Beyond Discipline: Evolving Design Practice and Design Education in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Since 2000, design practice in the UK has changed dramatically. Boundaries between design disciplines have dissolved, and many contemporary design studios now defy classification. These studios are reconfiguring the design landscape, yet a uni-disciplinary structure still dominates undergraduate education. This is creating a disconnection between practice and education and posing critical questions for the current design education system. This article outlines the findings of a PhD research study exploring this disconnection, and although situated within the UK, the findings have international relevance. An initial scoping exercise draws on interviews with leading commentators from the UK design sector, examining the evolution of design practice over the past 10 years, and possible future directions for undergraduate education. Findings highlight that UK policy for creative education has placed undergraduate design courses in potential crisis. Arguably, the current university system for design education is outdated. It is now necessary to redefine the skills and processes twenty-first-century designers need. The body of the research is situated within five internationally renowned creative studios which defy classification. In-depth ethnographic studies cross-analyse the creative processes of these studios and their views on education. Findings identify key components of each studio’s processes, while also exploring studio members’ educational experiences, and reflections on future implications for pedagogy. This article argues that this growing disconnect between practice and education calls for existing pedagogic models to be challenged, proposes alternative approaches and highlights the need for policymakers, practitioners and educators to work together to best prepare young designers to meet today’s challenges.

DRS2018: Catalyst

“…Hiring of full-time designers slowed dramatically after 2008, triggering the rise in freelancers. (Furniss, 2015, p. 17) Prior et al (2007 2) corroborates this idea, saying that "approximately 50% of the employees working as self-employed (freelance) (British Design Innovation, 2006;Labor Force Survey, 2006)".…”

“…There is now a vast discussion over how education, in general, must evolve (Assadourian, 2017;Bender, 2014;Furniss, 2015;Prior, Shen, & Karamanoglu, 2007). The world and its social and economic dynamics have changed, bringing a new level of complexity with it (Fry, 2008;Mau & Institute Without Boundaries, 2004).…”

“…Along with some academic realities comes an inability to adapt quickly, which raises the question whether it is the ideal environment for creative people (Furniss, 2015). "Teaching is still very out of date, 50 years out of date" (Hunter as cited in Furniss, 2015, p. 31).…”

“…Projects are increasingly issues-led rather than solutions-led and designers need to be more fluid in order to respond. (Furniss, 2015, p. 14) What Furniss (2015) defends not only shows the need of redesigning the academic approach, but also leads to a second issue with the way that projects are handled in higher education. The project proposals, presented as design briefs and handed out by the teachers, are usually shaped as fictional projects that tackle no real problem.…”

Enhancing 21st Century Interdisciplinary Design Skills within Higher Education through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

“…These demands and challenges are particularly evident, although not limited to, the creative sector [7] with a statistically high level of self-employment, which is only set to increase in the future [5]. Lara Furniss in her paper Beyond Discipline: Design Practice and Design Education in the 21 st Century [8] clearly points out education needs to better prepare design students for the challenges of future decades through re-examining current practice and alternative education models. More, within the context of fashion and textile design, the education report Is Fashion Education Selling a False Dream?, commissioned by the Business of Fashion [9], acknowledges that the increase in students undertaking fashion degrees is not being matched by the number of jobs.…”