from
a design perspective for social innovation. This aspect highlights expectations for
new “design thinkers.” Educating design thinkers has recently become more pop-
ular; creating experiential challenges that lead students to identify societal prob-
lems tends to generate innovative ideas to change the world as well as future
prospects.
Presently, design thinkers are expected to be educated leaders who can identify
societal problems, help design society, and explore the future world. Design
thinkers can be the new model of creativity at the frontier of the next era. Images
of design thinkers differ to those of stereotyped engineers and scientists. Design
thinkers are seen as business risk-takers with rich social skills that enable them to
forge collaborations among other people. “Design creativity” is a concept
representing the integration of a creative mind, creative knowledge, creative tech-
nology, and a suitable attitude, which will be gained by design thinkers. “Design