O Design e seus sentidos

Multiplicidade de Sentidos e os Dilemas da Profissionalização

Abstract

This article offers a critical reflection on the multiple meanings attributed to the design profession, with an emphasis on the educational challenges and the conceptual and institutional ambiguities surrounding its practice. Using graphic design as an illustrative field, the text discusses how this practice articulates technical, creative, symbolic, and market-oriented dimensions. The investigation adopts a qualitative approach, based on bibliographic and documentary review, encompassing legislation, occupational classifications, and academic publications. By analyzing the tensions between formal and informal education, the impacts of technological transformations, and the demands of the labor market, the study seeks to understand how professionals build their trajectories in a context of constant reinvention. It concludes that design, more than a technical activity, constitutes a plural and dynamic field, shaped by symbolic disputes and complex social demands, requiring critical perspectives and adaptive educational strategies.