Design literacy for longer lasting products

Abstract: In this article, we discuss the design literacy concept from a Nordic educational perspective. Design literacy is used for the expression of competence, where different ways of communicating meaning, function and quality are important. We regard design education as a precondition for sustainable development within the perspective of consumerism. This paper links design literacy to materiality in context of ‘longer lasting products’. In an educational context, design literacy is linked to general education for citizenship and to the promotion of democratic ideals through participation and dialogue. Orienting the concept of design literacy is viewed in relation to the broad spectrum of research that deals with the concept of literacy and highlights what it means to be a competent participant in a culture based on multiple modes of knowledge