Designers and Repertoire: Considerations on the Importance of Expanding Design Students’ Knowledge Base

Abstract

This work substantiates the importance of discussing the design students’ repertoire as the basis for developing projects with quality and identity, considering the sociocultural background of where they live. We highlight the Brazilian education system’s singularity—students from both public and private schools can study in federal universities. An academic graphic design project was used as an example for the next studies. Semiotic elements were applied to the reading criteria in the regional, national, and universal contexts, which were analyzed through syntax dimensions. It was identified that the repertoire’s effects on the project’s quality have to be assessed with greater depth, and the results will effectively influence the way design courses are planned and managed.

This topic was covered in the article Reflexões sobre a origem da beleza no design: uma apreciação através dos avanços tecnológicos que contribuíram para fundamentar a forma dos produtos de design no século XX (Reflections on the origin of beauty in design: An appraisal of the technological advances that contributed to fostering the shape of design products in the 20th century). Ready for publication.