12th International Committee for Design History and Design Studies (ICDHS) Conference, Zagreb, Croatia

In keeping with the enduring aims and objectives of the ICDHS the conference theme LESSONS TO LEARN? Past design experiences and contemporary design practices approaches design from two principal perspectives that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s: the research-informed yet still comparatively young academic discipline of design history and the design process-focused field of design studies. The former draws on an increasingly rich and complex body of knowledge, invigorated by other relevant disciplines such as cultural, social, economic, political and other forms of history as well as other disciplinary fields such as social anthropology, ethnography, human geography or semiotics. The latter, design studies, is focused on an informed, critical and analytical understanding of design processes, production, function, consumption and theory, supported by a growing body of knowledge, interpretation, research, publication and pedagogy.