Abstract
Design for the circular economy has been defined in various ways in the literature. To date, discussions have centered on the roles of designers, design strategies, required knowledge and competencies, and the challenges encountered by design practitioners. Gaining a deeper understanding of circular design is crucial for facilitating the transition to a circular economy and enabling designers to integrate such approaches into their professional practices. Although the circular economy is an emerging field of study in design education, it is difficult to find studies that examine how design graduates conceptualize circular design. Addressing this gap, this study aims to unveil design graduates’ conceptual understanding of circular design, offering concise insights for design educators, curriculum developers, and practitioners. Employing a phenomenological approach and thematic analysis, findings were derived from semi-structured interviews with 18 design graduates and a survey conducted with 181 design graduates. The results reveal how design graduates approach the concept of circular design, its relationship with sustainability, and the role of design education in strengthening their understanding of it. Keywords: circular economy; circular design; designer approach; design education
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.086
Citation
Arda, S.N.,and Gelmez, K.(2025) What is missing in the loop?: Design graduates' perspective on circular design, in Clemente, V., Gomes, G., Reis, M., Félix, S., Ala, S., Jones, D. (eds.), Learn X Design 2025, 22-24 September 2025, Aveiro, Portugal. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.086
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Full Paper
What is missing in the loop?: Design graduates' perspective on circular design
Design for the circular economy has been defined in various ways in the literature. To date, discussions have centered on the roles of designers, design strategies, required knowledge and competencies, and the challenges encountered by design practitioners. Gaining a deeper understanding of circular design is crucial for facilitating the transition to a circular economy and enabling designers to integrate such approaches into their professional practices. Although the circular economy is an emerging field of study in design education, it is difficult to find studies that examine how design graduates conceptualize circular design. Addressing this gap, this study aims to unveil design graduates’ conceptual understanding of circular design, offering concise insights for design educators, curriculum developers, and practitioners. Employing a phenomenological approach and thematic analysis, findings were derived from semi-structured interviews with 18 design graduates and a survey conducted with 181 design graduates. The results reveal how design graduates approach the concept of circular design, its relationship with sustainability, and the role of design education in strengthening their understanding of it. Keywords: circular economy; circular design; designer approach; design education