Abstract
The paper presents a project-based learning (PBL) initiative developed between IADE–European University and the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) in Lisbon, Portugal, in the third semester of the academic year 2023/24. In this context, the second-year students of the Global Design Bachelor’s Degree were challenged to develop a project in synergy with the AKF, which works to improve vulnerable populations’ conditions and their quality of life. This transdisciplinary project covered the different curricular units of the program. In the Project course, around which all the other courses work, students developed a visual identity, branding, and product design for artisans linked to the AKF. In other courses, students developed an ethnographic approach to the community of artisans previously identified by the foundation to better understand their design problems and contribute with useful solutions. The materials they created demonstrate how a collaborative approach, which goes beyond disciplinary boundaries and the classroom itself, can give rise to meaningful experiences and a more inclusive and sustainable world. In addition to the main design subjects that inform the PBL briefing, such as visual identity, branding, and product design, the literature review explores the concepts of transdisciplinarity, design for social innovation, wicked design problems, and design ethnography. Informed by these subject matters, the methodology is explained and validated by a panel of experts made up of professors from other design universities.
Presenters
Antonio Gorgel PintoAssistant Professor and Researcher, Design, IADE, Faculty of Design, Technology and Communication, European University, Lisboa, Portugal Hande Ayanoglu
Executive Director, UNIDCOM/IADE, Portugal Davide Antonio Gambera
PhD Candidate, Assistant Professor, UNIDCOM/IADE, IADE, Universidade Europeia, Lisbon, Portugal Juliana F. Duque
Researcher, Graphic Design, CIEBA - Centro de Investigação e de Estudos em Belas-Artes, Portugal
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Project-Based Learning, Transdisciplinary Design, Social Innovation, Design Ethnography, Collaborative Education
