Abstract
This paper draws upon the results of two large-scale investigations into the public’s perceptions of the design professions. The first was a comparative study involving matched samples of Australians and South Koreans. Carried out within the framework of occupational prestige assessment (e.g. Daniel, 1983), it sought to position the design professions in terms of social standing relative to a range of other professions and occupations. It also provided a comparison of how designers perceived themselves against how the public perceived them (Chung and Whitfield, 1999; Whitfield and Smith, 2003). The second was the most extensive field survey so far undertaken into the design professions. Conducted in three stages, it involved an occupational prestige survey, a series of focus groups, followed by a questionnaire survey that was distributed throughout Australia. Three groups completed the questionnaire: designers who were members of the Design Institute of Australia, design educators in universities and colleges, and members of the public. In total, 1600 people participated in the research (Whitfield and Smith, 2004).
Citation
Whitfield, T., and Smith, G. (2004) Profiling the Designer: How are the Design Professions Perceived?, in Redmond, J., Durling, D. and de Bono, A (eds.), Futureground - DRS International Conference 2004, 17-21 November, Melbourne, Australia. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2004/researchpapers/131
Profiling the Designer: How are the Design Professions Perceived?
This paper draws upon the results of two large-scale investigations into the public’s perceptions of the design professions. The first was a comparative study involving matched samples of Australians and South Koreans. Carried out within the framework of occupational prestige assessment (e.g. Daniel, 1983), it sought to position the design professions in terms of social standing relative to a range of other professions and occupations. It also provided a comparison of how designers perceived themselves against how the public perceived them (Chung and Whitfield, 1999; Whitfield and Smith, 2003). The second was the most extensive field survey so far undertaken into the design professions. Conducted in three stages, it involved an occupational prestige survey, a series of focus groups, followed by a questionnaire survey that was distributed throughout Australia. Three groups completed the questionnaire: designers who were members of the Design Institute of Australia, design educators in universities and colleges, and members of the public. In total, 1600 people participated in the research (Whitfield and Smith, 2004).