Editorials
Éditorial n°12
This June 2026 issue is particularly rich in cross-references between the different sections of our journal; all of which relate to the critique of design. But two questions remain: given that this critical stance is that of our journal, Design, Arts, Médias, in what way is this critical richness unique? Or, even worse, does it not risk creating a lack of focus?
- 2026/06
Éditorial n°11
In our last editorial, we sensed that a new life cycle was beginning for our journal. Our eleventh thematic issue revisits this idea, in its own way. Indeed, it aims to shed light on design from its origin(s), its Matrices. The question posed by Céline Caumon and Jérémie Elalouf is indeed pertinent: to grasp the ungraspable, this field being absent from the title of section 18 of the CNU (National Council of Universities), shouldn't we go back to where it all began?
- 2026/06
Thematic Issues
Théories critiques du design, Pensées critiques, Traductions sensibles
This thematic dossier has two parts. Some texts draw on theories or critical thinking about design to pose and explore, in their own way, the ethical and epistemological problems of this field. Other articles focus on how theories can be translated in a way that resonates with a wider readership. Together, they enrich the seminar "Towards a Critical Theory of Design," which, for several years, has been developing a critical theory of design in light of the Frankfurt School.
- 2026/06
Les matrices disciplinaires du design
The term design is now used in so many fields that it is difficult to pinpoint what unifies the discipline. In this context, the aim of this eleventh issue is to reflect on the situations that have enabled it to take shape. Based on the assumption that the design community is situated between science and society, between the laboratory and the field, the aim here is to encourage thinkers, designers and practitioners to come together, positioning themselves in relation to the dominant practices and discourses in order to re-establish a common approach.
- 2025/11
Reviews
Catherine Chomarat-Ruiz, À l'écoute du design, une théorie critique
Listening to Design: A Critical Theory is a "hybrid" book that can be confusing. Neither quite a work that traces the history or evolution of design along a linear temporal continuum, nor quite a work of design theory per se, this book offers a new reading of this field, a sort of Deleuzo-Guatarian "line of flight" that approaches design as a process in "becoming" that is simultaneously historical, theoretical, and practical. This rereading of design—through the prism of this permanent triptych—encourages us to move away from the types of tree-like, common knowledge production that can be perceived as redundant when we are interested in design.
- 2026/06
Catherine Geel et Claire Brunet, Le design, histoire, concepts, combats
In this book, the authors present elements of their courses and research articulated in a common text. This text seeks to establish and clarify the links between the history of the discipline and the concepts that enable or have enabled it to be thought of or its practices to evolve according to the times and situations.
- 2026/06
Words of Authors
Le design et ses pratiques (volet 4). Quand les humains et autres qu’humains habitent l’espace public
This dossier presents around thirty interviews given by French and international designers. The aim of this new survey is to identify how the concepts of habitability and public space are used by the profession. The profession intends to test the hypotheses formulated within the research seminar "Towards a Critical Theory of Design" (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), dedicated to these two key concepts in 2025-2026.
- 2026/06
Entretien avec Jacques André. Un parcours individuel au tournant numérique de la typographie.
Conducted at Rennes 2 University on January 17, 2025, and supplemented by a second interview on September 5, 2025, this interview looks back on the career of Jacques André, thus shedding light, among other things, on the impact of digital technology on typography.
- 2026/06
Varia
Vers une pensée écocritique du design
This article examines the role of design in the Anthropocene by highlighting the limits of the dominant paradigm of circular design. It starts from the hypothesis that contemporary so-called ‘ecological’ design often turns environmental concepts into market fetishes instead of challenging the neoliberal logic of consumption. The article adopts an interpretive approach based on an ecocritical analysis of critical design projects from the 1990s.
- 2026/06
Glass in contemporary sculpture
Cet article analyse l'utilisation du verre, le processus de fabrication du verre et ses perspectives dans l'art contemporain à travers des exemples d'expressions artistiques diverses et de différents médiums artistiques. Le verre et les techniques associées sont traditionnellement associés aux arts appliqués. Moins connues sont les pratiques artistiques contemporaines qui utilisent principalement le verre dans leur expression. L'objectif de cet article est de questionner ce matériau, ses qualités et son potentiel dans l'art contemporain, en particulier dans le domaine de la sculpture. Une autre question qui se pose est celle de savoir comment les caractéristiques du verre peuvent être interprétées différemment d'un point de vue sculptural, pictural ou d'installation. En conséquence, l'article examine la notion de contemporanéité et les valeurs dans l'art contemporain.
- 2024/12
Call for papers
Hypothèses et pratiques fécondes pour un design-situé
This issue of "Design, Arts, Médias" explores the hypothesis of site-specific design as a project approach attentive to the relationships between design practices and the environments they traverse and transform. In contrast to the productivist logic of industrial design, this call for papers examines approaches rooted in specific material, social, territorial, and ecological contexts, where materials, know-how, uses, and forms of cooperation become active components of the project. Site-specific design is considered here as a relational practice, sensitive to the dynamics of living systems, shared resources, and the concrete conditions of habitability within environments.
- 2026/06
Théories critiques du design, Pensées critiques, Traductions sensibles
The eleventh thematic issue of the journal Design, Arts, Médias concerns the critical theory of design and aims to continue exploring two avenues opened up during seminars and study days. These are, on the one hand, the link between theories and critical thought, and on the other hand, the sensitive translations of theories.
- 2026/06