Tool connectivity

Before the modernist movement of the 1920s, the creative process was firmly held in the designers' hands as they were the ones to translate ideas into drawings and gave them the formal expression.Then, as modernism progressed in the post-war years, and the complexity of society increased and made new demands, many other considerations beyond the formal, which also constitute the design process, were recognised resulting in a shift towards user-centred design and multidisciplinary design teams. In addition, the advancement of computer and telecommunication technologies, which brought the the micro computer into the design studios in the 1990s saw digital tools, and notably CAD becoming part and parcel of the design process, from first thoughts to final outcomes. But equally important for the ways designers work has been the expansion of the internet and social media broadening as well as speeding up the design process, including ideation. In contemporary technology and media-driven societies, where ideas, images and texts constantly interact with each other, the new digital tools, including computer modelling and 3D printing have enabled connectivity between designers and end-users on an unprecedented scale facilitating collaborative and participatory design. The new tools, moreover, help designers to expand creative boundaries, both conceptually and practically.