ABSTRACT
Design is a knowledge-rich activity. So many constraints to evaluate, endless possibilities to explore! The effect can be overwhelming. Some designers react to this phenomenon of information overload by sweeping it all aside to concentrate on pure form, hoping later to be able to incorporate all the programmatic necessities without diluting their formal vision. Other designers prefer to immerse themselves in as much information as they can at the onset so as to develop an overall grasp of the space of possible design moves. Since they know that design can be as concerned with formulating interesting questions as with presenting compelling images, they do not fear too much information and aren’t overly anxious to “begin designing”—that is, sketching or modeling possible forms-and instead consider their research as part of the process.
