Design Unbound

How Experimentation Enhances Creativity
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-98838-2
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 226 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

The most meaningful design often begins when no one hands you a brief. Design Unbound explores self-initiated practice as a source of experimentation and authorship, helping designers move beyond solving assigned problems to identifying questions worth pursuing.

Drawing on the perspectives of three designers and educators as well as featured prominent practitioners, the book presents frameworks, methods, case studies, and project examples that guide readers from observation and curiosity through storytelling, futures thinking, material exploration, and collaboration. Readers learn how to initiate projects, define constraints, sustain momentum, and transform personal or societal concerns into purposeful work.

Written for practitioners, educators, and students, Design Unbound shows how self-directed projects can become laboratories for new ideas, catalysts for professional growth, and contributions to culture. It does not tell designers what to make. It helps them decide what is worth making.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate, Professional Practice & Development, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Dee, Meaghan

Khalili, Meena

Landa, Robin

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Design Grafikdesign, Kommunikationsdesign
• Geisteswissenschaften Design Typographie, Illustrationskunst, Werbegraphik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 1. Beyond the Design Brief  2. Experimentation as Practice  3. Observation and Play  4. Curiosity as Catalyst  5. Storytelling in Design  6. Futures Design and Worldbuilding  7. Material Alchemy  8. Investigating Identities  9. Design Ripple  10. Collaborative Making  11. Design Empowerment  Appendix: Cover Design Process

Über Autor(innen)

Meaghan Dee is a Professor of Graphic Design at Virginia Tech, USA and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. She previously co-chaired the AIGA Design Educators Community with Meena Khalili. Her research focuses on immersive design experiences, design pedagogy, storytelling, and human-centered design. (meaghand.com)

Meena Khalili is an Associate Professor of Design and Interaction at the University of South Carolina School of Visual Art + Design, USA. Her research incorporates emergent media technologies and experimental design approaches. A recipient of consecutive International Design Awards and a National Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Graphic Design, she was named a Global Top 30 Design Lecturer by The Design Kids in 2023. (meenakhalili.com)

Robin Landa is a Distinguished Professor at Kean University, USA and an internationally recognized expert in creativity, branding, design, and advertising. The recipient of the AIGA 2025 Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary, a member of the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame, and recognized by the Carnegie Foundation among the “Great Teachers of Our Time,” she is the author of more than 25 books, including Strategic Creativity. (robinlanda.com)