Sixteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Design has also become a term that is interpreted differently across different stakeholders. Whilst it is traditionally acknowledged as an aesthetic and technically functional process or output, it has evolved as a creative approach to problem-solving that can be strategically used to tackle societal challenges and be used as a tool for business. Many designers have different stances and philosophies on how they design, why they design, and where they fit into their own industry. Whilst some adhere to a traditional training focusing on their craft, others break into associated and sometimes unknown territories formulating new types of design cultures within both regional and professional contexts. The variation in how governments and society embrace their regional design culture can either add value to an economy or detract from it. Outside of major global cities, micro design businesses form the largest component of the design sector in most regional contexts. This research study investigates the cultural and operational circumstances/setting of how designers live and work in micro business contexts in Ireland, UK and Australia. The research is primarily concerned with the behaviours and cultural perspective of designers and evaluates how regional identities inform and add value to their regional design culture. National and international comparative studies were done in Dublin, Waterford, Salford, London, and Brisbane which helped to locate a wider perspective on how design impacted different regions.