What happens when the design process meets community engagement?

Abstract

<jats:p>Community-engaged design is often framed as a binary opposite to commercial design. Whereas commercial design is usually characterized as a market-led paradigm focused on profits, community-engaged design is seen as a socially useful design paradigm that is concerned with addressing societal needs. This study uses qualitative data from four design project case studies to explore whether this understanding is in fact consistent with current design practices within commercial design studios. The findings of this study demonstrate that both commercial and community-engaged design practices are more similar than different. In addition, it is also suggested that it is not only the clients’ instructions and the commissions that determine the designers’ processes and practices, but the design studios’ intent, practice and values. This study has a number of practical implications for designers and design studios in how they address commercial and community-engaged design work.</jats:p>