SYNERGETIC THINKING AS A KEY COMPETENCY OF A DESIGNER IN DESIGN

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to substantiate synergetic thinking as a key competence of a contemporary designer and to determine its role in the formation of a holistic project solution. The study also aims to identify the mechanisms through which synergetic thinking ensures the emergence of a non-additive effect in design activity, when the integrity of the result exceeds the sum of its individual components.
Research methodology. The research is based on a theoretical and methodological analysis of scientific works in the fields of synergetics, design theory, project thinking, and professional design education. The study applies systemic, interdisciplinary, and comparative approaches, which make it possible to interpret design activity as a nonlinear open system capable of self-organization. Special attention is paid to the conceptual correlation between synergetics and design thinking.
Results. It has been established that synergetic thinking enables a designer to integrate functional, aesthetic, technological, cultural, and contextual factors into a coherent project system. The study proves that the quality of a design solution depends not on the mechanical combination of separate elements but on their interaction, which produces a non-additive effect. The project image is interpreted as an integral dynamic structure that functions as an attractor and preserves the integrity of the design concept throughout the project process. It is shown that variability, contextual sensitivity, and openness to uncertainty are not obstacles but productive resources of design activity. Seven specific features of synergetic thinking in design are identified, including visual-spatial integration, simultaneous retention of form and function, sensitivity to materiality, temporal projection, productive work with uncertainty, interdisciplinary sensitivity, and reflexive self-organization.
Novelty. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the substantiation of synergetic thinking as a specific type of professional thinking of a designer. Its distinctive characteristics in comparison with synergetic thinking in other fields have been defined and conceptually structured.
The practical significance. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of applying them in higher design education, particularly in improving project-based learning and developing criteria for evaluating the integrity and quality of design solutions. The proposed approach may also be used in the professional training of designers capable of working effectively in complex and dynamic environments.