Multimedia in the design studio: a metaphorical analysis

In this paper I examine the way that one particular technology, multimedia, impacts upon the design experience. I show how it affects design products and processes insofar as it is caught up in the metaphors we use in structuring design tasks. But this influence is far from deterministic. Metaphors entail various oppositions, the resolution of which sets the problems for the designer in the particular design situation. I also present pertinent theories about the workings of metaphor and describe the experience of using multimedia in a teaching situation in a design studio.