Viewing design through the prism of science could give an extraordinary twist to the modern theory of art and design. Establishing, for example, a parallel between the modern concept of design or art and physical systems would enable us to provide a theoretical explanation for the existence of unpredictable, chaotic behaviour in the elements of a design. Furthermore, it would enable the thesis that, contrary to received wisdom, any design project–even one based on scientific methods–is by its very nature indescribable in its totality as, even though we can identify its parts or elements, we can never observe the overall set of interactions between its components. ; Postprint (published version)