The Liminal Space of Design: Exploring Creation For Reproduction Cameron Dale Norman PhD Submitted to OCAD University in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Design in STRATEGIC FORESIGHT AND INNOVATION Toronto, Ontario, Canada, December 2013 © Cameron Dale Norman, 2014 THE LIMINAL SPACE OF DESIGN i. Table of Contents i. Table of Contents .................................................................................................... ii ii. Author’s Declaration .............................................................................................v iii. Abstract ...................................................................................................................vi iv. Acknowledgements............................................................................................ vii v. Dedication ................................................................................................................ix vi. List of Tables ...........................................................................................................x vii. List of Figures and Illustrations .....................................................................xi viii. Abbreviations.................................................................................................... xii ix. Preface...................................................................................................................xiii 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 20 1.1 Problem Statement................................................................................................... 23 1.2 Background ................................................................................................................. 26 1.3 Defining the Creative Act of Design..................................................................... 28 3. Research Questions............................................................................................. 32 4. Methods .................................................................................................................. 33 5. Three Vehicles for the Creative Act: Professional Design, Design Thinking and Critical Design................................................................................ 35 5.1 The discomforting space of liminality................................................................ 38 Figure 1: Design field triad .......................................................................................................39 Figure 2: Schematic of potential field relations...............................................................40 Figure 3: Discipline and related terms................................................................................41 Table 1: Disciplinary collaboration Qualities....................................................................43 Figure 4: Multidisciplinary collaboration relationships..............................................44 Figure 5: Interdisciplinary collaboration relationships...............................................45 Figure 6: Transdisciplinary collaboration relationships.............................................46 Table 2: Similarities and differences among the disciplines (dissolve)................46 6. Professional Design ............................................................................................ 49 6.1 Case study: Design Thinkers Conference & the professional identity of graphic designers .........................................................................................................................52 7. Design Thinking ................................................................................................... 57 7.1 Background ................................................................................................................. 57 7.2 Present context .......................................................................................................... 59 7.2.1 Case study: Design Thinking toolkits........................................................................60 ii THE LIMINAL SPACE OF DESIGN 8. Critical Design....................................................................................................... 64 8.1 Present context .......................................................................................................... 65 Figure 7: Inside front cover of Christopher Simmons’ book Just Design ..............67 Figure 8: Inside back cover of Christopher Simmons’ book Just Design...............67 Figure 9: ParaSITE shelter........................................................................................................70 8.1.1. Case study: Ai Weiwei’s According to What? exhibition..................................70 Figure 10: Wenchuan Steel Rebar at the Art Gallery of Ontario................................72 Figure 11: Grapes at the Art Gallery of Ontario ...............................................................73 Figure 12: Forever Bicycles at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON......................74 9: Convergences & Tensions................................................................................. 75 9.1 Mapping the field....................................................................................................... 76 Figure 13: A design field............................................................................................................77 Table 3: Creation-specific Qualities across all domains...............................................78 Table 4: Distinctions between the three domains (definitions) ..............................79 Table 5: Comparative distinctions between the three domains ..............................81 9.2 Comparative analysis............................................................................................... 82 9.2.1. Creative flexibility and license....................................................................................83 9.2.2. Licensure or regulation..................................................................................................83 9.2.3. Risk .........................................................................................................................................84 9.2.4. Barriers to entry ...............................................................................................................85 9.2.5. Immediate utility of product .......................................................................................85 9.2.6. Collaboration in development ....................................................................................86 9.2.7. Transparency in process...............................................................................................87 9.2.8. Individual expression .....................................................................................................87 9.2.9. Explicitness of perspective / stance.........................................................................88 9.2.10. Call to action.....................................................................................................................88 9.2.11. Explicit perspective ......................................................................................................89 9.2.12. Product transferability (ability to generalize to other settings)...............89 9.2.13. Abstraction .......................................................................................................................90 9.2.14. Client-centredness ........................................................................................................91 9.2.15. Product dynamism........................................................................................................91 9.2.16. Evaluation criteria.........................................................................................................92 9.2.17. Clarity of intention ........................................................................................................92 9.2.18. Temporal flexibility ......................................................................................................93 9.2.19. Use of theory....................................................................................................................94 9.2.20. Use of evidence ...............................................................................................................94 9.3 Concept mapping....................................................................................................... 95 Figure 14: Concept map of design field...............................................................................96 Figure 15: Cluster map of design field.................................................................................97 Table 6: Thematic clusters........................................................................................................98 9.3.1 Clusters ..................................................................................................................................99 10. Autoethnographic report .............................................................................102 10.1. Introduction: The role of the designer .........................................................102 10.2 Documenting design: major themes...............................................................103 10.2.1 Boundaries.....................................................................................................................