FROM ARTISTIC MANIFESTOS TO DESIGN BRIEFS: THE EVOLUTION OF DESIGN THINKING AND DESIGN LANGUAGE

Abstract

The study is aimed at understanding the historical and theoretical evolution from the artistic manifesto to the design brief and at identifying how contemporary forms of design thinking and design language emerged through this transformation. The research employs a historical-comparative approach and an analysis of international scholarly sources, which makes it possible to consider the manifesto, design program, corporate regulation, and design brief not as isolated forms of professional expression, but as interconnected stages in the development of design culture. The theoretical foundation of the study is formed by works on design history, design thinking theory, research on corporate visual identity, and project briefing.
The article traces a consistent historical line in which the Arts and Crafts movement established an ethical and aesthetic model of design thinking, the Bauhaus combined artistic declaration, pedagogical program, and production-oriented practice, the Ulm School shifted design into the realm of a methodologically organized process, and postwar corporate identity transformed the design program into a system of regulated visual language. It is shown that in the second half of the twentieth century, ideologically charged manifesto-based models gradually gave way to more operational forms of organizing design activity, in which values and intentions were fixed in the form of programs, standards, corporate style manuals, and briefs. Particular attention is paid to contemporary design thinking, UX design, and service design, where the brief is treated as a tool for defining goals, constraints, context, user needs, and criteria for success.
The generalization of the results makes it possible to demonstrate that the transition from the artistic manifesto to the design brief was not merely a change in terminology, but also reflected a deeper transformation in the very logic of design practice. In this process, design language evolved from an ideologically and aesthetically charged form of expression into a structured tool for task definition, coordination of actions, and reproduction of design decisions. The practical value of the study lies in the fact that it clarifies the historical origins of contemporary design methods and can be applied in design theory, design education, and visual communication studies.