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Strategies of an Image Practice. Photographic Design Processes in the Documentation of Public Places Recent studies in the field of image science (German term ‘Bildwissenschaften’), visual communication and history of science show that there are ‘design processes’ (German term ‘Entwerfen’)—specific decision-making processes—in the practices of designing, painting or drawing. It is assumed that parallels can be drawn between those visual practices and photography. Little research has been conducted on the ‘photographic design process’. Besides, there were not enough contact sheets, sketches, proofs or notes available for proper research. Thus, a method was adapted that takes both photographic explorations and theoretic considerations into account: ‘Practice-led Iconic Research’. It is summarised as gaining knowledge about images through their creation (Michael Renner). The generation of visual variations allows comparing and evaluating pictures that are literally visual arguments. As an adaptation, photographic pictures as well as explorations (such as archive materials, artistic case studies and the author’s own photographic design process) and theoretic considerations were taken into account. The term ‘documentary photography’ is critically questioned as a “fluid concept” (Olivier Lugon), varying in concept according to different modes of production and publication. By analysing two examples of documentary photography (Jules Spinatsch “Discontinuous Panorama A240635” and Sibylle Bergemann “Das Denkmal”), the range of documentary photography is indicated. Archive images as well as the author’s own creative image production were pulled together as a basis: By analysing the image production of documentary photographs of four different public places (Marktplatz Basel, Hauptplatz Linz, Zaunplatz Glarus, Heldenplatz Wien) strategies of the photographic design process are analysed. The research questions can be answered: How do representations have to look like in order to be recognised as a picture of a certain public square? Is it possible to identify different strategies for documentary image creation? This analysis shows how strategies of the photographic design process provide an insight into a specific logic of images.