Design Culture cross cultural concepts and meaning related to design: A pilot program

Design Culture is a pilot program currently being developed within the traditions of Action research This program has been created for new students to enable them to look at the variety of different ways in which design is practiced in a variety of cultural contexts The program identifies the range of "cultures" within the group, and from this knowledge base issues of design and communication are explored, particularly about meaning attached to visual images, what is common what is different.

This paper describes this action research and reflects upon the teaching and learning issues that need to be resolved. particularly those issues that arise in the context of a tradition, where Design is often quoted as an "International Language"; meaning that good design can somehow cross barriers of acceptance because the "solution" is universally appealing or useful. The initial findings indicate that whilst this might be an ideal, in practice, good design really happens when it takes into account all of the cultural distinctions that it needs to cater for. Understanding or gaining access to these distinctions creates a background of relatedness with the end user to create successful, market conscious design. Awareness of such distinctions and sensitivities can provide a competitive edge, particularly when working within the South East Asia region.