Understanding Cultural Diversity in Design Consciousness

The purpose of the research is to explore cultural diversity in design consciousness in light of the Popperian world-view. An additional aim of the study is to describe issues pertaining to cross-language design research. The paper focuses on the following question: What do Finnish and French users know about designer products and designers, designing and design, and design brands in the national and international context? The findings provide a number of insights into the essence of design consciousness and how design consciousness evolves in different social and cultural contexts. The study suggests that while design consciousness can be explored within a specific group, multicultural research – in particular across linguistic boundaries – is essential if we are to understand the phenomenon as a whole.