Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)

Autores
D'Amico, Enrique; Del Giorgio Solfa, Federico
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
This article examines the notion of discursive culture in industrial design by analysing entrepreneurial initiatives developed by graduates of the Industrial Design programme at the National University of La Plata, Argentina, between 2009 and 2019. Industrial design education in Argentina has historically emphasised project-based learning and creative autonomy. Yet, graduates increasingly face the challenge of positioning themselves within entrepreneurial ecosystems marked by economic uncertainty and shifting labour markets. This tension provides fertile ground for understanding how design knowledge and entrepreneurial logics intersect. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on 28 in-depth interviews with graduates and the study of eight entrepreneurial cases embedded in the Buenos Aires design ecosystem. Through these narratives, the article investigates how graduates negotiate the cultural values of design practice in relation to the pragmatic demands of business development. The findings highlight three central dimensions. First, the systemic role of products within entrepreneurial projects, where artefacts function not only as market goods but also as cultural mediators. Second, the articulation of professional practice with life projects, showing how entrepreneurship becomes entangled with personal trajectories and aspirations. Third, the influence of the local socio-productive environment, which shapes opportunities, resources, and symbolic recognition. By introducing the concept of “discursive culture” into the analysis of design practices, this article contributes to bridging design studies, cultural discourse theory, and entrepreneurship research. This framework underscores the symbolic, cultural, and communicative dimensions of design beyond its technical and commercial functions. In doing so, it expands the discussion of design’s role in contemporary societies, particularly in Latin American contexts where design, culture, and the economy are deeply interwoven.
Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo del Diseño Industrial
Materia
Diseño Industrial
discursive culture
industrial design
entrepreneurship
project of life
Buenos Aires ecosystem
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Repositorio
SEDICI (UNLP)
Institución
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
OAI Identificador
oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/195339
Acceder
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network_name_str SEDICI (UNLP)
spelling Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)D'Amico, EnriqueDel Giorgio Solfa, FedericoDiseño Industrialdiscursive cultureindustrial designentrepreneurshipproject of lifeBuenos Aires ecosystemThis article examines the notion of discursive culture in industrial design by analysing entrepreneurial initiatives developed by graduates of the Industrial Design programme at the National University of La Plata, Argentina, between 2009 and 2019. Industrial design education in Argentina has historically emphasised project-based learning and creative autonomy. Yet, graduates increasingly face the challenge of positioning themselves within entrepreneurial ecosystems marked by economic uncertainty and shifting labour markets. This tension provides fertile ground for understanding how design knowledge and entrepreneurial logics intersect. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on 28 in-depth interviews with graduates and the study of eight entrepreneurial cases embedded in the Buenos Aires design ecosystem. Through these narratives, the article investigates how graduates negotiate the cultural values of design practice in relation to the pragmatic demands of business development. The findings highlight three central dimensions. First, the systemic role of products within entrepreneurial projects, where artefacts function not only as market goods but also as cultural mediators. Second, the articulation of professional practice with life projects, showing how entrepreneurship becomes entangled with personal trajectories and aspirations. Third, the influence of the local socio-productive environment, which shapes opportunities, resources, and symbolic recognition. By introducing the concept of “discursive culture” into the analysis of design practices, this article contributes to bridging design studies, cultural discourse theory, and entrepreneurship research. This framework underscores the symbolic, cultural, and communicative dimensions of design beyond its technical and commercial functions. In doing so, it expands the discussion of design’s role in contemporary societies, particularly in Latin American contexts where design, culture, and the economy are deeply interwoven.Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo del Diseño Industrial2026-05-31info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArticulohttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdf72-90http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/195339enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/2180-4311info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/1675-3410info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.21315/ws2026.25.1.5info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)reponame:SEDICI (UNLP)instname:Universidad Nacional de La Platainstacron:UNLP2026-06-23T11:17:01Zoai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/195339Institucionalhttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/Universidad públicaNo correspondehttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/oai/snrdalira@sedici.unlp.edu.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:13292026-06-23 11:17:01.7SEDICI (UNLP) - Universidad Nacional de La Platafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
title Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
spellingShingle Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
D'Amico, Enrique
Diseño Industrial
discursive culture
industrial design
entrepreneurship
project of life
Buenos Aires ecosystem
title_short Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
title_full Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
title_fullStr Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
title_full_unstemmed Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
title_sort Discursive Culture in Industrial Design: Entrepreneurial Initiatives of National University of La Plata Graduates (2009-2019)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv D'Amico, Enrique
Del Giorgio Solfa, Federico
author D'Amico, Enrique
author_facet D'Amico, Enrique
Del Giorgio Solfa, Federico
author_role author
author2 Del Giorgio Solfa, Federico
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Diseño Industrial
discursive culture
industrial design
entrepreneurship
project of life
Buenos Aires ecosystem
topic Diseño Industrial
discursive culture
industrial design
entrepreneurship
project of life
Buenos Aires ecosystem
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv This article examines the notion of discursive culture in industrial design by analysing entrepreneurial initiatives developed by graduates of the Industrial Design programme at the National University of La Plata, Argentina, between 2009 and 2019. Industrial design education in Argentina has historically emphasised project-based learning and creative autonomy. Yet, graduates increasingly face the challenge of positioning themselves within entrepreneurial ecosystems marked by economic uncertainty and shifting labour markets. This tension provides fertile ground for understanding how design knowledge and entrepreneurial logics intersect. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on 28 in-depth interviews with graduates and the study of eight entrepreneurial cases embedded in the Buenos Aires design ecosystem. Through these narratives, the article investigates how graduates negotiate the cultural values of design practice in relation to the pragmatic demands of business development. The findings highlight three central dimensions. First, the systemic role of products within entrepreneurial projects, where artefacts function not only as market goods but also as cultural mediators. Second, the articulation of professional practice with life projects, showing how entrepreneurship becomes entangled with personal trajectories and aspirations. Third, the influence of the local socio-productive environment, which shapes opportunities, resources, and symbolic recognition. By introducing the concept of “discursive culture” into the analysis of design practices, this article contributes to bridging design studies, cultural discourse theory, and entrepreneurship research. This framework underscores the symbolic, cultural, and communicative dimensions of design beyond its technical and commercial functions. In doing so, it expands the discussion of design’s role in contemporary societies, particularly in Latin American contexts where design, culture, and the economy are deeply interwoven.
Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo del Diseño Industrial
description This article examines the notion of discursive culture in industrial design by analysing entrepreneurial initiatives developed by graduates of the Industrial Design programme at the National University of La Plata, Argentina, between 2009 and 2019. Industrial design education in Argentina has historically emphasised project-based learning and creative autonomy. Yet, graduates increasingly face the challenge of positioning themselves within entrepreneurial ecosystems marked by economic uncertainty and shifting labour markets. This tension provides fertile ground for understanding how design knowledge and entrepreneurial logics intersect. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on 28 in-depth interviews with graduates and the study of eight entrepreneurial cases embedded in the Buenos Aires design ecosystem. Through these narratives, the article investigates how graduates negotiate the cultural values of design practice in relation to the pragmatic demands of business development. The findings highlight three central dimensions. First, the systemic role of products within entrepreneurial projects, where artefacts function not only as market goods but also as cultural mediators. Second, the articulation of professional practice with life projects, showing how entrepreneurship becomes entangled with personal trajectories and aspirations. Third, the influence of the local socio-productive environment, which shapes opportunities, resources, and symbolic recognition. By introducing the concept of “discursive culture” into the analysis of design practices, this article contributes to bridging design studies, cultural discourse theory, and entrepreneurship research. This framework underscores the symbolic, cultural, and communicative dimensions of design beyond its technical and commercial functions. In doing so, it expands the discussion of design’s role in contemporary societies, particularly in Latin American contexts where design, culture, and the economy are deeply interwoven.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-05-31
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Articulo
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/195339
url http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/195339
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/2180-4311
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/1675-3410
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.21315/ws2026.25.1.5
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
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instname:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
instacron:UNLP
reponame_str SEDICI (UNLP)
collection SEDICI (UNLP)
instname_str Universidad Nacional de La Plata
instacron_str UNLP
institution UNLP
repository.name.fl_str_mv SEDICI (UNLP) - Universidad Nacional de La Plata
repository.mail.fl_str_mv alira@sedici.unlp.edu.ar
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score 13.265058

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