ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY  GRADUATE SCHOOL 

M.Sc. THESIS 

DECEMBER 2022 

IMAGINATION IN DESIGN THINKING: 
TRACKING THROUGH REPRESENTATION 

Ayşe Eda ADIGÜZEL 

Department of Architecture 
 

Architectural Design Programme 
 



 

  



 

   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

DECEMBER 2022 

ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY  GRADUATE SCHOOL 

IMAGINATION IN DESIGN THINKING: 
TRACKING THROUGH REPRESENTATION 

 
 

M.Sc. THESIS 

Ayşe Eda ADIGÜZEL 
(502191001) 

 

Thesis Advisor: Prof. Dr. Belkıs ULUOĞLU 
 

Department of Architecture 
 

Architectural Design Programme 



 

  



 

   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ARALIK 2022 

ISTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ  LİSANSÜSTÜ EĞİTİM ENSTİTÜSÜ 

TASARIM DÜŞÜNCESİNDE HAYALGÜCÜ: 
TEMSİL ÜZERİNDEN TAKİBİ 

 
 

YÜKSEK LİSANS TEZİ 

Ayşe Eda ADIGÜZEL 
(502191001) 

 
 

Tez Danışmanı: Prof. Dr. Belkıs ULUOĞLU 
 

Mimarlık Anabilim Dalı 
 

Mimari Tasarım Programı 



 

 
 



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Thesis Advisor :  Prof. Dr. Belkıs ULUOĞLU  .............................. 
 İstanbul Technical University  

Jury Members :  Prof. Dr. Yüksel DEMİR             ............................. 
Istanbul Technical University 

Assist. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Zeynep AYDEMİR.............................. 
MEF University 

Ayşe Eda ADIGÜZEL, a M.Sc. student of İTU Graduate School student ID 
502191001, successfully defended the thesis/dissertation entitled “IMAGINATION 
IN DESIGN THINKING: TRACKING THROUGH REPRESENTATION”, which 
she prepared after fulfilling the requirements specified in the associated legislations, 
before the jury whose signatures are below. 
 
 

Date of Submission : 27 November 2022 
Date of Defense : 28 December 2022 
 



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To Adıgüzel Family, 

 

 

 



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ix 

FOREWORD 

I believed in the power of imagination in every moment of my life. I am grateful to 
everyone and everything that has entered my life with their imagination and expanded 
the limits of my imagination.  
First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis advisor, Prof. Dr. Belkıs 
Uluoğlu, for her incredible support throughout the process. The knowledge, experience 
and academic approach she conveyed since the moment we met in my undergraduate 
education had a great impact on my current position. I would like to thank her for her 
patient, supportive, constructive, encouraging, meticulous and exciting guidance 
throughout my master's process and thesis research.  
I would like to thank my esteemed jury members Prof. Dr. Yüksel Demir and Assist. 
Prof. Dr. Ayşe Zeynep Aydemir for sharing their valuable comments and opinions, 
motivating me and emphasizing the different points of my thesis. 
I wish to thank to my dear mother Serap, my dear father Ramazan, my dear sister Ece 
for always being with me with their support and endless love and patiently listening to 
my whole thesis process many times and to my cat Gandalf for always watching me 
from behind my laptop. It would not have been possible for me to finish the thesis 
without their endless encouragement, motivation, fun trips and conversations. I know 
that in every moment of my life, we will support each other in the same way and be 
proud together. Also, I would like to express my special thanks to my dear aunt Vedia 
Aksu, I know that she is always with me and proud of me. 
I would like to thank the students of Bahçeşehir University Department of Architecture 
for inspiring me and opening their imaginations to me. I am grateful to the academic 
staff of BAU, especially Assoc. Prof. Nilay Ünsal Gülmez and Assist. Prof. Göksun 
Akyürek Altürk, for their interest, support and guidance. 
I would like to thank my colleagues Beril Coşkun, Elif Şen Himaki, Berna Sayar, Beril 
Gök, Büşra Atam and Ege Cankurtaran for their deep academic conversations, crises, 
fun and heartwarming times at school and their interest in my thesis. 
I am grateful to have my friends Betül Ünlü, Serim Aygen Kiştin, Ahmet Peçen, Sena 
Erden, Ayşenaz Sönmez, Hilal Kahraman, Büşra Kara and Kübra İşler by my side 
throughout the thesis writing process. 
Finally, I would like to thank Bender Uğurlu, who has always been by my side with 
his support and love since the moment we met, I am happy to progress together in 
architecture and the academic world, I always see him as an idol with his determination 
to work, and I believe that we will experience many successes and happiness together. 
 
 
 
December 2022 
 

Ayşe Eda ADIGÜZEL 
(Architecture) 



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xi 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Page 

FOREWORD ............................................................................................................. ix 
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... xi 
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ xiii 
SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ xvii 
ÖZET          ............................................................................................................... xix 

 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 
 Looking Through Imagination ........................................................................... 1 
 Aim and Method ................................................................................................. 5 

 IMAGINATION IN DESIGN THINKING ....................................................... 11 
 Exploring Imagination ...................................................................................... 11 
 From Imaginative Thinking to Creativity ........................................................ 21 
 Architectural Design and Imagination ............................................................. 26 
2.3.1 Architectural design process ..................................................................... 26 
2.3.2 Functions of imagination .......................................................................... 35 

2.3.2.1 Associative function of imagination .................................................. 36 
2.3.2.2 Iterative function of imagination ........................................................ 41 
2.3.2.3 Experiential function of imagination ................................................. 46 
2.3.2.4 Transformative function of imagination ............................................ 52 

 Conclusion: Imagination Overall ..................................................................... 57 
 DESIGN REPRESENTATION AND IMAGINATION ................................... 59 

 Mental Representation ...................................................................................... 61 
3.1.1 Forms and theories of mental representation ............................................ 61 
3.1.2 Schema theory ........................................................................................... 68 
3.1.3 Proposal for mental actions through schemata ......................................... 73 
 External Representation ................................................................................... 78 
3.2.1 Media and tools ......................................................................................... 79 
3.2.2 Verbal and visual representation ............................................................... 82 
3.2.3 Proposal for design actions within external representation ...................... 91 
 Conclusion: Bactracking to Imagination .......................................................... 99 

 IMAGINATION PATTERNS .......................................................................... 101 
 Methodology: Mapping of Imagination ......................................................... 101 
 Case Studies Phase I: Design Diaries to Analyze Representation Usages ..... 108 
4.2.1 Verbal representation .............................................................................. 112 
4.2.2 Visual representation ............................................................................... 123 
 Case Studies Phase II: Interviews to Reveal Imagination Mappings ............. 135 
4.3.1 Common patterns of imagination ............................................................ 136 
4.3.2 Common behavior groups in imaginative approaches ............................ 151 

4.3.2.1 Group no.1: devoting imagination to concepts ................................ 152 
4.3.2.2 Group no.2: combining imagination with others' imagination ........ 159 
4.3.2.3 Group no.3: seeking the limit of imagination .................................. 164 
4.3.2.4 Group no.4: multiplying imagination with design decision ............. 171 
4.3.2.5 Group no.5: focusing imagination on a single design ...................... 177 



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4.3.2.6 Group no.6: using imagination as narrative ..................................... 183 
 Results ............................................................................................................ 191 

 CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION ................................................................ 193 
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 199 
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................ 209 

APPENDIX A ...................................................................................................... 210 
APPENDIX B ....................................................................................................... 211 
APPENDIX C ....................................................................................................... 213 

CURRICULUM VITAE ........................................................................................ 235 
 
 

 



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LIST OF FIGURES 

Page 

Figure 1.1 : Thesis structure (Adıgüzel, 2022). .......................................................... 9 
Figure 2.1 : Meaning and content of imagination (Adıgüzel, 2022). ........................ 11 
Figure 2.2 : Literature on imagination’s scope (Adıgüzel, 2022). ............................ 12 
Figure 2.3 : Twelve conceptions of imagination (Stevenson, 2003). ....................... 19 
Figure 2.4 : Scope of imagination (Adıgüzel, 2022)................................................. 21 
Figure 2.5 : Wallas’s Model fo creativity (1926)...................................................... 27 
Figure 2.6 : Koestler’s bisociation model (1964). .................................................... 28 
Figure 2.7 : Schön’s Reflective Practice (Malinin, 2018)......................................... 30 
Figure 2.8 : Activity-based model (Akın & Lin, 1995). ........................................... 33 
Figure 2.9 : Leeuwen’s (2011) description of imagination (Adıgüzel, 2022). ......... 34 
Figure 2.10 : Design process related to imagination (Adıgüzel, 2022). ................... 35 
Figure 2.11 : Dialogues provided by imagination (Adıgüzel, 2022). ....................... 36 
Figure 2.12 : The exploded views of a vault springing and a portion of a nave wall 

construction from Notre Dame at Dijon (Vinegar, 1998). ...................... 38 
Figure 2.13 : Crystal Palace by Joseph Paxton and the picture depicting the strength 

of water lily leaves carrying Paxton’s daughter (Ayıran, 2012). ............ 39 
Figure 2.14 : Jørn Utzon; Bagsvaerd Community Church (Schank Smith, 2008).... 40 
Figure 2.15 : Steven Holl; Knut Hamsun Museum (Schank Smith, 2008). .............. 40 
Figure 2.16 : Associative function of imagination in design process (Adıgüzel, 

2022)........................................................................................................ 41 
Figure 2.17 : Le Corbusier, "Diagram of lines and forms as they affect the 

physiology of sensations" (Vidler, 2000). ............................................... 43 
Figure 2.18 : Steven Holl, Cactus Towers. (Schank Smith, 2008). .......................... 44 
Figure 2.19 : Cesar Pelli; Petronas Towers (Schank Smith, 2008). .......................... 44 
Figure 2.20 : Frei Otto’s models in the exhibition (Url-1)........................................ 45 
Figure 2.21 : Reima Pietilä; Dipoli Student Assembly Building, Ontaniemi, Espoo 

(Schank Smith, 2008). ............................................................................. 45 
Figure 2.22 : Iterative function of imagination in design process (Adıgüzel, 2022). 46 
Figure 2.23 : Architectural storytelling (Frascari, 2011). ......................................... 48 
Figure 2.24 : Bjarke Ingels drawing the Worldcraft (Url-2). .................................... 49 
Figure 2.25 : Van Berkel’s Moebius House drawing (Molinari & Bigiotti, 2014)... 49 
Figure 2.26 : Light studies for the Museum of the City, Cassino, Italy, 1996. 

(Mindrup, 2015). ..................................................................................... 50 
Figure 2.27 : Experiential function of imagination in design process (Adıgüzel, 

2022)........................................................................................................ 51 
Figure 2.28 : Ching’s adjacent space organizations (2007). ..................................... 53 
Figure 2.29 : Architects’ Sketchbooks: Steven Holl (Url-3). ................................... 54 
Figure 2.30 : Creative Evolutionary Systems generative process of forming a 

building from seeds (Frazer & Janssen, 2003). ....................................... 55 
Figure 2.31 : How Architecture Is Born: 7 Poetic Sketches by Daniel Libeskind and 

the Buildings They Inspired (Url-4). ....................................................... 56 



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Figure 2.32 : Transformative function of imagination in design process (Adıgüzel, 
2022). ....................................................................................................... 57 

Figure 3.1 : Dual Coding Theory adapted from Paivio (Adıgüzel, 2022). ............... 63 
Figure 3.2 : Schema and mental model (Adıgüzel, 2022). ........................................ 67 
Figure 3.3 : Schemata in design process (Adıgüzel, 2022). ...................................... 68 
Figure 3.4 : Schema theory and its actions (Adıgüzel, 2022). .................................. 74 
Figure 3.5 : Mental actions and their relation with imagination features (Adıgüzel, 

2022). ....................................................................................................... 78 
Figure 3.6 : Designer’s conception of a design (Eastman, 2001). ............................ 80 
Figure 3.7 : External representation functions (Dix & Gongora, 2011). .................. 82 
Figure 3.8 : Categorization of diagrams (Url-5). ...................................................... 87 
Figure 3.9 : External representation media (Adıgüzel, 2022). .................................. 91 
Figure 3.10 : Investigating the problem action set and related keywords. ................ 93 
Figure 3.11 : Analyzing the problem action set and related keywords. .................... 94 
Figure 3.12 : Generating concepts action set and related keywords. ........................ 95 
Figure 3.13 : Generating spatiality action set and related keywords. ....................... 96 
Figure 3.14 : Developing ideas action set and related keywords. ............................. 97 
Figure 3.15 : Communicating ideas action set and related keywords. ...................... 97 
Figure 3.16 : Design actions and their relationship with imagination functions. ..... 98 
Figure 3.17 : Functions of imagination in-between representation media. ............... 99 
Figure 3.18 : Actions and their relation with imagination functions. ..................... 100 
Figure 4.1 : ARC1002 Design Studies Project Syllabus. ........................................ 104 
Figure 4.2 : ARC4002 Graduation Project Syllabus. .............................................. 105 
Figure 4.3 : Imagination Mapping Framework. ...................................................... 107 
Figure 4.4 : Methodology. ....................................................................................... 108 
Figure 4.5 : Usage intensities of representation media in design diaries. ............... 109 
Figure 4.6 : Coding of representation media used in students' design diaries for the 

first project. ........................................................................................... 110 
Figure 4.7 : Coding of representation media used in students' design diaries for the 

second project. ....................................................................................... 111 
Figure 4.8 : Graph of keywords usage intensity in design diaries. ......................... 112 
Figure 4.9 : Examples of keyword usages in design diaries. .................................. 113 
Figure 4.10 : Graph of definition usage intensity in design diaries. ....................... 114 
Figure 4.11 : Examples of definition usages in design diaries. ............................... 115 
Figure 4.12 : Graph of formula usage intensity in design diaries. .......................... 115 
Figure 4.13 : Examples of formula usages in design diaries. .................................. 116 
Figure 4.14 : Graph of reminder/memo usage intensity in design diaries. ............. 117 
Figure 4.15 : Examples of reminder memo usages in design diaries. ..................... 118 
Figure 4.16 : Graph of analogy/metaphor usage intensity in design diaries. .......... 119 
Figure 4.17 : Examples of analogy/metaphor usages in design diaries. ................. 120 
Figure 4.18 : Graph of stories/narrations usage intensity in design diaries. ........... 121 
Figure 4.19 : Examples of story/narration usages in design diaries. ....................... 122 
Figure 4.20 : Graph of diagram usage intensity in design diaries. .......................... 123 
Figure 4.21 : Examples of diagram usages in design diaries. ................................. 124 
Figure 4.22 : Graph of plan drawing usage intensity in design diaries. .................. 124 
Figure 4.23 : Examples of plan drawing usages in design diaries. ......................... 125 
Figure 4.24 : Graph of section drawing usage intensity in design diaries. ............. 126 
Figure 4.25 : Examples of section drawing usages in design diaries. ..................... 127 
Figure 4.26 : Graph of perspective drawing usage intensity in design diaries. ...... 128 
Figure 4.27 : Examples of perspective drawing usages in design diaries. .............. 128 



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Figure 4.28 : Graph of storyboard usage intensity in design diaries....................... 129 
Figure 4.29 : Examples of storyboard usages in design diaries. ............................. 130 
Figure 4.30 : Graph of collage usage intensity in design diaries. ........................... 131 
Figure 4.31 : Examples of collage usages in design diaries. .................................. 131 
Figure 4.32 : Graph of video/film usage intensity in design diaries. ...................... 132 
Figure 4.33 : Graph of physical model usage intensity in design diaries. .............. 133 
Figure 4.34 : Examples of physical model usages in design diaries. ...................... 134 
Figure 4.35 : Graph of digital model usage intensity in design diaries. ................. 135 
Figure 4.36 : Imaginer-1’s concept on music and related representations. ............. 155 
Figure 4.37 : Imaginer-9’s concept on maze and related representations. .............. 156 
Figure 4.38 : Group no.1 samples and design process diagram. ............................. 157 
Figure 4.39 : Imaginer-20’s research on abstract collages and model making. ...... 160 
Figure 4.40 : Imaginer-17’s changing physical models according to criticisms. ... 161 
Figure 4.41 : Group no.2 samples and design process diagram. ............................. 163 
Figure 4.42 : Imaginer-3’s trials and errors with physical models. ........................ 167 
Figure 4.43 : Group no.3 samples and design process diagram. ............................. 169 
Figure 4.44 : Imaginer-7’s brainstorming and causal thinking process. ................. 172 
Figure 4.45 : Group no.4 samples and design process diagram. ............................. 177 
Figure 4.46 : Imaginer-8’s adaptation of her design to topography........................ 180 
Figure 4.47 : Group no.5 samples and design process diagram. ............................. 183 
Figure 4.48 : Imaginer-10’s design proposals according to her experiences. ......... 185 
Figure 4.49 : Imaginer-14’s storyboards according to her design decisions. ......... 187 
Figure 4.50 : Group no.6 samples and design process diagram. ............................. 189 
Figure C.1 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-1. .................................................. 213 
Figure C.2 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-2. .................................................. 214 
Figure C.3 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-3. .................................................. 215 
Figure C.4 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-4. .................................................. 216 
Figure C.5 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-5. .................................................. 217 
Figure C.6 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-6. .................................................. 218 
Figure C.7 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-7. .................................................. 219 
Figure C.8 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-8. .................................................. 220 
Figure C.9 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-9. .................................................. 221 
Figure C.10 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-10. .............................................. 222 
Figure C.11 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-11. .............................................. 223 
Figure C.12 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-12. .............................................. 224 
Figure C.13 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-13. .............................................. 225 
Figure C.14 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-14. .............................................. 226 
Figure C.15 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-15. .............................................. 227 
Figure C.16 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-16. .............................................. 228 
Figure C.17 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-17. .............................................. 229 
Figure C.18 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-18. .............................................. 230 
Figure C.19 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-19. .............................................. 231 
Figure C.20 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-20. .............................................. 232 
Figure C.21 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-21. .............................................. 233 
Figure C.22 : Imagination mapping of Imaginer-22. .............................................. 234 
 
 
 



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xvii 

IMAGINATION IN DESIGN THINKING:                                              
TRACKING THROUGH REPRESENTATION 

SUMMARY 

The thesis investigates the physical and mental factors on which the designer relies in 
the context of imagination, including the designer's design approach, design process, 
and design actions. In this context, imagination is explored through mental and 
external representation, both as a cognitive process and as a behavioral response, by 
playing an active role in design thinking. The potentials provided by this multi-layered 
and triggering structure of imagination establishes the motivation of the thesis for the 
establishment of tracking imagination through representation in design thinking. In 
this regard, the thesis aims to reveal the place of imagination in design thinking, the 
relationship it establishes with representation tools, and the commonalities and 
differences that occur in the design process depending on imaginative approaches. It 
is thought that the thesis will contribute to architectural education by opening new 
ways of approach in the context of imagination and creative approaches to architectural 
design thinking through representation. 
As a result of the literature review, imagination is defined as “the ability to create 
images and ideas that are not present or real, mentally formed and expressed in the 
physical world”. The dialogue of imagination with concepts such as memory, 
perception, aesthetics, representation and creativity enables the thesis model to be built 
over four different functions. Accordingly, the functions of imagination are examined 
as associative, iterative, experiential and transformative. The thesis study aims to 
analyze the question of how these imagination functions are involved in the design 
process, and in this context, it is questioned whether there are design approach patterns 
under the influence of imagination. 
Examining the associative function of imagination that connects concepts, the iterative 
function that provides the generation of ideas with alternative approaches, the 
experiential function that incorporates experiences into ideas, and the transformative 
function that enables the production of the new by focusing on change, establishes the 
thesis model and research method of it. The non-linear and undefined, multi-layered 
and cyclical state of the design process is seen as one of the main motivations for the 
study on the effect of imagination that is tracked through design representation. The 
representation of imagination in mental world focuses on schema theory. With the 
schema theory, in which the production of knowledge is examined as a process and 
the dynamism of the mental representation phenomenon is at the forefront, imagination 
includes the stages of activation, association and alteration in the design process.  
Accordingly, the external representation acts as a bridge between the designer's mind 
and the physical world, plays a dialogic role to convey ideas, and acts as a trigger for 
the crystallization of the idea. External representation, which is divided into verbal and 
visual, is examined together with different tools and methods within the scope of the 
thesis. External representation tools analyzed as keywords, definitions, formulas, 
metaphors, narratives, reminders, plans, sections, perspective drawings, collages, 



xviii 

diagrams, storyboards, videos, physical models and digital models are included in the 
design process through design actions. Design actions which are examined as 
behavioral representation are studied as researching, analyzing, conceptualizing, 
creating spatiality, developing the idea, and conveying the idea. Within the scope of 
the thesis, the relationship between external representation, mental representation and 
design actions with imagination functions is revealed.  
As a result, diagrams showing the relationship between design actions and imagination 
functions were produced and determined in order to carry out the case studies.. First 
phase of case studies was conducted in which the design diaries produced by the first 
year students of Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Architecture and Design, 
Department of Architecture were examined in the project course in the 2020-2021 
Spring semester. With content analysis, it is explained with examples how students 
include external representation tools in the design process and examined in the context 
of their relations with imagination functions. The representations examined in the 
design diaries indicate that there are certain patterns in the design approaches of 
imagination functions, as well as differences and common behavior groups. 
The question of how imagination is involved in design thinking is followed by 
disassembling the design processes of the students beyond what is conveyed in the 
design diaries. For this, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 
architecture students. In order to examine their use of imagination and design 
approaches, 15 first-year students were included in the interviews. In addition to this 
interview group, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 fourth-year students, who 
were at the last stage of their architectural design education, in order to make 
comparisons. All of them were asked to describe the design process they went through 
during the term. The design processes of the students are analyzed by coding the 
interviews according to the representations used and design actions. With this analysis 
under the name of imagination mapping, design process charts are created in which 
the keywords that students focus on, imagination function intensities associated with 
the actions, and the representation tool, action and imagination functions can be 
followed together.  
When imagination mapping is examined, it is seen that imagination functions create 
common behavior groups, common design approach patterns and differences in design 
thinking. While it has been determined that associative and iterative functions, which 
are among the functions of imagination, are heavily involved in the design process, 
design actions and representations that come together are considered as phenomena 
specific to design thinking of the students. Imagination functions that enable the 
formation of common patterns also reveal six different behavior groups. The 
differences in design approaches and design processes of first and fourth year students 
also make it possible to follow the approach offered by architectural education. These 
patterns and groups, which can be examined in architectural design education, enable 
the questioning of educational approaches and searching for potentials for triggering 
creative processes offered by imagination. Identified patterns and groups attribute the 
dialogical, organic and dynamic nature of imagination to the design process. As a 
result, within the architectural design practice, imagination is involved in every 
moment of the design process with its different functions and is considered as a 
creative potential that diversifies design approaches. 
 
  



xix 

TASARIM DÜŞÜNCESİNDE HAYAL GÜCÜ:                                         
TEMSİL ÜZERİNDEN TAKİBİ 

ÖZET 

Tasarımcının tasarım yaklaşımı, tasarım süreci ve tasarım eylemlerini içeren tasarım 
düşüncesinin araştırıldığı tez, tasarımcının bağlı olduğu fiziksel ve zihinsel faktörleri 
hayal gücü bağlamında odağına alır. Fikir ve imge üretme hali olarak tanımlanan hayal 
gücü tasarım sürecinde tasarımcının bilinçli ve bilinçsiz olarak gerçekleştirdiği 
eylemlerle ilişkiye girer. Bu ilişkiler bütünü ile tasarım düşüncesi çok katmanlı bir 
süreç olarak incelenir. Bu bağlamda hayal gücü, tasarım düşüncesinde aktif rol 
oynayarak hem bilişsel bir süreç hem de davranışsal bir tepki olarak zihinsel ve dışsal 
temsil yoluyla araştırılır. Hayal gücünün bu çok katmanlı ve tetikleyici yapısının 
sağladığı potansiyeller tasarım düşüncesinde temsil yoluyla takibin kurulmasına 
yönelik tezin motivasyonunu oluşturur. Bu bağlamda tez, hayal gücünün tasarım 
düşüncesi içerisindeki yerini, temsil araçlarıyla kurduğu ilişkiyi ve bunlara bağlı 
olarak tasarım sürecinde oluşan ortaklık ve farklılıkları ortaya çıkarmayı 
amaçlamaktadır. Tez çalışmasının mimarlık eğitimine hayal gücü bağlamında yeni 
yaklaşım yollarının ve mimari tasarım düşüncesine temsil üzerinden yaratıcı yaklaşım 
yollarının açılmasıyla katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir. 
Tasarım düşüncesinde hayal gücünün yerinin sorgulandığı tez çalışması, hayal 
gücünün farklı literatürlerdeki kapsamlarının belirlenmesiyle başlar. Literatür taraması 
sonucu hayal gücü “mevcut veya gerçek olmayan, zihinsel olarak şekillendirilmiş ve 
dış dünyada ifade edilen imgeleri ve fikirleri yaratma ve oluşturma yeteneği” olarak 
tanımlanır. Hayal gücünün bellek, algı, estetik, temsil, yaratıcılık gibi kavramlar ile 
olan diyaloğu tez modelinin dört farklı fonksiyon üzerinden kurulmasını sağlar. Buna 
göre hayal gücünün fonksiyonları ilişkisel, yinelemeli, deneyimsel ve dönüştürücü 
olarak incelenir. İncelenen ve öne sürülen hayal gücü fonksiyonları imge ve fikirlerin 
oluşumuna ve gelişimine aktif olarak katılır. Tez çalışması bu hayal gücü 
fonksiyonlarının tasarım sürecine nasıl dahil olduğu sorusunu çözümlemeyi hedefler 
ve bu bağlamda hayal gücünün etkisinde tasarım yaklaşımı örüntülerinin var olup 
olmadığı sorgulanır.  
Hayal gücünün kavramlar arasında bağlantı kuran ilişkisel fonksiyonunu, alternatif 
yaklaşımlarla fikir üretimini sağlayan yinelemeli fonksiyonunu, deneyimleri fikirlere 
dahil eden deneyimsel fonksiyonunu ve değişimi odağına alarak yeninin üretilmesini 
sağlayan dönüştürücü fonksiyonunu tasarım düşüncesi içerisinde incelemek tezin 
çalışma modelini ve araştırma yönteminin temelini kurar. Tasarım sürecinin doğrusal 
ve tanımlı olmayan, çok katmanlı ve döngüsel hali hayal gücünün etkisinin 
araştırılması konusunda tezi besleyen ana motivasyonlardan biri olarak görülür. 
Tasarım düşüncesinin mimarlık ile olan ilişkisi dahilinde tez çalışması mekansal 
tasarım süreçlerine odaklanır. Buna göre mimari tasarım süreci doğrudan algıları, 
deneyimleri, tasarım bilgisini ve yapma eylemini hayal gücü ile bağdaştırır ve yaratıcı 
yaklaşımların oluşmasını sağlar.  



xx 

Hayal gücü fonksiyonlarının tasarıma dahil edilme hallerinin tasarım sürecini 
çeşitlendirdiği öngörülerek bu fonksiyonların kapsamı belirlenir. Bu bağlamda bu 
fonksiyonların tasarım sürecine temsil mediaları ve tasarım eylemleri ile dahil olduğu 
savı ile ilerlenerek tasarımda temsil-hayal gücü ilişkisine odaklanılır. Tasarım 
sürecinde ve tasarım düşüncesinde hayal gücünün takibi temsil kavramı üzerinden 
yapılmaktadır. Hayal gücünün temsilinin zihinsel temsildeki karşılığı bilginin temsili 
konusuna da değinerek odağına şema teorisini alır. Bilgi üretiminin süreç olarak 
incelendiği ve zihinsel temsil olgusunun dinamikliğinin ön planda olduğu şema teorisi 
ile hayal gücü aktivasyon, çağrışım ve değişim evrelerini tasarım sürecine dahil eder. 
Böylece tasarımcının zihnindeki bilgiler hayal gücü fonksiyonlarının etkisiyle aktive 
edilir, özellikler adapte edilir ve dönüştürülür, deneyimlere göre şekillenir, yeni fikirler 
ve imgelerin oluşturulmasında şemalar arası ilişkiler kurulur.  
Zihinsel temsilin ötesinde tasarım sürecinin ana girdi ve çıktısını oluşturan dışsal 
temsil konusu tez hipotezinin araştırılmasında ana odaktır. Buna göre dışsal temsil, 
tasarımcının zihniyle fiziksel dünya arasında köprü görevi görür, fikirleri aktarmak 
için diyalog kuran bir rol üstlenir ve fikrin kristalleşmesi için tetikleyici bir etki 
gösterir. Dışsal temsilin bu ilişkisel durumu hayal gücüyle doğrudan bağlantı kurar ve 
fonksiyonlarının dışsal temsil üzerinden takip edilmesine olanak sağlar. Sözel, görsel 
ve davranışsal olarak ayrılan dışsal temsil, tez kapsamında farklı araçlar ve yöntemler 
ile birlikte incelenir. Buna göre davranışsal dışsal temsil tasarım eylemleriyle 
bağdaştırılır. Anahtar kelime, tanım, formül, metafor, anlatı, hatırlatıcı, plan, kesit, 
perspektif çizim, kolaj, diyagram, storyboard, video, fiziksel model ve dijital model 
olarak incelenen dışsal temsil araçları tasarım eylemleri ile tasarım sürecine dahil 
edilir. Tasarım eylemleri araştırmak, analiz etmek, konsept oluşturmak, mekansallık 
oluşturmak, fikri geliştirmek ve fikri aktarmak olarak incelenir. Tez kapsamında dışsal 
temsil, zihinsel temsil ve tasarım eylemlerinin hayal gücü fonksiyonlarıyla olan ilişkisi 
ortaya konur. Böylece hayal gücünün kapsamı belirlenir ve tasarım süreçlerinde temsil 
yoluyla yaratıcı yaklaşımları zenginleştiren bir olgu olarak incelenir. Tezin temel 
motivasyonu, çok fonksiyonlu hayal gücünün bir tasarım becerisi olarak görüldüğü 
çerçevede, tasarım sürecinde oynadığı rolü temsil ile deşifre etmektir. 
Hayal gücü ve tasarım eylemlerine ilişkin önerilen model ile tasarımcı ana özne olarak 
teze dahil edilir. Sonuç olarak, alan çalışmalarını gerçekleştirmek için tasarım 
eylemleri ile hayal gücü işlevleri arasındaki ilişkiyi gösteren diyagramlar üretilmiş ve 
örnek olay çalışmalarında odaklanılacak ve aranacak temsiller ve eylemler 
belirlenmiştir. Alan çalışmasının ilk aşamasında Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi Mimarlık ve 
Tasarım Fakültesi, Mimarlık Bölümü birinci sınıf öğrencilerinin 2020-2021 Bahar 
yarıyılında proje dersinde ürettikleri tasarım günlükleri incelenmiştir. Birinci sınıf 
öğrencilerinin odağa alınmasının sebebi temsil araçlarıyla yeni tanışan ve hepsini aynı 
dönem içerisinde kullanmaları beklenen öğrenci grubunun bu bağlamda kendi tasarım 
yaklaşımlarının ham bir şekilde incelenebilecek olmasıdır. Tasarım günlüklerinde 
kullanılan temsil araçları ve tasarım eylemleri incelenerek içerek analizi yapılmıştır. 
İçerik analizi ile öğrencilerin dışsal temsil araçlarını tasarım süreçlerine nasıl dahil 
ettikleri örneklerle açıklanır ve hayal gücü fonksiyonları ile ilişkileri bağlamında 
incelenir. Bu çalışma sonucu teorik çerçeve içerisinde araştırılan dışsal temsil 
araçlarının kapsamı hayal gücü fonksiyonları ile yeniden oluşturulur. Bu bağlamda 
tasarım günlükleri ile öğrencilerin farklı temsil araçlarıyla birlikte farklı tasarım 
yaklaşımlarına sahip oldukları ve tasarım eylemlerini de bu yaklaşımlarla ilişkili 
olarak aktive ettikleri sonucunu ortaya çıkartır. Tasarım günlüklerinde incelenen 



xxi 

temsiller hayal gücü fonksiyonlarının tasarım yaklaşımlarında belirli örüntüler olduğu 
gibi farklılıkların ve ortak davranış gruplarının olduğuna da işaret eder.  
Hayal gücünün tasarım düşüncesine nasıl dahil olduğu sorusu tasarım günlüklerinde 
aktarılanın ötesinde öğrencilerin tasarım süreçlerinin söküme uğratılmasıyla takip 
edilir. Bunun için mimarlık öğrencileriyle yarı yapılandırılmış derinlemesine 
görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Görüşmelere ham hayal gücü kullanımlarını ve tasarım 
yaklaşımlarını incelemek üzere mimari tasarım eğitiminin tamamını 
deneyimlemedikleri için 15 kişiden oluşan birinci sınıf öğrencileri dahil edilmiştir.  Bu 
görüşme grubuna ek olarak karşılaştırma yapabilmek adına mimari tasarım 
eğitimlerinin son aşamasında olan 7 kişiden oluşan dördüncü sınıf öğrencileriyle 
derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılmıştır ve hepsinden dönem içerisinde geçirdikleri 
tasarım sürecini anlatmaları istenmiştir. Alan çalışmasının bu aşaması ile öğrencilerin 
tasarım süreçlerinde kullandıkları eylemlerinn, temsillerin, düşüncelerin ve 
yaklaşımların ortaya konulması hedeflenmektedir. Görüşmelerin kullanılan temsillere 
ve tasarım eylemlerine göre kodlanması ile öğrencilerin tasarım süreçleri analiz edilir. 
Bu analiz ile öğrencilerin tasarım süreçlerinde odaklandıkları anahtar kelimeler, 
eylemlerle ilişkilenen hayal gücü fonksiyonu yoğunlukları ve temsil aracı, eylem ve 
hayal gücü fonksiyonlarının bir arada takip edilebildiği tasarım süreci çizelgeleri 
oluşturulur. Temsil üzerinden takip kurularak oluşturulan bu çizelge ve grafiklerin 
bütünü hayal gücü haritalaması adı altında tezin yöntemini oluşturur.  
Hayal gücü haritalamaları incelendiğinde, hayal gücü fonksiyonlarının tasarım 
düşüncesinde ortak davranış grupları, ortak tasarım yaklaşımı örüntüleri ve bunların 
içinde farklılıklar yarattığı görülür. Hayal gücü fonksiyonlarından ilişkisel ve 
yinelemeli fonksiyonların yoğun olarak tasarım sürecine dahil olduğu saptanırken 
bunların bir araya geldiği tasarım eylemleri ve temsiller tasarım düşüncesini 
biricikleştiren olgular olarak değerlendirilir. Böylece hayal gücü, tasarım süreçlerinde 
temsil yoluyla yaratıcı yaklaşımları zenginleştiren bir olgu olarak ele alınır. Ortak 
örüntülerin oluşmasını sağlayan hayal gücü fonksiyonları aynı zamanda altı farklı 
davranış grubunu da ortaya çıkarttığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu davranış gruplarının hayal 
gücü fonksiyonlarının belirli sıra veya yoğunlukla kullanılması sonucu tasarım 
yaklaşımı olarak öğrencilerin tasarım sürecini yönlendirdiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. 
Temsil ile kurulan doğrudan ilişki içerisinde tasarım yaklaşımlarının inceleniyor 
olması gruplar ve örüntüler içerisinde farklılıkların ortaya çıkmasını sağlamaktadır. 
Bu farklılıklar hayal gücünün taşıdığı potansiyelli durumun bir sonucu olarak 
değerlendirilmiştir. Birinci ve dördüncü sınıf öğrencilerin tasarım yaklaşımları ve 
tasarım süreçlerindeki farklılıklar mimarlık eğitiminin sunduğu yaklaşımın takibini de 
mümkün kılmaktadır.  Mimari tasarım eğitimi içerisinde incelenebilecek olan bu 
örüntü ve gruplar eğitim yaklaşımlarının sorgulanmasını ve hayal gücünün sunduğu 
yaratıcı süreçlerin tetiklenmesine yönelik potansiyellerin aranmasını sağlamaktadır. 
Bu durumda hayal gücü, tasarım düşüncesinde kullanılan temsil araçları ve tasarım 
eylemleri ile kurduğu ilişki dahilinde rol üstlenmektedir. Tespit edilen örüntüler ve 
grupların hayal gücünün diyalog kuran, organik ve dinamik yapısını tasarım sürecine 
yansıttığını göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak mimari tasarım pratiği içerisinde hayal 
gücünün, tasarım sürecinin her anına taşıdığı farklı fonksiyonlarla dahil olduğu ve 
tasarım yaklaşımlarını çeşitlendiren yaratıcı bir potansiyel olarak yer aldığı 
görüşmüştür.   
 
 
 



xxii 

 
 

  



1 

 INTRODUCTION 

 Looking Through Imagination  

Design thinking is defined as a creative and practical notion that examines the 

designer's approach, process, and actions to solve problems with design ideas. In 

design thinking, there are many physical and mental factors that the designer depends 

on. In the thesis, both physical and mental factors are intersected with imagination and 

related in design thinking  Based on this definition, architecture intersects with design 

thinking considering the relationship between architectural design processes and 

creative problem-solving approaches. The relationship of architectural design with 

creativity is seen as the most fundamental part of design process as shaped by 

imagination. The design process, which develops via experiences lived and the 

knowledge gained, diversifies, alternates, and re-establishes its layers with the 

parameters set by its designer. In this case, the design process emerges as the process 

of solving a problem by designing, and the solution occurs between these layers with 

the direct or auxiliary effect of imagination. At each layer and each phase of design 

process, there are accumulations, separations, combinations and changes both in 

mental representation and external representation. 

Imagination, that provides desire to produce novel ideas and images and determines 

the actions, both consciously and unconsciously, creates a multi-layered process by 

associating with all other mental processes (Liao & Gendler, 2020) in design thinking. 

Imagination helps to create the state of being creative of this mental process that 

differentiates and unifies the design. The main motivation of the thesis is to determine 

the potentials of imagination in design thinking and design process. In this context, 

imagination can be investigated through mental and external representation by playing 

an active role in creating the design, developing the design and solving the problem, 

both as a cognitive process and as a behavioral response. Thus, the aim of the thesis is 

to search for answers of how imagination is involved in architectural design thinking. 

The main hypothesis proposed in the thesis is that; imagination with its different 

functions can be involved and searched in design process through mental and external 



2 

representation, can direct the design and be associated with design inputs and outputs. 

In this case, imagination creates common behavior groups, common patterns and 

differences within them in design thinking. Thus, imagination can be examined as a 

phenomenon that enriches creative approaches through representation in design 

processes. In this context, imagination will be searched in the literature, the functions 

of imagination will be determined in the focus of design thought and how they are 

included in the architectural design process in relation to representation will be 

investigated.  

First, it is necessary to explore the scope of imagination. When “imagination” and its 

meanings in Cambridge, Merriam Webster and Oxford English Dictionaries are 

examined, the common definition shows itself as “the ability to create and form images 

and ideas that are not present or real, shaped mentally in mind and expressed in the 

external world”. Although imagination has different and multi-layered counterparts in 

psychology and philosophy, its meaning common to all corresponds to the generation 

and development of ideas by associating the mental process with the physical world. 

Imagination and its functions have different characteristics in terms of their relations 

with remembering, creativity, belief, perception, dreaming, desire etc. (Liao & 

Gendler, 2020). Imagination helps to produce combinations of all the knowledge in 

our minds to form novel ideas. The thesis focuses on imagination as an ability 

associated with the act of creation. As a cognitive process, imagination not only 

associates itself with memory but also has the potential to reveal unlived and 

unrealistic ideas. The scope of the thesis established with the definition of imagination 

represents the integrity of knowledge in memory and creatively stratified and 

differentiated ideas. 

Considering its relation to consciousness, memory, representation, creativity, and 

cognitive processes, functions of imagination are covered in various classifications. In 

this case, imagination has the ability to use the information in memory to make 

combinations to generate new information. Beyond that, imagination uses past 

experiences to produce ideas, as well as phenomena such as emotion, feeling and 

perception. As a result of its emphasis on production and creation, imagination actively 

participates in the formation and development of images and ideas, as well as in the 

creation of its functions. These functions of imagination, are examined in the thesis 

under the titles of associative, experiential, iterative and transformative by focusing on 



3 

design. Imagination activates itself at different phases of the design process with all its 

functions. One of the motivations of the thesis is to decipher the role it plays in the 

design process within the framework where imagination with multiple functions is 

considered a design skill, therefore, a potential to design. From this point of view, 

imagination creates the design process itself with all the functions it contains and 

unifies the process. 

The phenomena investigated within the framework of imagination and creativity in 

child psychology are the novelty and multiplicity of the ideas produced (Kupers et al., 

2019). According to Vygotsky (2004), the increase in solution alternatives to a 

problem is directly proportional to imagination of the individual. In this case, where 

the act of creation is at the forefront, imagination is examined as the phenomenon that 

establishes creativity. Whereas, even if the created alternatives are produced by 

different mental processes, they require effort and strength contrary to mere thinking. 

These mental processes are related to the designer's experiences, perception, and 

therefore memory and knowledge. This shows the existence of various inputs 

influenced by imagination that diversify the design process. While the thesis reveals 

all functions of imagination related to mental processes mentioned, it aims to 

acknowledge the effectiveness and mapping of imagination in design thinking 

throughout the design process. Combining images and ideas of the designer’s memory 

in novel thinking is the primary approach of imaginative thinking in the design process. 

Therefore, the creative imagination is acknowledged as the creating perception of 

alternative realities and experiences connected to transcendent use of imagination by 

Kind and Kung ( as cited in Liao & Gendler, 2020). Imaginative thinking related to 

creativity observes the design thinking with features such as “vividness, originality 

and transformativeness” (Jankowska & Karwowski, 2015). Therefore, the thesis 

focuses on imagination’s functions emphasized as associative, iterative, experiential 

and transformative. These functions also shape the model of the thesis research by 

creating a scope and show the features of creativity based on imagination in the design 

process. 

The fact that imagination reveals its different functions simultaneously with creative 

thinking represents the uniqueness of design processes. Beyond the phenomena 

represented by imagination, the question of how imagination is represented in design 

thinking is one of the main questions of the study. Imagination, which can be called a 



4 

cognitive process or ability, is associated with the mind. The functioning of the 

memory gives information about the formation of the mental model shaped by 

imagination. In this framework, imagination continues to reflect its characteristics 

while establishing its representational model in the mind.  

Although imagination is a cognitive ability, it does not make its representation only in 

mental environment. Folkmann, (2010) in his work on creativity in design, takes 

imagination as a dynamic structure that provides a dialogue between mental and 

external representations and establishes this dynamism through the relationship 

between activities during the design process. Thus, it regards imagination as the main 

element that provides this dynamism and gives creative power to design, rather than 

being a tool or an occasional situation. Representation methods that enrich and 

stimulate thought during the design process, and at the same time enable various 

dialogues to be established, facilitate the diversification of design outputs. While these 

outputs provide differences in approach to the problem, they also represent the 

functions of imagination involved in design. The fact that this dialogue is perceived 

by the designer on a continuum describes the position of imagination. Although it does 

not define a precise place in either mental representation or external representation, 

imagination is seen as an intermediate state involving both. In this context, imagination 

ensures to reveal and follow the patterns of design approaches both in the process of 

establishing the mental model and in the actions within the production of external 

representation. 

Spatial perception during the formation of architectural design becomes possible with 

the physical presence of imagination in representation. Considering the design 

processes, physical activities that work simultaneously with the cognitive activities 

form the backbone of design related to representation media. Decision-making stages 

within the established activities (Akın & Lin, 1995) reveal the functions of 

imagination. Although imagining is not just a mental activity, it becomes bodily and 

visually perceptible by its external representation. As it is represented in both 

environments, different functions of imagination come into play in design process. 

How these functions affect design, and how they enable to follow patterns of design 

approaches are among the main questions of the study. With this study, it is thought 

that examining imagination with its functions by associating it with the actions created 

in both mental and external representation media will reveal creative approaches in the 



5 

design processes and contribute to architectural design thinking by handling it as a 

process that builds relationships between representation media and imagination.  

 Aim and Method 

The design process highlights the definition of imagination by enabling a mapping 

demonstrating usage of functions of imagination. Different functions of imagination 

are explored through representation media and design actions used in design thinking 

within the scope of the thesis. The aim of the thesis is to determine the scope of 

imagination with its functions and to investigate how these functions are represented 

in the design process. The thesis' main discourse is that imagination, which is included 

in the design process and discussed in the context of creativity, contributes to design 

with its various functions and provides a different perspective on the concept of 

creativity. Throughout this context, it is possible to say that the actor, that is, the 

designer, who is the source of this imagination, is the focus of the thesis. The dialogue 

between the designer's binary relations such as mind-body, abstract-concrete, reality-

fantasy, and problem-solution (Cross, 2013) is discussed with the inclusion of the 

designer's imagination in design. The goal of this thesis, in which imagination is 

viewed as a dialogic element in design, is to disassemble the architectural design 

process and re-explore it with the focus of imagination. 

The thesis aims to find the scope of imagination in design by investigating the 

definitions of design process in psychology and philosophy. In this context, the thesis 

considers the design process as a variable and dynamic structure with the effect of 

imagination, rather than defining it as a systematized or intuitive situation. By drawing 

attention to the potentials that ensure the continuity and diversity of the design process, 

the existence of imagination is sought with the determined functions. Contrary to 

theories and discussions in which imagination is divided into classifications, the thesis 

is handled as a unity that consists of a variety of functions that are discussed as 

associative, iterative, experiential and transformative. Functions that come out as a 

result of this investigation provide a holistic view of imagination with their features.  

One of the points that the thesis draws attention to is that imagination is considered a 

process and a dynamic model tracked through representation media. Along with the 

theories for mental representation that will be detailed in Chapter 3, Schema Theory 

considers mental representation as a process and presents it as an ever-changing and 



6 

experiential model related to behavioral and cognitive activities (Mcvee et al., 2005). 

With this model, the counterpart of imagination in the mind is evaluated within the 

process of formation of ideas. The stages in which the designer's imagination is 

involved in the design process are explored using the Schema theory. The mental 

schemata are described with the stages of activation, association and alteration, 

likewise included in the design with the mental actions it contains; remembering, 

revealing information, categorizing, combining, inferring, abstracting, creating, 

modifying and sensing. Differentiating schemata and their phases are examined with 

the functions of imagination in the design process. 

The dialogue between mental and external representation media can be examined 

within the scope of design thinking. The relationship between the two media also 

enriches the designer's behavior and design actions. At this point, the role of the 

external representation media used by the designer in the design process can be 

discussed in the context of its relationship with the functions of imagination. While 

external representation can be thought of as a representation media where what is 

produced in the mind corresponds to the physical world, it can also shape the thought 

in the mind as a result of the potential it contains. This situation is related to the verbal 

or visual representation of external representation, and there are different potentials 

that the designer benefits from in both forms of representation. In this case, 

imagination uses external representation both as a tool and as a design product in the 

design process. Considering the relationship between architectural design process and 

external representation, the use of different representation media from analog 

production to digital, from drawing to modeling makes it possible to investigate the 

hypothesis that imagination enables the revealing of patterns in design approaches. 

Although external representation methods seen in this context are divided into verbal 

and visual, attention is drawn to the observation of the design actions which are 

considered as the forms of behavioral representation. At this point, design actions offer 

various approaches to the production of representation and make sense of the design 

process. Within the scope of the thesis, design actions are defined, categorized and 

researched by focusing on the subject of representation. With this approach and 

definition, design actions are categorized as investigating, analyzing, generating 

concepts, generating spatiality, developing design and communicating ideas. By 

making use of the design literature with the thesis research, the main design actions 



7 

for external representation are separated into sub-actions and the operational 

components of the design process are established. The relationship between the actions 

that establish the thesis model and imagination is examined through representation, 

and it is formulated which actions are processed together with which imagination 

functions in the design process. As a result, diagrams showing the relationship between 

design actions and imagination functions are produced to carry out the case studies, 

and the representations and actions to be focused on and searched for in the case studies 

are determined. 

While it is not argued that the design process is completely formed by imagination, at 

what stages and in what capacity imagination is involved in the design process is 

investigated. In this context, imagination, which enriches and activates design actions, 

is seen as the motivation of the thesis for the research of design thinking. The potentials 

of the situations where design methods and imagination intersect and their effect on 

design are discussed. Because the methods and actions that structure the design process 

seem possible with the diversified dialogue created by imagination. In this context, the 

point that draws attention is that the design approaches may contain certain behavior 

groups as well as individual differences. While it is possible to talk about the existence 

of certain stages in the design process, representation tools and actions used can be 

exemplified as notions that make a difference in the design approach in which different 

functions of imagination are involved in process. With this double reading, the 

classified actions are coded and associated with imagination. The actions of 

representation that are questioned through different forms of creativity and therefore 

imagination are seen as supporting the architectural design processes.  

Research on the designer and the design process is carried out in the thesis, which 

proceeds with the hypothesis that the relationship between imagination, representation, 

and design actions enables the formation of differences and patterns in design 

approaches. The motivation to reveal the potentials of imagination in the design 

process gains meaning in the diversity and non-linear process in architectural design 

education and the fact that it is discussed in the context of education establishes the 

method of the thesis. Accordingly, design diaries prepared by the first-year students of 

Bahçeşehir University Architecture Department in the spring term of 2020-2021 

academic year are examined as the first phase of the case studies. The relationship 

between the representation media used by students in the design process and design 



8 

actions were examined, thus the study was conducted to determine the roles of 

functions of imagination in the architectural design process. The analysis was carried 

out by examining the representation media used by students in the design diaries they 

submitted at the end of the semester and by making a content analysis of them. The 

content analysis was continued by revealing the representation media used in the 

design diaries and thus examplifying with which actions the students used these 

representations together. For this reason, the first phase of the case studies provides 

the testing of the established model and the examination of imagination in the context 

of the architectural design process, thanks to the design processes that the students 

conveyed in their diaries. 

Design actions and representation media used in architectural education are deciphered 

within the scope of the analysis of design diaries. The case studies continue with the 

analysis of the design processes focusing on the first-grades and for the comparison 

with fourth-year architecture students studying at the Department of Architecture at 

Bahçeşehir University. Backtracking to imagination through representation is revealed 

with in-depth interviews with these students and they are asked to describe their 

previous design processes of architectural studios in their architectural education 

during these interviews. The data obtained as a result of the interviews is deciphered 

with the model established through the codes and relations between imagination, 

design actions and representation media. Thus, the mappings of students’ design 

processes are revealed with these codes and revealing the design processes in the 

context of representation with these coding provides a trace back to the imagination. 

Representation methods and their associated actions are identified in these mappings. 

Functions of imagination are investigated by mapping the timeline of the design 

process of students, which is divided into stages according to representations and 

actions employed, and thus, the design approach provoked by imagination is 

questioned. In addition, the keywords that help students create and develop their 

designs were examined and the relationship of these keywords with the approaches 

established by imagination functions was discussed within the framework of the model 

created by the thesis. With this method, the diversity of the design actions examined 

together with different functions of imagination can be discussed, and the ways of 

using imagination of the students who draw their routes in the design processes can be 

investigated. In this context, the process of both mental and external representation 



9 

based on actions in design are emphasized by underlining the roles of the functions of 

imagination on design approaches of students. Imaginative approaches provided by 

students’ design process mappings reveal the common patterns of design approaches 

and common behavior groups followed through design thinking. Thus, the purpose of 

this thesis is to investigate the relationship between the functions of imagination and 

design actions, as well as to track how imagination is included in the design process 

using this relationship. As a result, the analyzed interviews reveal students’ common 

design processes, common behavior groups through design approaches and different 

design decisions, and enable the design thinking to be tested in line with the thesis 

hypothesis in the context of its relationship with imagination functions (Figure 1.1). 

 
Figure 1.1 : Thesis structure (Adıgüzel, 2022). 



10 

In this context, the thesis reveals both the similarities and differences between the 

design processes established between mental and external representation, as well as 

the functions of imagination that define the design process, and discusses how design 

approaches can be strengthened in architectural design education. When the design 

actions and practices acquired by designers based on architectural design education 

are considered in broad scope, the designer's approach to the design problem can be 

mapped within this framework. Although imagination is seen as an element supported 

in design education, how it works in the studensts’ mind is investigated in the 

representation mechanism based on educational practice. In this context, the students’ 

design actions in producing images and ideas are related to the functions of 

imagination. The thesis aims to explore this relationship in the design processes of 

students carried out in architectural design education and to reveal the scope of 

imagination by searching for representational patterns in the imagination mapping of 

them. The thesis is intended to contribute to architectural education by introducing 

new standpoints on imagination and creative approaches to architectural design 

thinking through representation. 

  



11 

 IMAGINATION IN DESIGN THINKING 

 Exploring Imagination 

Defining imagination as the ability to produce ideas and develop the existing 

innovatively, and to evaluate it as cognitive activity makes it a subject still discussed 

in philosophy and psychology. First, the scope of imagination can be discussed when 

the dictionary meaning and its etymology are examined. Imagination has its roots in 

the Latin verb "imaginari" which means “to picture oneself” and appears when the 

imagining verb becomes a noun (Perdue, 2003). The word “imagination”, which can 

be derived and associated with words such as image, imagery, imaginary, imaging, 

etc., was first used in the 14th century with the definition of "the act or power of 

forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly 

perceived in reality” as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. When the origin 

of the word is described as action, imagination is associated with the production of 

images in mind (Figure 2.1). However, the next sections will discuss whether the mind 

produces only images. Although imagination seems to indicate a single act, it 

diversifies its meaning by creating relationships with other cognitive processes, social, 

cultural and physical factors. 

 

Figure 2.1 : Meaning and content of imagination (Adıgüzel, 2022). 



12 

 

When viewed from a historical perspective, it is examined together with concepts such 

as fancy, fantasy and dream. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word "fantasy" 

with the verb to imagine and associates it with desire in its primary definition. As in 

the Encyclopedia Brittanica, Coleridge stated imagination as an ability that is related 

to creativity, he defined fancy as merely associative and sub-case of imagination 

(“Fancy”, 2000). The word “fantasy” (phantasy) is also defined with the word 

imagining and originates from “fancy” related to the Greek word "phantasia". By 

defining fantasy, it is possible to clarify emotions such as pleasure and desire. 

Additionally, it involves imageries of magical or unreal situations as well. The word 

"dream" has different meanings than fancy or fantasy. For example, it can happen 

while the person is unconsciously asleep, or is associated with a goal-driven by desire. 

However, in “dream”s definitions, imagining or image can be seen as explanatory 

words. In that manner, we can conclude the synonyms of imagination as the subcase 

of the action “imagining”. Imagination comprises new thoughts, situations and actions 

produced by the mind, that is, fancy, fantasy and dreams are included in the scope of 

imagination. Beyond the dictionary definitions of imagination, it appears in the 

literature with various meanings and, as a result, it is associated with various concepts. 

Accordingly, within the scope of the thesis, imagination is expanded on the basis of 

the concepts summarized in Figure 2.2 in this section.  

 

Figure 2.2 : Literature on imagination’s scope (Adıgüzel, 2022). 



13 

To discuss synonyms and their related historical critics in-depth, Aristotle’s (De 

Anima iii 3, as cited in Shields, 2020)  phantasia which is thought of as imagination is 

described as an ability and a virtue to produce images from mind. In that description, 

images are included in the discussion as a thought scheme. The virtue in Aristotle’s 

description gives a trace for distinguishing perception and imagination. Phantasia is 

thought of as movement that is an active awareness of the cognitive process and 

sensory memory (Modrak, 2016). By describing imagination as an active movement, 

perception differentiates from imagination by discussing the cognitive conditions as 

true and false, or present and not present. Imagination is seen as a cognitive faculty of 

not present events whether they are true or false. His discussions about imagination 

and perception indicate that imagination takes place in the mind as an ultimate 

cognitive source and is associated with the capacity of the mind as a power to produce 

novel ideas (Modrak, 2016). Although, when phantasia is described as sensory 

representation, it acts as a medium for memory. Memory affects and changes the 

motion of imaginings and imagination is involved in memory as a cognitive process. 

In this case, perception and memory can be discussed in the context of their relations 

with imagination. Thus, considering the relationship of imagination with sensations, it 

is understood that it is not independent of the perception formed by the experiences 

and the memory in which the experiences take place as moving images in mind. 

According to Descartes, external experiences and the senses that are coming from the 

mind shape imagination (as cited in Sepper, 1996). From his discussions on common 

sense, external and internal linkages describe imagination as a bodily movement (as 

cited in Sepper, 1996). Starting from Aristotle's cognitive movement of images and 

Descartes' individual experiences connecting body and mind, imagination can be 

examined as a faculty that triggers memory and experiences through movement. When 

looking at the relationship between imagination and memory, although it seems that 

they enrich each other, they differ from each other due to casual connection criteria. 

Hume distinguishes memory and imagination from each other by identifying them 

with the ideas they produce (Dorsch, 2015). Vivacity, which is the term used for 

determining the liveliness and the strength of the idea, distinguishes memory from 

imagination (as cited in Dorsch, 2015). Imagination is identified with ideas of fancy 

and ideas of judgment and linked to the perceptual experiences that are not present. 

On the other hand, ideas of memory are related to remembering and recalling the 



14 

present objects (Dorsch, 2015). Memory and imagination both have the potential for 

developing ideas. Memory indicates an experience of lived conditions and imagination 

connects itself to beliefs, desires, sensory perceptions, emotions, etc. Therefore, 

imagination combines new episodic and sensory events from the materials coming 

from the memory. 

Sartre (1940) argues the differences between perception and imagination from a 

phenomenological perspective. He mentions perceptual consciousness which is shaped 

by images that are related to objects in the real world. In imagining, similar to 

perception, images become visible in the mind but with the uncertainty of the forms, 

materials and stability (Flynn, 1975). Like the Humean approach as vivacity, memory 

and perceptions are the mind's stable cognitive systems. According to Sartre (1940), 

imagination presents its objects in four different forms; not present, absent, existing 

elsewhere, or changed (as cited in Flynn, 1975). Perception and memory are related to 

present objects or lived experiences and differ from imagination by their presence in 

the external world. Internal and external conditions that give direction to memory, 

imagination and perception have the same source of knowledge; the mind itself. 

Whether it characterizes representations in images or not, mental images that are 

produced in the mind in a novel way place imagination as a medium. The medium 

obscures its borders between memory and perception; because it has sensory 

modalities, uncertain percepts and consciousness of thought. 

Novelty, which is the determinant factor of imagination, unlike memory and 

perception, will be examined in the next section within the term “creativity”. However, 

the originality and transcendence of imagination can be discussed with combinatorial 

behavior through the source of memory. Despite the views of pioneering philosophers 

throughout history, modern views and taxonomies have also been explored to define 

the scope and use of imagination within the philosophy of mind. These taxonomies are 

leading sources for examining the features of imagination according to memory and 

mind. Before looking through features and taxonomies, cognitive systems related to 

imagination should be evaluated. Cognitive architecture that is discussed with 

imagination consists of mental entities such as belief, desire, mental imagery, memory 

and supposition. In that manner, imagination is examined from various sources of 

human knowledge and related activities (Liao & Gendler, 2020). 



15 

As discussed previously, believing and imagining are both described as mental 

activities. The acts of believing and imagining consist of representations of ideas. In 

some cases, imagining and believing give the same description with hope. Although 

there are similarities between them, differentiating properties can be tracked with 

examples and descriptions. Believing resembles and represents the attitude that people 

take something as true (Schwitzgebel, 2019). With that description, it can be said that 

imagining and believing differ from each other in the case of whether the object is true 

or not. For example, when it is said, “I believe there is a room behind the door”, the 

reality of the subject can be analyzed through sensory experiences. But when one says, 

“I imagine there is a room behind the door”, the subject becomes a personal attribution 

with other emotions and senses. In that case, imagination differs from believing in the 

case of aiming for the truth. Furthermore, believing is taken as an action-generating 

entity because it is related to truth. However, imagination also generates actions but in 

a sensory way because it is related to emotions and desire-like thoughts. People tend 

to imagine something different from their experienced senses, they try to create novel 

and personal representations combined with their true senses and experiences 

(Sinhababu, 2016).  

Desire is evaluated as the attitude that the intended things create in the mind. Desire 

represents the required world matching the mind, likewise, believing represents the 

mind matching the true world (Liao & Gendler, 2020). When we examine the 

relationship between the terms “desire” and “believe”, we can reach the concept of 

desire-like imagination. Currie & Ravenscroft (2002) open up the term desire-like 

imagination, which combines imagination with emotional responses. Imageries that 

are connected to desires are motivated by emotions and senses of the desired event. 

For example, when one desires to have a garden in front of the house, one tends to 

develop imaginings and experiences related to emotions. Desire-like imagination can 

be tested by whether the representational content of the imagined event or object is 

real (Currie & Ravenscroft, 2002). For instance, desiring a garden in front of the house 

is not actual but, the objects of the representation are related to the real world as 

explained with the description of the term “desire”. In that case, imagination related to 

desire can be defined by emotions and experiences that are not real in the 

representation of the mind. 



16 

Representational content of imagination can be defined with mental imagery (Kind, 

2005). The question of what we imagine shows the content of representations that are 

shaped as mental images. In the description of imagination, the ability to form images 

and ideas in the mind also describes mental imagery. But can mental imagery be 

something else rather than imaginative content? The thought mechanisms and imagery 

can be discussed with this question. A mental image can be defined as a perception-

like sense activated by something rather than external effects. That means mental 

images can be a picture in mind, an auditory object, a smell or a taste of the content, 

experiences with feelings, a tune in the head of the thinker, etc. (Vendler, 1984). 

Mental images can be formed in mind with any of the sensory modalities. Therefore, 

imagination and its representational content related to sensory and imagistic forms can 

be discussed in the context of mental imagery. However, according to the 

aforementioned philosophers, mental images were considered an act and object of 

imagination with visual properties. Besides the historical views on mental imagery in 

imagination, Kendall Walton (1990) opposes the theory by arguing there can be 

imagination without images. But the point here is not whether imagination is expressed 

in images, but how it is represented in our minds. Imagining a room with a balcony 

can be represented in different layouts such as visuals in the mind with the 

combinations of the knowledge of our memory, or the feeling of the wind coming from 

the balcony to the room. Additionally, an imagined room with a balcony can be formed 

with different visual aspects such as the sizes of the room, placement of the balcony, 

coloring, etc. These aspects can be multiplied with other sensory modalities with 

perception. The representational content that the mental imagery, in that case, shows 

the endlessness of the mind with the combinational behavior of imagination. 

Perception, knowledge and experiences of the imagining person give the context of 

the imageries. That hybrid content of the propositional and sensory imagery shapes the 

novel ideas (Langland-Hassan, 2015). In that manner, memory, perception, belief, 

desire, mental imagery and imagination are discussed in the framework of cognitive 

architecture which is connected with different properties. Nevertheless, imagination 

establishes its definition with features that differ from other cognitive activities and 

takes its place in the thought system with the examples given. 

As mentioned before, taxonomies about imagination come from similarities and 

differences through cognitive activities. Imagination and its related properties differ 



17 

according to discussions in philosophy, aesthetics, psychology, cognition, etc. Kendall 

Walton (1990) comes up with the controversies through three opposite paired forms 

of imagination concerning other cognitive abilities. Imaginings can be “spontaneous 

and deliberate” according to the property of having conscious actions or not with the 

level of vivacity coming from beliefs, desires and perceptions. One can decide to 

imagine something through the present situation, or one can find his/herself imagining 

random things without any control. The vivacity of the imagined events can change 

according to consciousness level through these forms of imagination, but in fact, there 

is no sharp border between them. Because both forms of imagination are combined in 

the ability of imaginative experience, and they can transform into each other due to the 

realization of the imagining activity.  

Imagining due to consciousness is discussed with the forms in “occurrent and non-

occurrent” (Walton, 1990). Imagination activity can be traced as an experience chain 

starting with occurrent one to non-occurrent. It can be explained with the example of 

desiring a large house. When one occurrently imagines having a large house, one 

continuously develops new imagining on the back of his mind and shapes the content 

of the experienced event. Memory and the knowledge of the imaginer transform the 

occurrent and non-occurrent imaginings to each other. The duration and consciousness 

play a decisive role in this formation of imagination. The final definition and 

distinction of Walton (1990) are between “solitary and social” imaginings. In that case, 

people personally have a role as imaginers, but also the event of imagining can become 

a social activity that is developing imaginative content collectively (Walton, 1990). In 

that manner, deliberate imaginings are bonded to each other to decide on something. 

Although these taxonomies examined by Walton seem to be dissociated, they describe 

imagination as a process in unity with its transforming and developing features. 

Although Walton classifies imagination with the properties of consciousness, Gregory 

Currie and Ian Ravenscroft (2002) make a classification of how imagination is formed. 

Creative, “sensory and recreative” imagination deal with the property of being an 

ability of the mind. In that case, creative imagination describes an entity of 

synthesizing ideas and images in a novel way. Creativity and its relation to imagination 

will be discussed in the next section in a detailed way. In sensory imagination, 

perception and its relation to the absence of the experiences that are coming to mind 

is the main approach. Sensory imagination refers to phenomenology and contrasts with 



18 

propositional mental actions. To understand the distinction between sensory and 

propositional modality, some phenomenologists describe sensory as an experience 

with the visual or aural mode of thinking and propositional –“imagining that”- as 

certain thoughts which do not involve imagery experiences (Jansen & Kelly, 2014). 

The central importance of their distinction and description is questioned through 

imagination’s relation to perception and representation. Although Currie and 

Ravenscroft (2002) discussed imagination in creativity, they emphasize sensory 

imagination in phenomenology with sensory modes of the mind which are related to 

emotions, senses and also memory. But in fact, sensory modes of the mind are 

constructed from the same cognitive system. Memory depends on the past and the 

present, imagination builds up the present and future within the properties of sensory 

modes and experiences through one’s knowledge. 

The other form of imagination described by Currie and Ravenscroft (2002) is 

recreative imagination. It is also associated with memory, as it is regarded as the ability 

to generate ideas about the world that differ from current experiences. Thence, it is 

both about perception and memory in a way and combined with sensory and creative 

abilities to form mental experiences in novel content. The real events or experiences 

in mind would be a simulation of the present perceptions. It also can be determined as 

a remembering activity of the mind considering the relationship with memory. But in 

the framework of imaginative thinking, recreative imagination involves the imageries 

of the experienced event without forming full recreations of it but shaped with 

simulations (Currie & Ravenscroft, 2002). Remembering involves episodic memories 

that are represented in a certain way (Langland-Hassan, 2020). Although they both 

have imageries of past events, when imagination is considered a creative ability, 

imageries may have deficiencies or excesses depending on the episodic memories and 

can be changed according to present mental conditions. In this case, sensory and 

creative imaginings may have a role in the ability to recreate images and ideas in mind. 

Similar to Ravenscroft and Currie’s ideas on imagination, Neil Van Leeuwen (2013) 

discusses the case with the terms “constructive, attitude and imagistic”. Constructive 

imagining refers to creativity, attitude imagining refers to propositions, and imagistic 

imagining refers to sensory mental representations. The important point of that current 

approach is to see what imagination has a role in human action. According to Leeuwen 

(2013), imagistic imagining has the potential to involve bodily movement motivated 



19 

by the senses and percepts that are shaping the imaginative content. Attitude imagining 

takes its motivation from the desires and pretense of the mimetic experiences. And for 

the last, constructive imagining deals with the representations and related actions of 

possible scenarios in the mind that are activated by the choices of the imaginer 

(Leeuwen, 2013). In that case, action generation in the presence of other cognitive 

notions can be tracked in imaginative thinking. Although it is thought that imagination 

is not included in the action-generating system in previous studies, considering that 

Leeuwen's imagination is related to other systems, it can be seen that it has a structure 

that is both activating and nourished by actions. 

If we look at imagination from a broader perspective, Anna Abraham (2016) classifies 

imagination according to the relationships established with other actions in her article 

titled Imaginative Mind with a psychological approach. She starts to analyze 

imagination from the most comprehensive perspective that is outlined by Leslie 

Stevenson. Stevenson (2003) describes 12 distinct ways of use for imagination. These 

12 conceptions are attributed to the person and have various meanings. Accordingly, 

“thinking of not perceived things, thinking about possible situations, thinking of belief, 

thinking of fiction, creating images in the mind, thinking about non-rational things, 

forming perceptual beliefs, appreciating aesthetic things, creating works of art and 

creating works with deep meaning” are considered abilities offered by imagination 

(Figure 2.3).  

 

Figure 2.3 : Twelve conceptions of imagination (Stevenson, 2003). 

For Abraham (2016), these classifications are considered a whole for the operational 

part of the processing framework of the mind. To understand imagination as a whole, 



20 

the network of creative features is discussed in five different types of imagination. 

These are classified as “mental imagery-based, intentionality-based, novel 

combinatorial based, phenomenology based and altered states of imagination” 

(Abraham, 2016). Examining this classification with its general features helps to 

question these relationships once again. With this approach, Abraham (2016) has 

matched this classification with the features they contain as follows:  

“Imagery-based imagination” deals with perceptual and motor domains of the neural 

notions. In that case, perceptions and imageries work as a whole in the mental 

representation state of imaginative content. Rather than being in a visual mode of 

thinking, imagery is taken as a whole sensual system of the motor domains of the brain.  

“Intentionality-based imagination” represents the recollective and social part of 

imaginative thought. The recollective approach of imagination is discussed with 

autobiographical and episodic memory. They explain the processing of future thinking 

throughout the relationship between memory and imagination with the intentionally 

triggered knowledge.  

“Novel combinatorial-based imagination” depends on creative, generative and 

counterfactual thought. Works of art and aesthetics explained by Stevenson are also 

included in Abraham’s novel and imaginative thinking process. However, when it 

comes to creating art and aesthetics, imagination is not explained by ex nihilo, which 

is defined as coming from nothing. It is always discussed as the reintegration of already 

present materials of the knowledge.  

“Phenomenology-based imagination” engages with the property of aesthetics similar 

to novel imagination. The phenomenology of imagination focuses on emotions and 

sensual matters that are responsible for aesthetic appreciation. 

“Altered states of imagination” are the final category of the imaginative thinking 

process and it includes unconscious ways of thinking such as dreaming, hallucinations, 

delusions, etc. (Abraham, 2016). These kinds of imagination are seen as more 

challenging to search for. 

In summary, it is seen that imagination has been defined in various ways throughout 

history and there are still debates on it. It is thought that the lack of a precise definition 

and scope enables imagination to open the door to an unlimited world of thought. As 

a result of the research on the studies on imagination, the thesis establishes its model. 



21 

The thesis model, like Currie and Ravenscroft and later Leeuwen's work on 

imagination, focuses on and is structured by the relationship between imagination and 

memory, experience and emotions, movement and change, and thus the creativity that 

emerges in the production of what has not been experienced before - in other words, 

new or novel ideas- with the approach of the imaginer. Theories from various 

disciplines have been employed to investigate the expansion of imagination and the 

concepts it meets. As a result, the thesis examines imagination in the context of four 

main functions; associative, iterative, experiential and transformative (Figure 2.4). In 

the following section of the thesis, it will be explained how the relationship between 

imaginative thinking and creativity is included in the design through these focuses. 

However, it is thought that the existence and meaning of imagination in design 

thinking establishes a new model by taking support from the definitions mentioned 

and at the same time differentiating from them. For this, first of all, it is necessary to 

investigate the structure of the design process and how the four imagination functions 

are included in the process. 

 

Figure 2.4 : Scope of imagination (Adıgüzel, 2022). 

 From Imaginative Thinking to Creativity 

As mentioned before, imagination is examined with the ability to create novel images 

and ideas in mind. According to Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (1787/1999), 

imagination is discussed in the artistic usages of creativity related to aesthetics. 

Imagination is discussed as a representation of not-present objects, whether they are 



22 

sensible or non-sensible, produced by intuitive activities. In that manner, aesthetics is 

discussed as the aim of imaginative actions with one’s engagement in “free-play” (as 

cited in Kneller, 2007). At first, the aesthetic understanding of Kant must be examined 

to see the approach through creativity shaped by imagination. Kant’s (1787/1999) 

account of aesthetic understanding starts with the idea of “Genius” which means the 

productivity of the artist with working rules through the artwork. In that manner, 

artistic creativity and productivity are built on artistic genius which is explained as an 

engagement between aesthetics and originality coming from an individual’s mind 

(Kneller, 2007). This production of the creative mind and imaginative thinking 

develops the representation of the aesthetic idea. According to Kant, the aesthetic idea 

appears in the light of certain concepts, with the direction of the creator, that is, with 

the free use of imagination, the scope of the concept expands, and a new aesthetic idea 

emerges (as cited in Matherne, 2016). In this case, imagination constructs its 

representation depending on the concepts. The aesthetic idea builds itself through the 

combinations and synthesis of knowledge. Thus, the relationship of the associative 

function of imagination with creativity and concepts can be determined through the 

aesthetic idea. But in fact, the use of creativity and imagination may change within 

other factors related to both the mental and exterior worlds of the artist. 

With an approach other than aesthetic ideas, Sartre (1940) combines imagination with 

daily activities, as Stokes (2016) mentioned in his paper “Imagination and Creativity”. 

For Sartre (1940), the creative power of the mind represents itself in producing mental 

images with conscious activity. For example, reading a novel and appreciating the 

aesthetic work is considered a creative act as mental representations are maintained. 

According to Sartre (1940), freedom relies on our mind with the help of imagination, 

because there are several ways to experience the world we live in and create according 

to ideas we develop with our imagination. The creative activity to perceive the world 

and change it with imagination is an individual faculty bound to the presence of the 

senses (Koukouti & Malafouris, 2020). Therefore, imagination can be discussed in the 

form of creating new perceptions, experiences and objects in the mind, which is in 

bilateral dialogue with daily activities. The creating activity resolves itself with the 

relationship with memory, knowledge, perception, and other cognitive activities but 

shows itself with different ranges and varieties due to the intention of using 

imagination (Kind, 2016). 



23 

The reproductive and productive imagination that is discussed by Kant also guides the 

idea of Ravenscroft and Currie’s (2002) creative and recreative imagination. 

Recreative imagination refers to memory and its combinatorial behavior, separating 

from creativity. Moreover, creativity is described as “the ability to produce or use 

original and unusual ideas” according to Cambridge Dictionary. The faculty of 

producing ideas refers to the ability of imagination, but in this case, productivity is not 

the only critical point. Although synonymous with creativity, originality and 

unusualness give direction to the term imagination. But in fact, there are disagreements 

about the relationship between creativity and imagination. Kant argues that creative 

activities are possible with imagination aiming at aesthetics (Kneller, 2007). Opposite 

to that argument, Gaut (2003) and Stokes (2014) defend the idea of creativity not 

involving imagination or imaginings that are not creative. It can be understood that 

Gaut and Stokes’s ideas on imagination also recall the ideas of Sartre. Because they 

signify imagination from a mental ability to everyday actions with the creative power 

of the mind. From scientific problem solving to daily thoughts on the consequences of 

an action, imagination resolves in the mind of the imaginer with its representational 

content of not present materials. Understanding the involvement of imagination in 

creativity or creativity in imagination will be discussed from a child's creative 

development to an adult's design act with the term creative imagination. 

According to Vygotsky (2004), creativity is related to any action that depends on the 

creation of new, whether it is a physical object or a mental experience that is 

constructed by the person. However, reproductive activity is linked to memory which 

is the ability to recall and repeat past experiences in the mind. When imagination is 

engaged with the function of memory, mental images of past experiences dissolve and 

then come together in different combinatorial ways. Vygotsky (2004) defines this path 

as the mechanism of creative imagination. So, the creative process starts with the early 

phase of life. The child accumulates the experiences and deconstructs them to the 

senses and materials of the knowledge. The process continues with the dissociation of 

the already existing materials through the experiences of the imaginer (Vygotsky, 

2004). This phase defines the set of knowledge of the imaginer. Furthermore, when 

the experiences or the knowledge set is complex and wide, the creative power of the 

imaginer becomes to have more potential to use them as novel combinatorial content. 

However, in this manner, the creation of past experiences is not seen as important as 



24 

the creation of novel content. It is important to note that, exaggeration and 

minimization of experiences have significance for the development of children's 

imagination. Because creativity and imagination are considered a whole in a case 

where the elements are disassociated and, in the end, associated in a novel way. 

According to Ribot (1906), the novelty and productivity of creative imagination hold 

their potential on emotions and feelings by dismantling real experiences. In that case, 

reality comes into the discussion. When the child imagines entering a fantasy world 

with a magical atmosphere while playing, it is not coming from real experiences. But 

the disassociation and the recombination of the elements are considered creative acts 

in the manner of imagining in a novel content. With this approach to creating novelty, 

children's make-and-believe (Walton, 1990) and the free play activities indicate the 

borders of creative imagination with the intention to create narrations to make a 

linkage through reality. The works done to improve the creativity of children are based 

on the bridge between reality and imagination and the activities, and it is used as a 

framework for understanding adults’ usage of their imagination for creative works. 

Besides children's developmental process on creativity, adults have a similar manner 

with children’s imaginative content. However, they differ from each other in the phase 

of motivation from escaping reality. Contrary to children’s imagination, adults have 

more potential to use the materials of their minds according to their wideness of 

experiences, but they tend to link the combinations and reality to comfort themselves 

(Vygotsky, 2004). The voluntariness of imaginative thinking also occurs in the active 

creativity defined by Gaut (2003). The intentional state of the imaginer gives content 

to active creativity and imagination becomes the vehicle for creating the potential of 

future thinking. Voluntariness also describes a path to the non-truth boundness which 

is related to reality in a way (Stokes, 2014). Imagination and creativity in the 

discussion of both development of children and adults’ activities, take as a basis 

voluntariness on stripping from reality and experimenting to produce the new. While 

the use of memory elements as they are does not define imagination, not all 

productions of the mind define creativity. In this case, creative imagination is 

considered the production of new contents, objects, and experiences by stripping from 

reality with the elements brought by memory and attributing value to them. 

The creative ability that is consumed by imagination has been used in daily life for a 

variety of purposes. At this point, it is possible to say that whether creativity is innate 



25 

or not, imagination has a structure that triggers creativity and also works together with 

creative thinking. Due to the production-oriented nature of both, imagination in design 

thinking can