‘Design in a Broad Sense and design in a narrow sense’ - A History of School Names of Art and Design Educational Institutions

Aug 28, 2026

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Nikolaus Pevsner highlighted William Morris and Walter Gropius as design pioneers, yet the earliest use of “design” differed across languages and regions. Historical shifts in meanings of design are crucial for design history research, including how Bauhaus-era influence affected later school naming in the U.S., and how institutions were renamed in the 1830s–1930s. The paper traces parallel developments in Italy, France, and Germany, showing how “design” entered school names through translation and cultural exchange.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Italy in the 16th Century

Further institutional developments

| Tit le | ‘Design in a Broad Sense and design in a narrow sense’ A History of Schoo l Names of Art and Design Educat iona l Inst itut ions | | --- | --- | | Author( s ) | Fuj ita, Haruhiko | | Citat ion | The Journa l of the Asian Conference of Design History and Theory. 2022, 4 , p. 8-18 | | Version Type | VoR | | URL | [https://doi.org/10.18910/91136](https://doi.org/10.18910/91136) | | rights | | | Note | | The Un ivers ity of Osaka Inst itut iona l Know ledge Arch ive : OUKA [https://ir. library.osaka-u.ac.jp/](https://ir. library.osaka-u.ac.jp/) The University of Osaka Session I Design History and Design Education ‘Design in a Broad Sense and design in a narrow sense’ A History of School Names of Art and Design Educational Institutions Haruhiko Fujita Osaka University Abstract Nikolaus Pevsner featured William Morris and Walter Gropius as design pioneers in his important publications. However, Pevsner and Gropius were Germans, not the ones who used ‘design’ early on. Even the Englishman Morris, didn’t use ‘design’ so much. Historical changes and geographical differences of ‘design’ are important for design history research. The Bauhaus is considered for modern design education, but ‘design’ was not used in Germany. After the Bauhaus was closed and its key members moved to the United States, ‘design’ was used for their school names. The Government School of Design founded in London in 1837 was historically important but renamed the School of Art in the 1850s. The National Academy of Design was founded in New York in 1825. The Chicago Academy of Design was opened in 1866. The Rhode Island School of Design was founded in Providence in 1877. The Chicago Academy of Design was renamed the Art Institute of Chicago, but the Rhode Island School of Design continues with the same name even today. The New York School of Fine and Applied Art was renamed Parsons School of Design in 1936. Design is broad in the USA. In the 1960-70s, the Istituto Europeo di Design, using English ‘design’ for school name, was founded in Milano, Roma, etc., and schools of the same name were also opened in Spain and Brazil. The national design schools, founded in the 1970s in Italy, used Italian ‘disegno industriale’instead of ‘design’ for their school names. In France, many Écoles de Dessin were opened in the eighteenth century, after the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in 1648. Italian ‘disegno’ and French ‘dessin’influenced English ‘design’. However, the École Supérieure d’Art et de Design, which added English ‘design’ to the name of the higher art school, began to appear in the 1990s. The Accademia del Disegno, the École de Dessin, and the School of Design influenced each other. Although German language is not directly related to Italian or French language, art and design education in these countries also influenced each other. Keywords: Dissegno/Disegno; Dessein/Dessin; Design; Academy of Art; School of Architecture and Design INTRODUCTION For the study of design culture and cultural design, it is important to research the historical changes of design and design education. English ‘design’ has both narrow and broad meanings. Its narrow sense means ‘drawing’ or ‘outline from which a thing may be made’. Its broad sense means‘something planned in the mind’ or ‘a purpose or intention’ in various arts and sciences. Historically, under the influence of Latin designare, Italian disegno and French dessin, the foundation of English ‘design’ was laid between the 14th and 16th centuries. Latin designare (v.) was to mark out, point out, delineate, depict, contrive and devise. In the 16th century, Italian disegnate (v.) developed the senses to contrive, plot, intend, and to draw, paint, embroider, etc. The artistic sense was taken into French as dessin from Italian disegno (n.) and disegnare (v.). French took both these senses from Italian in different forms, and passed them on to English, which uses ‘design’

FAQs

Why are historical changes in the meaning of “design” important for design history research?

Because “design” has both narrow and broad senses that evolved differently under linguistic and cultural influences, affecting how design education is understood and documented over time.

How did the Bauhaus influence the use of “design” in school names?

After the Bauhaus closed and key members moved to the United States, “design” was used for their school names, shaping modern design education naming practices.

What role did Italian, French, and English linguistic pathways play in defining “design”?

Latin designare influenced Italian disegno and French dessin, which were transmitted in different forms to English. French also distinguished dessin and dessein by nuance, while English uses “design” for both senses.

Aug 28, 2026

Uploaded by Dozel