Design Cognition Shift from Craftsman to Digital Maker

The process of design and fabrication involves a complex cognitive activity, in which the human brain is part of a larger cognitive system that encompasses brain, body, tool, material and environment. In this system the cognition resides in the interaction of all these elements one with another in different stages of a design and making activity. This paper investigates the intermediary role of digital fabrication machines in changing the discourse of design cognition in relation to the action of making, inquiring into the diverging path from traditional craftwork. This research is shaped around the concept of transparent machine tools for an interactive participation in the process of design-making, shaping a human-machine interaction to unify the design and fabrication process.