Design is eminent throughout different disciplines of science, engineering, humanities, and art. However, within these disciplines, the way in which the term design is understood and applied differs significantly. There still is a profound lack of interdisciplinary research on this issue. The same term is not even guaranteed to carry the same meaning as soon as one crosses over to other disciplines. Therefore, related synergies between disciplines remain largely unexplored and unexploited.This book will address design in the hope of promoting a deeper understanding of it across various disciplines, and to support Design Science as a discipline, which attempts to cover the vast number of currently isolated knowledge sources.

Since March 1st, 2008, Silke Konsorski-Lang has been Institute and Research Coordinator at the Institute for Visual Computing in the Department of Computer Science at the ETH Zurich. Prior to this, she was Managing Director of the Competence Center for Digital Design& Modeling. She earned her PhD degree (Dr.sc.techn.) at the ETH Zurich for her work on the investigation of video systems, especially 3D videos, in the field of architecture.

Since October 1st, 2003, Michael Hampe has been full Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences at the ETH Zürich. He studied Philosophy, Psychology and German Literature in Heidelberg and Cambridge and got his M.A. in Heidelberg in 1984. From 1984 to 1989 he studied Biology, specializing in Neurobiology and Genetics, and was employed as assistant in Philosophy, both at Heidelberg University.

Why Is Design Important?.- Design of Objects& Materials.- Product Design: The Design of the Environment and the Surroundings.- MINI: Empathetic Design for the Future.- The Design and Development of Computer Games.- Drug Design: Designer Drugs.- Making Matters: Materials, Shape and Function.- Design of Environments for Living.- The Theory of Dialogical Design.- ETH Future Cities Simulation Platform.- Iterative Landscapes.- Design of Minds.- Applied Virtuality.- Text Design: Design Principles for Texts.- Synesthetic Design of Music Visualization Based on Examples from the Sound-Color-Space Project.