Design for the future, methodological experience of encounter between graphic design students and other disciplines

Abstract

This paper analyzes the inclusion of speculative, critical and fictional design in the Graphic Design curriculum of Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE). It is based on reflections that connect several design practices linked to the future with prospective studies and diverse areas of knowledge, revealing new opportunities for the participation of graphic design in the generation of proposals with a significant impact not only on the present but also on the future. The educational methodology for teaching design for the future developed for the degree and a summary of the work experience completed over the past two years with level-seven students and with the interdisciplinary support of teachers from other careers are presented. In addition, the pending challenges and future projections to progress in this proposal are addressed, considering that collaboration between design and other disciplines enhances the academic training of students and highlights the potential of design. The experience described sets a precedent to seek transdisciplinary work in Latin American academia, promoting an integration that benefits students, labour, society and, above all, the planet as a whole.