Abstract

" This paper discusses the role that education has in the shaping of the professional designer in the broader context of national and regional systems of design, i.e. in the varying constellations of the main actors and stakeholders that define the possibilities of the existence of design. The paper is a co-production of the work of both authors: Mollen-hauer's doctoral work analyzes -among others- the ""Finland Design System"" in order to generate a matrix which can finally be applied in other contexts like Latin America, specifically in Chile. For her, Finland represents a mature ""System of Design"" where the necessary elements of ""Design-driven Innovation System"" -actors, actions and projects- complement each other in an efficient manner. The education is here supported by the University of Art and Design Helsinki (UIAH) which is a key player in the whole Finnish design context and which had a seminal role in producing the basic agendas for the national design policy. Korvenmaa has analysed the Finnish context from within but has also been actively engaged in shaping the Finnish national design policy and its implementations. Accordingly, he is both an evaluator and an actor aside from an informant for Mollenhauer. He is also responsible of critically adjusting these conclusions against the historical and present-day conditions of his country. "