Boundaries in our thinking - Engineering and product design

摘要

This article looks at how boundaries have been created in design and engineering in the last two centuries, the ways in which they have affected our understanding of our work and possible ways to improve matters. The excellence of every art must consist in the complete accomplishment of its purpose.' was written over the door of the Victoria and Albert Museum in the first half of the 19th century, as engineering became a more overt part of everyday life. The Victorians extended the idea of 'art' to include all marketed goods, not just those produced by traditional craftsmen.