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Research group

Design Culture

We research design because it shapes the frameworks of our lives – both through highly profiled “design” and through the material conditions that structure everyday life without necessarily drawing attention to themselves.

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About Design Culture

Within the Design Culture research group, we study the role and significance of design in culture, society, and industry. We approach design as a complex cultural, societal, political, and economic phenomenon.

Our research areas include Danish design and design culture, design and sustainability, sustainable materials, space and perception, the role of the body in design, media and design, design aesthetics, and the dynamics of fashion.

Our research is theoretically and practically grounded in examining how culture, media, institutions, and society shape design, and conversely, how design—through its many forms—contributes to shaping our surroundings and, thereby, the possibilities we have for being and acting in the world, including in relation to questions of sustainability and nature.

Our overall aim is to cultivate a critical understanding of design. We do so by investigating the formative forces behind design while also exploring its capacity to shape and transform reality. We are involved in a range of interdisciplinary research projects and are always open to developing new perspectives in our work.

We conduct research in:

  • Design and nature: Designed solutions and spaces as entry points to experiencing and understanding nature
  • Landscape as design: Contemporary energy landscapes as a challenge to established notions of landscape
  • Design and water: How design frames the management, use, and experience of water
  • Design and materiality: Networks of materials and production conditions underlying the making of design
  • Design and the body: The body as both target and measure in the development of design, e.g. for healthcare solutions and playgrounds
  • Danish design culture: Studies of institutions and actors that have shaped the development of “Danish design”
  • Danish design history: Critical perspectives on what is canonised as Danish design history
  • Design aesthetics: The development of an aesthetic theory specific to design 

  • In our research, we adopt a problem-oriented and design-focused approach. This means that broader cultural and societal issues—such as nature, water, materiality, the body, or aesthetics—set the framework, while we consistently examine the role of design within these contexts.

    • Designing nature: This theme focuses on how design, as a human-made phenomenon, mediates and shapes our relationship with nature—for example through visitor centres in World Heritage sites or through energy landscapes in the project.

    • Behind the products: We investigate the conditions that underpin design, including production processes, consumption practices, and media representation. In the project Made in Denmark: Production history as cultural heritage and sustainable literacy, we explore how increased awareness of production and materials can contribute to more sustainable consumption.

    • The body in design: Much design naturally appeals to the human body, yet the body as a distinct domain of knowledge within design remains underexplored. In the project Design as Somatic Expertise, we investigate shifting body ideologies in relation to design, as well as body-oriented design in the contexts of health and play.

    • Design for water: Our access to water is often mediated by design—through products such as glasses and bottles, within the home as systems of water inflows and outflows, and in public urban spaces. In the project Liquid Forms, we explore how learning about design for water can deepen our understanding of water as a vital resource.

    • Design management: The global impact of Danish design is not only due to strong products, but also to the effective management of the processes that lead to design. Through our participation in the project Success via DESIGN: The Impact of Design Management Thinking on Danish Design and Design Education, we critically examine the key managerial processes behind design.
  • Research leader
    Mads Nygaard Folkmann, Designkultur, SDU 

    Mads Nygaard Folkmann

    Professor

    Research profile | Email

    Affiliated researchers

Collaboration

We welcome collaborations where our profile and work within the humanities-based study of design can make a significant contribution.

  • We play a key role in the Center for Design and Production History, which organises research collaboration between museums that house collections and archives related to Danish design production.

  • We are part of the governing body of the Nordic Forum for Design History and actively contribute to organising its associated conference series.

Center for Design and Production History

The centre provides a framework for research collaboration between museums housing collections of and archives on Danish industrial art and design production, and SDU Design Culture Studies.

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Nordic Forum for Design History

The Nordic Forum for Design History is an open forum for researchers in the Nordic countries working within the field of design history.

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