1. Overview
The Semantic Turn is an attempt to explain and introduce a paradigm shift, a new way of understanding design as a whole, and especially as a science. It builds upon the various chapters in design history and introduces a new way of thinking about design. Coining one way of putting it “Design is making sense of things”. [Krippendorff(1969)].
The emphasis is on understanding how artifacts, be it graphic, informational or social, are attributed with meaning by the stakeholders involved. It also provides a clear distinction about the meaning of use, in such a way that humans do not react or function on the basis of the physical qualities of things, but rather with the meanings attached to the things by culture, use and context.
The book takes an extensive look at the histories of design as a science, as well as introducing new concepts and providing the reader with a solid knowledge base for scientific design. There is a strong focus on semantic, or meaning based design, and a lot of philosophical roots for it, and the way meanings live with artifacts in use, and how new meanings are formed during the life cycle of an artifact.
In addition to the semantic theory, the book provides views on the more traditional disciplines of industrial design, ergonomics, cognitive science, information technology and others.
The book provides a solid foundation that enables designers to pursue a more scientific and semantic, meaning based approach to design, as well as means to clarify and explain the ideas that go into their designs. It also brings into consideration the stakeholders in design, and how to communicate decisions and influence the stakeholders, by participating them in the design process and thus enabling them to experience the various meanings and how they change with context.
The Semantic Turn also takes into account the new challenges in design, with the artifacts being more intangible, such as multi-user systems, services and interfaces as well as the semantic, meaning based approach.
It is an excellent read and a good eye opener into the meanings behind design decisions, it also provides a solid foundation of design as a science, and the importance of meaning – the semantic approach. The author – Klaus Krippendorff is a professor for Cybernetics, Language and Culture at the University of Pennsylvania, and a distinguished expert in the field of human-centered design.