Design, today considered a discipline in which various fields of knowledge converge, has evolved from a technical profession to consolidate into an interdisciplinary area supported by scientific theories. This article proposes a retrospective study from several milestones: the technique, the project, the functionalism, the symbolism and the information design. Although these facts do not address the history of design in all its dimensions, they allow an evolutionary view of the discipline, with the aim of reflecting on some of the aspects that have enriched its epistemic structure. It is concluded that it is important to create links between the work of design and the needs of the social subject in different scopes.