The chapters in this volume are from the Fourth International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Design held in June 1996 in Stanford, California. They represent the state-of-the-art and the cutting edge of research and development in this field. They are of particular interest to researchers, developers and users of computer systems in design. This volume demonstrates both the breadth and depth of artificial intelligence in design and points the way forward for our understanding of design as a process and for the development of computer-based tools to aid designers. The chapters describe advances in both theory and application in the following areas: Case-based design; Conceptual design; creativity and innovation in design; Design objects; Design spaces; Distributed design; Genetic algorithms/Genetic programming in design; Grammars in design; Learning in design; Representations in design; Reuse of designs; Rules; Models and theories in design; Layout planning in design.