IAD FRAMEWORK
The Information Architecture Design Canon
VOLUME II
Part 3 – Auxiliary Notes
The eighteen Auxiliary Notes in Part 3 of Volume II of the IAD Canon extend, contextualise and qualify the Canon’s principal theoretical account. Historical, Philosophical and Supplementary Notes develop the lineages, questions and implications surrounding the Modules without interrupting their central progression.
Contents at a glance
Volume II contains the Canon’s Auxiliary Notes: Historical Notes, Philosophical Notes and Supplementary Notes. They provide depth, context and extension around the theoretical progression established by the Modules in Volume I.
The Historical Notes locate IAD within selected disciplinary and intellectual lineages. The Philosophical Notes develop questions concerning information, meaning, knowledge, ontology and human engagement with the artificial world. The Supplementary Notes clarify methods, distinctions and conceptual relations used throughout the Canon.
The Auxiliary Notes may be read independently, but they have been conceptualised as orbiting the Modules and further structured to do so via their relating at the end of every Module and at the start and end of every Auxiliary Note.
Together they form an extensible body of supporting literature to extend, enrich and supplement the core theory across multiple passes through the Canon following any number of paths.
Citing the Canon
The following citation is recommended for the complete Edition 1, Version 1.0 digital release, until ISBN and DOI identifiers have been allocated.
This page is the permanent publication address for the version 1.0 IAD Canon, and its future releases.
Publication & version history
The Canon remains subject to continued editorial refinement and theoretical development. Subsequent versions may introduce corrections, clarifications, revised relations between texts and additional supporting material. Substantive stages in the development of the theory will be marked through future editions.
AUGUST 2026
Edition 1 · Version 1.0 — Public release
The complete two-volume Canon:
Volume I,
Modules & Glossary;
Volume II,
Auxiliary Notes.
Download Volume II ↓
Version 1.0 — Developmental release
The early release of Volume I, containing the Modules and Glossary. It predates the complete two-volume public release and retains developmental notes and provisional elements.
Download the developmental release ↓