Untangling the culture medium of student designers

Abstract

Designs do not occur in a vacuum. They are nourished by a breeding ground composed of various substances, phenomena and traces, which function as raw material for concept generation and ultimately for design. This paper examines the composition and function of this ‘culture medium’ in the context of design education through reporting two content-wise connected studies: a series of in-depth interviews with experienced design tutors, and an ethnographically oriented study with design students. Combining and comparing information gathered in both studies reveals some interesting insights about what ‘culture media’ are valued by tutors and students.

Keywords:

• Cultural capital
• Design education
• Influences on the design process

Acknowledgements

Ann Heylighen is a postdoctoral fellow of the Research Foundation—Flanders. The authors would like to thank the interviewees, and the fourth-year industrial design students and tutor in the school of Design and Media Arts at Napier University, for their time, support, patience and honesty.