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Conclusion

Like our society, design is riddled with myths. Not all are harmful. Indeed, there is often a symbiotic relationship. Myths are also useful as a learning device in which the unintelligible —randomness, is reduced to the intelligible — a pattern. However, if we are striving, as designers, to gain understanding, to have gnosis, then an awareness of the role of myth in design is essential.

Myth in design is important because, in casting ideas into tangible forms, it affects the way we think and behave; it not only reflects our past and present, it can also determine our future.

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Annotated bibliography

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Mayo, S. Myth in design. Int J Technol Des Educ 3, 41–52 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00418995

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