Alois Riegl is one of the most important art historians in the late nineteenth century. From embryology and ontology to epistemology, Riegl's many theories and conceptual interpretations have laid the intellectual foundations for the modern discipline of art history and had a profound influence on subsequent generations. In comparative terms, Riegl's views on architecture and the arts and crafts have received less attention from the academic community. In fact, Riegl's theoretical critique of the architectural trend of retrogressivism and his theory of style based on the various arts and crafts not only reveal Riegl's unique design thinking and design history perspective, but also are a necessary theoretical path for understanding the concept of "artistic will" and for reflecting on formalism.