We are multi-sensory beings in a multi-dimensional world. Our senses and cognitive processes help us maintain a consistent orientation of our physical and mental input and outputs.
Many design disciplines, however, specialize in solving a specific problem, and sometimes, in the context of a specific dimension. Often, the outcome is that each design discipline only addresses part of the whole picture, as illustrated in the preceding image.
Trying to map out the various disciplines and how they relate is impossible, because their nature is fluid and because rapid changes lead to constant redrawing of domain boundaries. Core design disciplines can be wrestled into three major clusters--surface, space, and time-based experiences. Science and technology domains, which have always been tightly fused with design, include complementary disciplines.
The entire map is visualized in the figure present after the bullets:
- The disciplines of two-dimensional surfaces:
- Graphic design...