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Design+ An appropriate design education

certified laws or data from different scientific contexts but disables” – remains painfully true. This point must be
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on the potential application of such data in hypotheses and fundamentally acknowledged in design education.
models. In clinical practice, for example, the evidence- Thus, design is a tool essential for activating
based practice (EBP) model – which is based on the data transdisciplinarity in various contexts, as it plays a
evidence – must be balanced with the practice-based key role in establishing relationships with the external
evidence (PBE) model, where practice reshapes research . environment, which in turn shapes the personal, social,
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This balance involves reconciling what the data have shown and cultural dimensions of individuals. It provides a
(available through scientific studies and, in professional way to transform theoretical approaches into practice by
practice, market research) with the need to focus on the building relationships that influence behaviors and give
implications of the individual case. them new meanings. Whether the object of intervention is
Therefore, the issue is not one of induction or products, services, communities, communication artifacts,
deduction, but of abduction, that is, contextualizing the policies, or others, the model does not simply foresee the
data derived from research in practice, while considering adaptation of an existing program, but rather the creation
the importance of the individual case and of the hic et nunc of a process that is always ready to shape the practice
(here and now). The crucial problem is not adhering to the of these relationships through design and educational
rules outlined by scientific evidence but finding the best methodologies. This model aligns with one of the most
solution to the specific problem at hand. The solution does intriguing transdisciplinary approaches, which uses
not merely provide further data but redefines how data are anthropology as a bridge between biology and psychology,
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acquired, interpreted, and utilized. To exaggerate slightly, as Ingold suggests . It is no coincidence that anthropology,
this is akin to a “theory of practical arts” (according to a discipline concerned with culture and its symbolic
De Certeau) , where practical interpretation constructs expressions, also applies to everyday life, human behaviors,
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models (tricks, rituals, methods, etc.) that guide everyday and material culture – precisely the domain of design.
actions related to daily life. For design, this takes the form
of workshop activity, which historically has been central to 3. Results
the typical educational approaches of fine arts and design Design education must developed in such a way that
schools. it constructs an “anthropology of practice”, both in the
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Hence, can we maintain a balance between the two physical world and the virtual realm. This approach should
models, PBE and EBP? Certainly, considering a design be capable of engaging with the search for deep patterns in
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process based on an EBP model suggests adopting human cultures that recent anthropology has been pursuing.
conservative solutions that replicate results already These patterns can be applied both to the mechanisms of
achieved. This situation often occurs in the professional production, particularly in creative industries (CIs), and to
practice of designers, especially when the client’s wishes their organizational structures. From the first perspective,
prevail – such as when they seek to implement their own the basic processes of elaboration in CIs remain unchanged,
ideas, follow a celebrated example, or prioritize maintaining although the scope of production can be vast and highly
market share. differentiated. One example is the “new craftsmanship,” or
more accurately, the craftsmanship approach adopted by
However, if we are referring to design as a tool for individuals working in the digital world. 10
innovation, this model is less suited to describe its
approach. In such cases, the “what if” (or “if-then”) test On the other hand, CIs are characterized by an
becomes necessary. Moreover, in the context of education, organizational model that is radically different from that of
in a period marked by constant and increasingly intense traditional industries. They are also marked by a revival of
crises, this balance can no longer be sustained, as (for the concept of community, albeit with features that differ
instance) the two “First Things First” manifestos from the significantly from their original forms, especially in terms
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1960s and 2000s have already suggested . of temporality.
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These documents remind us that whenever we convince Since practice-led activities have long been regarded as
ourselves that design can truly solve collective problems, we a common denominator between CIs (with design being
risk disillusionment by making improper generalizations one of their earliest representatives) and applied university
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or abstractions of its scope. Design operates within an research, this is another aspect that the educational
eminently cultural sphere, which is inherently slow or system must address. This includes promoting a continuous
resistant to change. This is why the quote by Paul Hogan, revision of CI value propositions.
founder of the “Design for All” movement (focused on CIs are indeed linked to models that are entirely
inclusive design) – “Good design enables, bad design different from traditional industries – transitional models,

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2025) 3 doi: 10.36922/dp.4757