Notes on a Philosophy of Design

I was recently asked by a friend to describe my design philosophy. I was a little taken aback by the question... it's not something I think about much, and I didn't know how to capture the way I approach design in a few sentences. I certainly didn't have an elevator speech ready to go. However, on reflection I was able to tell my friend that I'm a pragmatist, a realist, and an eclectic. I'm a pragmatist because I believe my projects are driven by the clients and the economics, not by an abstract design imperative imposed by the Architect. I'm a realist because I recognize that once an Architect leaves academia for "the real world", the overarching context created by economics, local politics, and popular culture acts as a design determinate that overpowers all but the most substantive academic debates. And I'm an eclectic because I'm apt to take whatever I feel is appropriate from the grab bag of context, history, and local vernacular to create a design. I don't put much stock in rules, but find myself repeatedly asking if a design works for its intended purpose, and if it is beautiful.