Educating in design: thinking and looking beyond capitalism

Abstract

Design education does not often problematise how design creates the world. This is mainly because educational programmes and approaches often omit criticality as a practice that can be sustained over time. In recent years terms such as "critical design" or "critical practice" have appeared in the design literature as emerging spaces from which to interrogate society through design. This essay presents an educational experience based on design criticism, whose aim is to promote debate and reflection on the relationship between design and capitalism, analysing the multiple interrelationships between the two. It then presents a classroom practice based on "critical visuality" as a method of enquiry and points out some considerations to be taken into account in the triad of education, design and capitalism, which should be approached from a "problematising education".