Aluskujundisse

Aluskujundisse is the illative case form of the Estonian noun aluskujundus, which translates roughly as “basic design” or “foundation design.” In Estonian grammar, the illative suffix -sse indicates direction toward or engagement in a process, so aluskujundisse literally means “into the basic design” or “toward the basic design.”

In design discourse, aluskujundisse is used descriptively rather than as a formal field. It refers to the initial or foundational phase of a design process, where core decisions are made and the project’s direction is defined. Common activities associated with this phase include problem framing, clarifying user needs, identifying constraints, and establishing an initial visual language or information architecture. The exact scope and emphasis of entering the basic design stage vary by project and practitioner.

Relation to related concepts: aluskujundus (basic or foundational design) is the noun from which aluskujundisse derives, and it typically denotes the concept of foundational design work. The illative form does not denote a separate discipline but a linguistic form used to describe moving into that phase within a workflow. The term is most often encountered in educational or colloquial contexts within Estonian design practice, rather than as a standardized methodological category.