Concept formation in design

This paper presents a computationally tractable view on where simple design concepts come from by proposing a paradigm for the formation of design concepts based on the emergence of patterns in the representation of designs. It is suggested that these design patterns form the basis of concepts. These design patterns once learned are then added to the repertoire of known patterns so that they do not need to be learned again. This approach uses the notion called the loosely-wired brain. The paper elaborates this idea primarily through implemented examples drawn from the genetic engineering of evolutionary systems and the qualitative representation of shapes and their multiple representations.