Cognitive-Based Creative Practice: Foundational Report

Cognitive-Based Creative Practice (CBCP) is a newly established design discipline that repositions creativity as a fundamentally cognitive process rather than an aesthetic one. Developed by Ege Bolat within the Institute of Conceptual Research (ICR), CBCP proposes that meaning formation not visual output, is the primary computational unit of creative work. This foundational report defines the theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical framework of CBCP. It outlines how creative decision-making emerges through cognitive pathways, internal logic, emotional resonance, associative thinking, and reflective interpretation. CBCP challenges existing models of design education that prioritise stylistic output, arguing instead for a meaning-first, cognition-led approach that strengthens conceptual clarity, originality, and depth of thought. The document establishes: the core principles of Cognitive-Based Creative Practice a theoretical architecture for meaning-led design the cognitive mechanics behind creative insight a methodology that foregrounds internal logic over aesthetics a critique of traditional design pedagogy a proposed shift in how designers are trained and evaluated As the first published articulation of CBCP, this report serves as the foundational academic reference for the discipline. Future research, publications, and applications of CBCP should cite this document as its origin. This work marks the formal introduction of CBCP into the wider landscape of design research, creative theory, and cognitive studies.