SDA is working to increase the availability of systemic design literature by building presence and relationships with high-quality design journals.
There are several journals and niche publications; however, only about five per cent of studies or theoretical work presented at RSD culminates in peer-reviewed publications. Despite the lack of research flow, systemic design shows up in many fields, and high-quality design journals have been responsive to initiatives by RSD proceedings editors to collaborate on special issues and submit systemic design literature. As systemic design gains recognition across disciplines and fields, it is expected that the number of collaborative and specialised publishing initiatives undertaken by SDA editors and members will continue to grow.

Nonetheless, the dearth of scholarly journals dedicated to systemic design literature or the contributions of systems, cybernetics and complexity in design studies is an ongoing challenge. Recognising that systemic design is a developing interdisciplinary field with researchers coming to systems theory from design – and design practitioners engaging in systems theory – members agreed that a systemic design publishing platform is timely and necessary. Therefore, SDA members supported the development of a dedicated journal – Contexts – The Systemic Design Journal – and 2022 marks the inaugural issue.

As Contexts gains recognition as a field-identified journal, it will work to increase the impact of systemic design literature in academia and practice and advance systemic design’s emergence as a discipline. Importantly, Contexts will further the potential for scholarly publishing collaborations to support scholarship and maintain the interdisciplinary nature of systemic design’s research network.