Demonstrated by a shift towards the importance of the socio-cultural context in which products are manufactured and embedded, this textbook showcases design theory as an emerging sub-discipline of design, unique in its practice-based approach and its broad perception of design. It offers an in-depth understanding of the central concepts, such as "form" and "function", "theory" and "practice", through a discussion of key case studies and historical examples, such as the advent of the view of design in antiquity, the introduction of mass production to modernist design, or the ideological shifts in design in the mid-20th century, as well as analytical tools for further dissection and learning in practice. With a focus on a combination of several theoretical knowledge bases: aesthetics and philosophy, critical theories, cultural studies, design history and design anthropology, the reader is enabled to approach design as a central pivot around which contemporary culture revolves, reflecting, reaffirming or challenging social and cultural structures.

Aimed towards undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as teachers and scholars, from across the design disciplines, Introduction to Design Theory invites readers to engage with design from an interdisciplinary perspective, departing from the traditional academic compartmentalization of practice, history and philosophy.

- Provides a cross-disciplinary overview of design theory through the lens of cultural studies, aesthetics and history

- Offers a departure from the traditional compartmentalization of practice, history and theory

- Engages student readers in contemporary design debates surrounding responsibility, cultural and social awareness and the contexts products are manufactured within.