Temporal Framework: Towards a Broader Conceptualization of Time in Design Education

Teaching design requires a conscious understanding of time and temporality. The passing of time is central to design as a creative process, which is mainly focused on initiating change and creating a transformation between two states. Whether this transformation is driven by a societal need or an individual need for self-actualization, the creative initiative works in relation to the past (reproducing or challenging traditional knowledge), present (moment of action), and future (the final outcome and its life span). Design also requires awareness of temporalities, that is the difference between natural times (seasons, day-night rhythms), or the times created by modern lifestyles (working hours, traffic jams). In this reading, time in all its tenses shapes and intersects with the process of design. The pedagogical practice of teaching design thus requires a concrete attention to this intersection.