Design Metaphysics: Images Emerging Before Awareness

Conceptual impressions surrounding this post are yet to be substantiated, corroborated, confirmed or woven into a larger argument, context or network.Objective: To generate symbolic links between scientific discovery, design awareness and consciousness.

Symbols bring a sense of reality to everything we believe, know, feel, sense, recognize and observe. Such semblances of energy appear before our awareness as a series of holographic impressions, i.e. images, feelings and objective geometries ... a multidimensional vapor of virtual origin.

All that could be imagined is harbored within the context of this undifferentiated, apparitional, plasmic soup. Some impressions are bright others cast dim shadows. Fluctuations emerge, collect, and in time become dispersed by virtue of symbolic oscillation, i.e. vibrations in the form of feelings, ideas and impressions made conscionable and discernible by the means of an observer.

Consciousness is made apparent (real) by virtue of the imagination acting in the role of an intuitive negotiator between components of varying density. Within this realm of influence a field emerges, i.e. coming to light, directing, adapting and transforming a single POV (focus) into a mirrored matrix of referential transitions all transpiring within parameters of a multidimensional context.  Some describe the origination of this phenomenon as the source, the center, or the core of a contextual metaphor meant to represent the unknown. 

Change is the only constant.

Energy becomes definable by means of a series of events having been experienced within the parametric constraints of observation and appearances. Every field harbors a series of symbolic associations that actively sustain a "presence" of their own kind. These eventful experiences thrive and multiply within an ever-changing context of unpredictable causation. The concept of reality, i.e. consciousness, remains referential in origin and context by means of purposely imagining a POV re-presenting its-self as its own contextual “source”. A concept of reality can then be effectively fashioned by meaningfully adapting its vision into light (hologram) while simultaneously remaining in concert with the contextual reference in which it is viewed, described, defined and/or perceived. 

“In the place of Mirrors, there is no good or bad, nor right or wrong - there is only reflection.”

Gillian MacBeth-Louthan

What we view as reality appears before our consciousness as a series of re-sources and individual relationships that together complement a patterned configuration of symbols stemming from a particular point of view. When played out within the constraints of 3D space/time, every interpretation rearranges and adapts its concept of self to within a framework found suitable to its current requirements for survival. Only by design can certain imaginative "differences" be appropriately orchestrated into patterns of a potentially viable nature.   

Design brings forward true revelation. In essence, what might be recognized as an object is simply a cogitation, i.e reflection, upon a particular state of observation (POV). Design will always be an interpretive pronouncement of what every observer would consider to be real. What is perceived to be real is symbolically expressed in all that is made apparent. Design clearly adheres to the intimate demand for harmony between the subjective (human psyche) and the (objective) universe we've fashioned for ourselves. We accommodate this primordial force solely to complement and/or reinforce what we currently believe to be real by virtue of our own actions, thoughts and deeds.

Another way in which to perceive the design phenomenon is to view it at the juncture between meaning and purpose. Design perceived in the form of a sign is primarily "mental" in character and often weighed in favor of a purposeful interpretation. There seems to be little significance or meaning surrounding a design viewed entirely in terms of purpose alone. Design signs are cloaked within the constraints of pragmatism and functionality.

In contrast, when a design is viewed conveying a more emotional impression a meaningful response arises, imparting a certain "feeling" upon the senses of the observer. Such an impression points towards a larger number of symbolic associations harbored within the emotional context of the observer's scope of awareness.

Design’s function is to indiscriminately respond to and if appropriate bring into manifestation, the sources and impulses that together harbor and symbolically qualify the essence of one's own nature, i.e. self. All such points of view can be found to describe a wide variety of originations that seemingly ebb and flow within a contextual ocean of eternal change. 

It is our awareness that brings meaning and purpose to what we designed and/or assigned as being conscious. The universe re-presents a presence or field from which the POV, i.e. awareness of being an observer, can orchestrate the imaginative capacity to configure and categorize energy, light and information into their most appropriate pattern/s, i.e. formation. By what appears to stem from an unexplainable origin, a certain "quickening" or transition between states will join and at times materialize from within the parameters of its own contextual presence. As result of these correspondences every transformation becomes symbolically linked while still constrained within the process of transition and transfiguration. This new state of awareness becomes substantiated by virtue of creating a formidable and identifiable matrix of its own designed order e.g. animal, vegetable, human or planetary. 

The unknown responds to impressions we interpret as being endowed with a particular meaning and/or purpose. Design viewed from this perspective is most common. It is an expression originating from within the center of a POV rooted within what has been interpreted as a universal consciousness, a state of perpetual observation and interpretation of unknown and sometimes undesirable consequences. These circumstances remain outside the perception of every observer, yet we know both scientifically and intuitively that there does exit a connection between every definition and concept of reality. Just what can be made viable from this perspective is a challenge to every concept of design that can be harnessed from within the virtual constraints of 3D space/time.

There are a wide variety of meanings associated with every symbol (design). Every interpretation is founded upon past experiences. In reference to humanity, response to these experiences become symbolic in nature and surface in 3D space/time the form of a “feeling”. Energy (vibratory disturbances) in support of these patterned outcroppings come presumably from within the depths of an unknown origin. Quest into the meaning of this argument dictates further analysis, for investigation into the purpose of any meaning only brings further meaning to its purpose.

It soon becomes apparent that an appropriate design is one that transforms and thereby fuses the qualities of meaning and purpose into a series of single, well-balanced resolutions (constructs). And it is from this resourceful position that design encourages growth, adaptation and expansion by generating the dynamics required of an observer to flourish within the realm of experience, i.e. consciousness.

The capacity to sustain balance within the midst of this high-powered relationship requires focus and an ability to adapt. Decisions and responses typically trigger a multitude of events between cause and effect. These momentous occasions cannot be avoided from a position within the confines of 3D space/time. It is a situation that requires a certain degree of sustenance to survive.

Singularity is but a POV that purposely exists beyond the field of experience/consciousness. It describes a presence or position that together with other points of view, create an identifiable quality or province appearing to emerge from within the parametric constraints of 3D space/time. 

In essence, design is a self-fulfilling journey about which we can observe a cyclical path of evolution into and out of an awareness that has been designed to bring meaning and purpose to what appeared to be, at face value, a chaotic situation. As the door gradually opens the path appears more apparent allowing the designer to experience the unique single- pointedness found to be harbored within its own creation.

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Design as Ontological Mediation: Symbol, Consciousness, and the Philosophy of Form 

Design is not merely a functional or aesthetic endeavor; it is a metaphysical articulation of symbolic meaning within a perceptual field shaped by consciousness. From a design-philosophical standpoint, symbols are not static signifiers but dynamic agents of worldmaking, embodying the interface between the known and the unknown. They act as mediating structures through which we interpret, construct, and stabilize reality. As Nelson and Stolterman (2012) argue, design is an intentional act of world creation—shaping environments, artifacts, and systems to reflect human purpose and values. 

The symbolic order can be understood as a framework of meaning that brings coherence to the ontological flux. Rooted in the metaphysical ground of experience, symbolic design organizes perception into a multidimensional field of intelligibility. Drawing from Simondon’s (1992) theory of individuation, symbols function as energetic condensations—emergent expressions of an undifferentiated field that gain coherence through acts of observation and imagination. The observer, situated within this field, does not merely receive reality but participates in its articulation through symbolic design. 

Imagination serves as a critical mediator in this process, acting not as fanciful distraction but as ontological negotiator. It facilitates the translation of raw experiential potential—what Bohm (1980) refers to as the “implicate order”—into discernible symbolic constructs. Design, then, becomes the visible manifestation of this translation. It is through the imaginative synthesis of impressions—visual, affective, and conceptual—that reality is made present as a designed field of symbolic coherence. 

This ontological orientation aligns with the philosophical foundations of ontological design (Escobar, 2018), which asserts that design is not only about shaping objects but about shaping being itself. We design our world, and our world, in turn, designs us. Symbols are not inert carriers of meaning; they are active participants in the co-constitution of self and world. They emerge from what might be described as a “plasmic soup” of virtual potential and evolve into systems of meaning that stabilize the observer's position within the universe. 

From this vantage, consciousness becomes a product of symbolic configuration. The real is not given—it is made, through iterative cycles of observation, interpretation, and symbolic projection. Design becomes the apparatus by which these cycles are formalized. As Krippendorff (2006) notes, design is fundamentally concerned with the meaning of artifacts and systems—not simply their function. Each designed object is a semantic event, bearing the imprint of a particular worldview. 

The observer’s POV (point of view) functions as a generative axis around which symbolic patterns coalesce. These patterns—emerging through the confluence of sensory, emotional, and conceptual domains—form a matrix of relational transitions. Such matrices are contingent and situated, continuously adapting to shifting contexts. In phenomenological terms, they resemble Merleau-Ponty’s (1962) field of perception, where meaning arises through embodied engagement with the world. 

Design becomes the structuring principle through which symbolic coherence is maintained amid ontological flux. It translates vibrations—feelings, ideas, impressions—into stable forms, allowing for continuity of identity and experience. Design is not merely representational but generative: it “brings to light” the very world it seeks to interpret. This is echoed in Heidegger’s (1977) assertion that “technology is a way of revealing,” suggesting that all acts of design participate in the poiesis of being. 

Moreover, design serves as a mechanism for ontological balance. In an ever-changing symbolic landscape, design stabilizes the relationship between meaning and purpose. Meaning arises from a symbolic framework; purpose directs its application. When effectively fused, they create artifacts that are not only functional but existentially resonant. This equilibrium is what Dewey (1934) refers to as the “aesthetic experience”—a unity of doing and undergoing, form and feeling, substance and significance. 

Design also mediates between the subjective and objective poles of experience. Symbols, as designed constructs, create continuity between the inner psyche and the outer world. The process of externalization—of manifesting internal symbolic impressions into form—is inherently dialogical. The designed artifact reflects the consciousness of its creator while simultaneously shaping the awareness of those who engage with it. This echoes Varela, Thompson, and Rosch’s (1991) enactive approach to cognition, wherein perception and action are co-emergent. 

When we design, we articulate presence. Each designed form becomes a node in the symbolic network of consciousness—an instance of “presence” that reflects and reconfigures its source. What appears before the observer is not simply a product but a projection: a re-source that refers to the intentionality of its design. In this sense, design is inherently recursive, self-referential, and epistemologically generative. 

Design thus becomes a philosophical method—a way of thinking through material, symbolic, and existential constraints. It transforms chaos into order, potential into presence. But this process is not without limitation. The observer remains bound within the constraints of space/time, navigating the dialectic between infinite possibility and finite expression. Design becomes the crucible in which this negotiation is made viable—where meaning, purpose, and form converge to generate an ontology of situated existence. 

Even the idea of singularity—a common trope in metaphysical and technological discourses—can be reconceived in design terms. It is not merely a point of transcendence, but a focused POV—a locus of symbolic density that, through design, organizes a multiplicity of experiences into a coherent frame. Design, then, is not a destination but a path—cyclical, reflexive, and inherently transformative. 

Ultimately, design is not only about what we make but who we become in the making. It is the process by which we structure our consciousness, interpret our reality, and shape our future. It is both an act of revelation and of concealment, pointing toward the unknowable even as it brings forth the visible. In this way, design is the philosophical and ontological scaffolding upon which reality is imagined, articulated, and sustained. 

References 

• Bohm, D. (1980). Wholeness and the Implicate Order. London: Routledge. 

• Dewey, J. (1934). Art as Experience. New York: Minton, Balch & Company. 

• Escobar, A. (2018). Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 

• Heidegger, M. (1977). The Question Concerning Technology. New York: Harper & Row. 

• Krippendorff, K. (2006). The Semantic Turn: A New Foundation for Design. Boca Raton: CRC Press. 

• Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). Phenomenology of Perception. Trans. Colin Smith. London: Routledge. 

• Nelson, H., & Stolterman, E. (2012). The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 

• Simondon, G. (1992). The Genesis of the Individual. In J. Crary & S. Kwinter (Eds.), Incorporations. New York: Zone Books. 

• Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. The author generated this text in part with GPT-3, 

OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. Upon generating draft language, the author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication.

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"To believe is to accept another's truth.

To know is your own creation."

Anonymous

Edited: 06.19.2016, 07.30.2016, 01.11.2017, 03.05.2018, 11.18.2018, 02.23.2019, 08.14.2019, 05.06.2020, 08.31.2020, 06.14.2025

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