ARCHITECTURAL

DESIGN THEORY
SEMESTER I
LECTURE 10
 Objectives of Design.

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• A study of the theory of subject can not be
complete without an understanding of the
objectives of that subject.
• Here, the objective is not of the study of the
subject but the need to understand the
objectives of the subject.
• Objectives, targets or reasons for Design can be
interpreted at both the physical and the
metaphysical planes.
• The physical objectives are related to the
business of producing designs while the
metaphysical objectives will be related to the
philosophy of creativity – an abstract
phenomenon.

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• Various artists, designers and creators
could be in the field of designing for
different reasons.
• All of them, however, to be true to their
profession will have to appreciate the
inherent philosophical needs of design.
• It may not be sufficient to treat design as
just a physical activity for the purpose of
pleasure and business.
• There has to be a higher motive for
‘designing’.
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• Ponder over the question – why does an
artist paint, why does a musician create
music ……?
• This higher motive could be:
– giving sensory pleasure
– making a statement.
• How can these motives be achieved?

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• These could be achieved by making the artist
and the viewer/listener “happy”.
• In visual design the objective would be to
provide ‘visual delight’.
• Real “Happiness” will come from viewing or
listening to something that is Beautiful, Truthful
and Good.
• Beauty, Truth and Goodness can thus be seen
as the abstract objectives of Visual Design.
• There could be other objectives that could be
offshoots of these such as perfection, honesty,
etc and these would be dependent on the artist
and the medium.

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 BEAUTY
• Beauty can be seen as a combination of qualities
in an object or a composition that delight the
sight or other senses by the shape, proportion,
color or other physical attributes.
• Beauty can also be seen as that which is morally
or intellectually impressing charming or
satisfactory.
• Anything that has allure, charm, grace, elegance,
loveliness, exquisiteness can also be called
beautiful.

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 Here are some examples of Beauty from
different facets of life.

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 GOODNESS

• To be good is to have the right qualities as

accepted by a particular culture, society and at
a particular time.
• To be good is to be satisfactory and adequate
meeting the expected conditions.
• Goodness is a virtuous quality.
• Goodness is related to excellence, merit, value
and worth of an object or an act.
• Goodness also relates to honesty, integrity and
merit besides righteousness and uprightness.

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Not Good Good

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 TRUTH
• Truth is the quality of being in
accordance with fact or reality not false
or erroneous and in accordance with
reason or correct principles or accepted
standard.
• Truthful is that which is genuine, showing
life as it is and adhering faithfully to that
which is right.
• Truthful is correct, honest, precise,
realistic, sincere, and trustworthy.
• Truth is godly and divine.

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 Deceit

Truthful

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• Students of architecture would need to
appreciate that ‘Design’ for them would
have much greater ramifications.
• ‘Architectural Design’, besides providing
visual delight, will have to satisfy the
conditions of functionality, structural and
expressional strength, economy,
sociology, culture, climate, psychology
related to the architectural project.

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 By now you should be clear about the
Elements, Principles and Objectives of
Basic Design.

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 The End

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