3. Industrial Design and Contextualism: The Applied Arts Constituent/ Curriculum Imperatives in Design Practice and Education

Abstract

This paper examined the Curriculum imperatives of Industrial design education and the Contextualism of the principles and practice of disciplines such as Applied Arts and Industrial Design viz-a-viz their constituent and contextual roles and place in design practice/ Industry. The issue of contextualism as it relates to Design and the Applied Arts according to DeRose, K. (2009) would seem to mean a collection of views, theories, principles or philosophy of Design / applied Arts which seems to emphasize the context in which the action principles or purpose of design is understood relative to such a context. ie. In Design, the principles and practice of Applied Arts / Design disciplines (such as in Architecture) for example, contextualism refers to that theory of design in which modern / contemporary designs (buildings, products or structures) are harmonized together with the contemporary design ideals, forms and characteristics peculiar to modern ways/styles of living. (Jencks, 2002).

Keywords

• algorithmic / heuristic approaches
• contextualism
• design curriculum/ education
• ideation
• industrial plasticine
• “partipris”
• polymer clay