Point 1: Design is a Story

To begin to understand design, we must first start with its theories. There are many theories in design and it seems they will continue to grow. However, there are a couple that can be mentioned based on their significance. Those would be Sir Henry Wotten’s theory of three elements to good design and architecture, Roth’s additional triad of elements, and Alain de Button’s theory of architecture causing happiness. All of which would be examples that design is a story.

According to Marcus Virtruvius, the three elements to architecture are stability, utility, and grace. Later on, Sir Henry Wotten rephrased the same concept into commodity, firmness, and delight (Understand Architecture 11). Virtruvius and Sir Wotten both believed that anything well designed needed to have all three qualities. As long as these three qualities were present then good design is possible. For good design to be possible, it must all (as a whole and in parts) have a function and purpose – commodity, it needs to be stable and stand on its own – firmness, and be aesthetically pleasing – delight A balanced amount of these three qualities would be ideal but that is not normally the case.

In Roth’s case, that there is another part to Virtruvius’ and Sir Wotten’s theory of three elements. He believes there are three other elements to consider. Roth states,

             “First, there is the person or group who calls the building into being, the client who provides the  
              commission. Second is the architect or designer who gives the client’s wishes physical form […].
              Third is the group of individuals who carry out the construction” (Understanding Architecture 11).

Roth is trying to say that, although the three main elements are important, we must also keep in mind the people involved in design process – from beginning to end. Design cannot happen without people to create it and appreciate it.

Alain de Button has a different take to design. According to his book, “The Architecture of Happiness”, de Button feels that happiness cause by design is based on people seeing their ideal selves within it. He believes that, “the significances of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for the better or for worse, different people in different places – and on the conviction that it is architecture’s task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be” (Architecture of Happiness 13). By this de Button means, architecture and design are inspirations from ourselves and we should display them.

These theories, along with others, point to how design is influenced. It is a cycle of a design influenced by a designer/artist and others, including designers and artists, are influenced by the design. The one thing they have in common is the fact that they are part of a story. Design, although Harwood refers to art, “is more than decoration, it expresses belief system[s], social order, and science” (Architecture and Interior Design 3). In other words, art, architecture and design in general is an expression of many things within out lives. Design is always built upon something before, whether it is looking into the past or away from and into the future. Design has a history, therefore it has a story.


de Button, Alain. The Architecture of Happiness. New York:Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2008. Print


Harwood, Buie. Architecture and Interior Design through the 18th Century. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print


Roth, Leland M. Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. 2nd ed. Maryland: Westview, 2007. Print

Karnak Temple (http://www.delange.org/Karnak/EP14.htm)