The process of integration of humanitarian knowledge is being examined in the article and the development of the project activities and a special outlook on the examples of famous artists, designers and architects are investigated. The forms of creative thinking are systematized and the factors modifying the borders of design knowledge are formed on the basis of which the new creative principles and new design solutions are made up. The design phenomenon is revealed in connection with many components of the spiritual sphere of society, such as the system of social relations, features of national character, the values of society and an individual. The authors are studying the components of spiritual sphere of society as elements forming the feature of the activities and thinking of a designer, and they highlight contradiction associated with the environment, technological processes and computer technology impoverishing the spiritual essence of a man. In this regard, the importance of interaction between cultures is determined and the principles of art and design activity are defined. They are based on the integration of humanitarian knowledge, their importance in the educational field where the highest level of knowledge is unthinkable without preliminary accumulation and development of the most comprehensive information.