Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-08-06T13:37:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Keyla Copes Rodrigues_.pdf: 1987606 bytes, checksum: 4681c6575c4750859b811e19e5c579ff (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T13:37:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Keyla Copes Rodrigues_.pdf: 1987606 bytes, checksum: 4681c6575c4750859b811e19e5c579ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-27 / Nenhuma / Os designers estão atuando em diversas frentes e empreendendo na busca pela transformação de mundo. A sustentabilidade é um valor que esses designers-empreendedores frequentemente compartilham. Não se trata de empreendedorismo por necessidade (não são obrigados a empreender para sobreviver) ou por oportunidade (não empreendem em uma oportunidade de mercado cuja relação entre risco e retorno seja claramente vantajosa). Trata-se de um empreendedorismo por engajamento, pois as empresas são criadas por acreditarem na causa da sustentabilidade. Inicialmente, de fato, a sustentabilidade é uma vocação de seus negócios, sendo característica dos projetos que elaboram e implementam e, assim, identificamos o conceito de projeto sustentável. Logo, porém, eles entendem a dificuldade de sustentar seus negócios em um sistema socioeconômico que atribui uma importância secundaria à sustentabilidade. Se torna necessária uma elaboração estratégica que permita uma sustentabilidade projetual, na qual a sustentabilidade compõe um par com o projeto, não exatamente como sua vocação, mas como característica substantiva que garanta sua possibilidade. O objetivo da dissertação é compreender a sustentabilidade projetual nos processos elaborados pelos designer-empreendedores. Para tanto, a presente pesquisa exploratória realizou entrevistas em profundidade com designers-empreendedores. Além de identificar e definir os conceitos citados, a pesquisa descreve as características desses empreendimentos e dos designer-empreendedores. / The designers are performing on several fronts and undertaking the search for world transformation. Sustainability is a value that these entrepreneurial designers often share. They are not entrepreneurship by necessity (they are not obliged to undertake to survive) or by opportunity (they do not engage on a market opportunity whose relationship between risk and return is clearly advantageous). This is an entrepreneurship through engagement, because companies are created because they believe in the cause of sustainability. Initially, in fact, sustainability is a trend of its business, being characteristic of the projects elaborated and implemented, and thus we identify the concept of sustainable project. Soon, however, they understand the difficulty of sustaining their business in a socioeconomic system that attaches secondary importance to sustainability. It becomes necessary a strategic elaborateness that allows a project sustainability, in which sustainability works with the project, not exactly as its trend, but as a substantive characteristic that guarantees its possibility. The objective of the dissertation is to understand the sustainable project in the processes elaborated by the designer-entrepreneurs understand the articulation of the processes of strategic design and entrepreneurship, in the scope of sustainability, elaborated by the entrepreneur-designers. To this end, the present exploratory research conducted in-depth interviews with designers-entrepreneurs. In addition to identifying and defining the aforementioned concepts, the research describes the characteristics of these enterprises and entrepreneur-designers.

Cette thèse se positionne dans la lignée d'une série de travaux menés depuis une vingtaine d'années en France sur l’évolution des métiers et des professions de la production urbaine, architecturale et paysagère, au prisme de l'émergence de nouvelles attentes sociétales. Elle analyse plus précisément les attitudes et les modalités d'interventions des concepteurs, dans des projets urbains marqués depuis le milieu des années 2000 par de fortes ambitions en matière de participation citoyenne associées à des enjeux de développement durable. Dans quelle mesure l'émergence de telles commandes en France, particulièrement perceptible dans les premières opérations d'écoquartiers, modifient-elles les représentations des concepteurs vis-à-vis de la participation citoyenne, leurs modes d'exercice, leurs compétences, voire leur manière de considérer leur métier ? / This thesis is written within the context of a series of works undertaken over the last twenty years in France on the subject of the trades and professions of urban, architectural and landscape production, as considered through the prism of new social expectations. The thesis analyses the attitudes and forms of intervention adopted by designers of urban projects that,since the mid 2000s, have featured strong citizen participation ambitions associated with sustainable development issues. To what extent has the emergence of these demands in France, particularly noticeable in the case of the first sustainable neighborhoods, modified designers’ representation of citizen participation, as well as their own practice, skills andgeneral vision of their profession?

Modemarknaden idag är både global och komplex med många uppfattningar om var värdet iprodukten ligger. Produkten och företagets image är kraftfulla medel för att differentiera sigpå marknaden. Då ett företag väljer att expandera till en ny marknad är det generellt ett sätt attskapa nya marknadsmöjligheter och för att öka sin försäljning. Innan etablering på nymarknad är det viktig att identifiera sin målgrupp. På den konkurrenskraftiga internationellamarknaden ligger makten inte längre hos leverantören, utan hos kunden.Distributionskanalvalet spelar en stor roll i avseende att nå företagets tänkta målgrupp. I denrådande konjunkturen besitter detaljister begränsade medel att spendera på oetableradevarumärken. Många detaljister behöver även begränsa antalet varumärken i sina butiker.I uppsatsen har vi valt att behandla den ungerska PR-byrån OurStyles designers och deraschans att ta sig in på Göteborgs modemarknad. Uppsatsen är skapad ur ett hermeneutisktförhållningssätt då det ger oss chansen att fritt tolka det studerade fenomenet. Vi har samlat inempiri genom vår fältstudie i Budapest, där vi gjort ett antal kvalitativa intervjuer medOurStyles designers, samt genom de detaljister vi varit i kontakt med i Göteborg. Iteorikapitlet beskriver vi den textila värdekedjan, globalisering, modebranschen, strategier föratt etablera sig på en ny marknad samt konsumentbeteende. Teorin och empirin är insamladför att kunna svara på problemformuleringen i uppsatsen.Genom att granska OurStyles designers och hur de arbetar har vi tagit fram tänkbaradetaljister på Göteborgs modescen. Uppsatsprocessen har gått ut på att se till vilka möjligheterde har att etablera sig på den göteborgska marknaden. Generellt är slutsatsen vi kommit framtill att det i dagsläget inte finns plats för OurStyles designers på Göteborgs modemarknad.Slutsatserna är grundade på den analys vi utfört genom att sammanställa teori med empiri.The fashion market of today is global and complex and there are many opinions about thevalue of the product and where it actually is to be found. The product itself and the image ofthe company are powerful tools to differentiate oneself on the market. When a companychooses to expand to a new market it is generally a way of creating new marketingopportunities and increasing its sale. Before establishing on a new market it is important toidentify your target group. In the competitive international market the power is no longer withthe supplier, but with the client. The choice of distribution channel is of big importance inrespect of reaching the company’s intended target group. In the current state of the market theretailers have limited means to spend on unestablished brands. Many suppliers also need tolimit the number of brands in their shops.In the essay we have chosen to focus on the Hungarian PR company OurStyle’s designers andtheir chance of getting into the fashion market of Gothenburg. The essay is written from ahermeneutical perspective since it gives us the opportunity to freely interpret the phenomenain question. We have collected empiric data through our field study in Budapest where we dida number of qualitative interviews with OurStyle’s designers, as well as qualitative interviewswith the suppliers that we have been in contact with in Gothenburg. In the theory chapter ofthe essay we describe the value chain of textile, globalisation, the fashion industry, strategiesto establish oneself on a new market and consumer behaviour. To be able to answer theproblem formulation we will use both theory and empiric data.By studying OurStyle’s designers and how they work we have compiled possible suppliers forthem on the fashion market of Gothenburg. The idea of the essay process has been to see whatopportunities OurStyle have to establish themselves on the market/scene of Gothenburg. Theconclusion in our essay is to a large extent that in the present situation there is no room forOurStyle’s designers on the fashion market of Gothenburg. The conclusion is based on theanalysis we have done, putting together theory and empiric data. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

La thèse prend comme objet les enjeux de formation des futurs designers. Au croisement de la sociologie de l’éducation, du travail et des professions, il s’agit de rendre compte des différentes socialisations qui ont conduit des personnes à devenir designer. Il s’agit de comprendre qui et comment des personnes décident de devenir designer aujourd’hui. Cette thèse repose sur une enquête réalisée dans deux institutions de formation qui ont la particularité de se situer au plus haut niveau du champ de l’enseignement supérieur en design : une grande école publique et une grande école privée. D’autre part, il s’agit d’examiner les différentes voies professionnelles qui se dessinent pour les étudiants. Premièrement, à travers l’analyse des caractéristiques sociales des élèves admis dans ces des deux établissements, il s’agit de comprendre les processus communs de socialisation primaire qui ont conduit ces jeunes à s’orienter vers la profession de designer. Ensuite, nous verrons comment ces deux écoles, via leur mode de sélection et leur socialisation secondaire spécifique, s’opposent assez nettement sur la manière de concevoir le métier de designer et la nature des services qu’il peut être amené à accomplir au sein de l’entreprise. La méthodologie mise en œuvre rassemble des observations de longue durée ; une soixantaine d'entretiens réalisés avec des étudiants, des enseignants et des professionnels ; le dépouillement exhaustifs des archives des dossiers scolaires des deux écoles ainsi que les résultats d'une enquête quantitative menée auprès des étudiants en formation en 2010. / The thesis takes for object the training issues of future designers. At the crossroad of education sociology, of work and professions sociology, it consists in accounting the different socializations which led individuals to become designers. It consists in understanding who and how people decide today to become designer. This thesis is based on a survey led in two training institutions which have the particularity to be on the highest level of design superior teaching: one large public school and one large private school. On the other hand, it consists in examining the different professional paths existing for students. First, thought the analysis of the social characteristics of student admitted in these two establishments, it consists in understanding the common processes of primary socialization which led these young people to turn towards the designers profession. Then, we will see how these two schools, thought their selection way and their specific secondary socialization, oppose themselves quite vividly on the way to conceive the designers profession and the nature of the services a designer can be led to accomplish in a company. The methodology gathers long duration observations; sixty interviews carried out with students, teachers and professionals; the exhaustive analysis of the archives of scholar files from the two schools and the results of a quantitative survey led among students in 2010.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / A presente dissertação tem como objeto de estudo a Gráfica Imprinta, criada a partir de um projeto cuidadosamente elaborado por seus mentores Aloísio Magalhães e Arnaud Torres, com o objetivo de atender, principalmente, aos designers gráficos do Rio de Janeiro. Enfocando o período de 1969 a 1989, que compreende a trajetória da Empresa desde sua concepção até a mudança de administração, o trabalho se insere na história da evolução da Indústria Gráfica no Rio de Janeiro. Aborda o período que se inicia com a formação dos alunos da Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial, ESDI UERJ, em 1963, até a década de 1980, com a consolidação da tecnologia offset, como principal forma de impressão em nosso país. Partiu-se da premissa de que a conjuntura tecnológica pode influenciar no processo de desenvolvimento de um impresso e, também, de que os designers podem interceder no processo evolutivo de uma gráfica. Numa primeira fase foi feita uma pesquisa exploratória na qual entramos em contato com ex-alunos formados pela ESDI, durante a primeira década de seu funcionamento, que apontaram a Gráfica Imprinta como referência de serviços diferenciados. Passando esta, a ser o foco da pesquisa, abordamos seu idealizador, Arnaud Torres, bem como, mais sete designers e dois antigos funcionários. Os profissionais que participaram da pesquisa, nos forneceram dados por meio de entrevistas não estruturadas, que ocorreram entre junho e agosto de 2007, foram gravadas e posteriormente transcritas e analisadas. Elaboramos um acervo iconográfico que se refere, tanto à história da Imprinta como também, documenta parte da produção de alguns designers e a indústria gráfica da época. Consideramos que a história da Gráfica Imprinta demonstra que, naquele momento de transição da tecnologia, a disponibilidade nela encontrada pelos designers para sua experimentação no campo da produção e a troca de conhecimento que ali se verificou, produziram crescimento em termos técnicos e teóricos para todos os envolvidos, bem como, incremento na qualidade dos impressos ali executados e otimização de projetos gráficos futuros / This dissertation has a printshop named Imprinta as the studys object. Imprinta was created from a carefully elaborated project, whose authors are Aloisio Magalhaes and Arnaud Torres, and that had the goal of offering services, mainly, to Rio de Janeiros graphical designers. Focusing on the period from 1969 to 1989 which encompasses the story of the company since its inception to the moment a new administration took over, this work describes part of the history of the printing industry in Rio de Janeiro. It addresses the period that starts in 1963 with the formation of new students of the Superior School of Industrial Design (Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial, ESDI) that belongs to the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Universidade Estatual do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ) and ends in the 1980s with the consolidation of Offset as the main printing technology in Brazil. We started by assuming that the technological environment can influence the process of development of printed matter and also that designers can impact a print shops evolutionary process. In the first phase of this work, an investigative research where we contacted former ESDI students that graduated during ESDIs first decade of existence, pointed us to Imprinta as a reference for differentiated printing services. With Imprinta as the focus of our research, we contacted Arnaud Torres, its mentor, seven additional designers and also two former employees of the company. From June to August of 2007, the research participants, by means of nonstructured interviews, provided information that were recorder and then transcribed and analyzed. We were able to build a collection of iconographic items that relates to both the history of Imprinta and also documents part of the production of some designers and the printing industry at the time. We believe that Imprintas story shows that, at that moment of technology transition, the availability Imprinta provided to designers for their experimentation in the field of production and exchange of knowledge, has generated technical and theoretical growth for all involved, an increase the quality of the printing services run at Imprinta and the optimization of future printing projects

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / A presente dissertação tem como objeto de estudo a Gráfica Imprinta, criada a partir de um projeto cuidadosamente elaborado por seus mentores Aloísio Magalhães e Arnaud Torres, com o objetivo de atender, principalmente, aos designers gráficos do Rio de Janeiro. Enfocando o período de 1969 a 1989, que compreende a trajetória da Empresa desde sua concepção até a mudança de administração, o trabalho se insere na história da evolução da Indústria Gráfica no Rio de Janeiro. Aborda o período que se inicia com a formação dos alunos da Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial, ESDI UERJ, em 1963, até a década de 1980, com a consolidação da tecnologia offset, como principal forma de impressão em nosso país. Partiu-se da premissa de que a conjuntura tecnológica pode influenciar no processo de desenvolvimento de um impresso e, também, de que os designers podem interceder no processo evolutivo de uma gráfica. Numa primeira fase foi feita uma pesquisa exploratória na qual entramos em contato com ex-alunos formados pela ESDI, durante a primeira década de seu funcionamento, que apontaram a Gráfica Imprinta como referência de serviços diferenciados. Passando esta, a ser o foco da pesquisa, abordamos seu idealizador, Arnaud Torres, bem como, mais sete designers e dois antigos funcionários. Os profissionais que participaram da pesquisa, nos forneceram dados por meio de entrevistas não estruturadas, que ocorreram entre junho e agosto de 2007, foram gravadas e posteriormente transcritas e analisadas. Elaboramos um acervo iconográfico que se refere, tanto à história da Imprinta como também, documenta parte da produção de alguns designers e a indústria gráfica da época. Consideramos que a história da Gráfica Imprinta demonstra que, naquele momento de transição da tecnologia, a disponibilidade nela encontrada pelos designers para sua experimentação no campo da produção e a troca de conhecimento que ali se verificou, produziram crescimento em termos técnicos e teóricos para todos os envolvidos, bem como, incremento na qualidade dos impressos ali executados e otimização de projetos gráficos futuros / This dissertation has a printshop named Imprinta as the studys object. Imprinta was created from a carefully elaborated project, whose authors are Aloisio Magalhaes and Arnaud Torres, and that had the goal of offering services, mainly, to Rio de Janeiros graphical designers. Focusing on the period from 1969 to 1989 which encompasses the story of the company since its inception to the moment a new administration took over, this work describes part of the history of the printing industry in Rio de Janeiro. It addresses the period that starts in 1963 with the formation of new students of the Superior School of Industrial Design (Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial, ESDI) that belongs to the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Universidade Estatual do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ) and ends in the 1980s with the consolidation of Offset as the main printing technology in Brazil. We started by assuming that the technological environment can influence the process of development of printed matter and also that designers can impact a print shops evolutionary process. In the first phase of this work, an investigative research where we contacted former ESDI students that graduated during ESDIs first decade of existence, pointed us to Imprinta as a reference for differentiated printing services. With Imprinta as the focus of our research, we contacted Arnaud Torres, its mentor, seven additional designers and also two former employees of the company. From June to August of 2007, the research participants, by means of nonstructured interviews, provided information that were recorder and then transcribed and analyzed. We were able to build a collection of iconographic items that relates to both the history of Imprinta and also documents part of the production of some designers and the printing industry at the time. We believe that Imprintas story shows that, at that moment of technology transition, the availability Imprinta provided to designers for their experimentation in the field of production and exchange of knowledge, has generated technical and theoretical growth for all involved, an increase the quality of the printing services run at Imprinta and the optimization of future printing projects

[pt] A dissertação apresenta o trabalho de designers-editores de livros, profissionais que possuem conhecimentos da área do Design e atuam no mercado editorial na função de editor. Evidencia o diferencial que a personagem do designer-editor traz ao contexto atual do mercado editorial e ao campo do Design. Diante das transformações ocorridas no entorno do universo editorial, profissionais da cadeia produtiva do livro e editores têm suas funções desafiadas e novos conhecimento são exigidos. Habilidades voltadas para a busca por inovação, criatividade e gestão da complexidade com que se estrutura o mercado são necessárias. O trabalho teve como objetivo identificar quais os conhecimento adquiridos a partir do DESIGN diferenciam o EDITOR na sua atuação no MERCADO como editor de livros. Para isso, foram estabelecidos os contextos da editoração do Brasil, aspectos históricos e culturais, delimitada a função do editor de livros no mercado contemporâneo e caracterizadas as competências e habilidades que capacitam o designer. A dissertação documenta três experiências editoriais: André Villas-Boas e a 2AB editora; Vitor Barreto e as editoras Novas ideias e 2AB; e Christiano Menezes e a DarkSide books. São analisadas as biografia dos três editores, o histórico de formação das editoras, as linhas editoriais propostas, os catálogos constituídos e as obras representativas editadas. E ao final, delimitadas as influências da experiência em Design sobre o exercício da função editorial. / [en] The dissertation presents the work of designers-book publishers, professionals who have knowledge of Design and act in the book publishing market as a publisher. It seeks to highlight the differential that the designer-book publisher brings to the current context of the book publishing market and the field of Design. Faced with the transformations that have occurred in the surroundings of the publishing world, professionals in the production chain of the book and publishers have their functions challenged and new knowledge is required. Skills aimed at the search for innovation, creativity and management of the complexity with which the market is structured are necessary. The work aims to identify which knowledge acquired from DESIGN differentiates the EDITOR in its work in the MARKET as a book publisher. For this, the research establishes the contexts of Brazilian publishing, historical and cultural aspects, delimits the function of the book publisher in the contemporary market and characterizes skills and abilities that enable the designer. The dissertation documents three editorial experiences: André Villas-Boas and 2AB editora; Vitor Barreto and the Novas Ideias and 2AB editora; and Christiano Menezes and DarkSide books. Then, it analyzes the biographies of the three editors, the history of publishing houses, the editorial lines, the catalogs and representative works. Finally, it delimits the influences of the experience in Design on the exercise of the editorial function.

The purpose of this study is to find out if the gap between theory and practice is also visible in the Swedish design industry and how the gap could then be reduced. Previous research describes a lack of UX (User eXperience) work in design processes and a study has therefore been conducted with the aim to formalize guidelines for how companies, which do not include UX and users in their design processes, should develop their UX work in order to offer better artifacts. The results of the study shows that the majority of designers have UX as a design approach. Designers in the industry often know what UX means and why it is important but seems to find it hard to make customers realize the value of the UX work, which force designers to use UX as a way of thinking instead of the way of working. The results of the study presents new guidelines that companies can use to develop their UX maturity and work which is necessary for survival. We can make several conclusions from the result. UX is necessary to deliver high quality products and services to users but restricted by the customers motivation, time requirements and financial resources. Because of that, designers must have rhetorical knowledge and be able to shape and function communication that leads the client to understand the value of UX. If design companies do not involve UX in their design processes, possibly through user tests and demonstrations, the company's risk to losing important competitive advantages. This study provides a good basis for further research in the subject. The study ends with recommendations until further work on topics that were to be done for this study. / Syftet med denna studien är att ta reda på om klyftan mellan teori och praktik även syns i den svenska designbranschen och hur klyftan i så fall skulle kunna minskas. Tidigare forskning beskriver en avsaknad av UX-arbete (User eXperience) i designprocesser och en studie har därför genomförts med målsättningen att kunna formalisera riktlinjer för hur företag, som inte inkluderar UX och slutanvändare i sina designprocesser ska utveckla sitt UX-arbete för att kunna erbjuda bättre artefakter. Resultatet från studien visar att majoriteten av designers har UX som förhållningssätt inom design. Designers i branschen vet oftast vad UX är och varför det är viktigt men upplever att det är svårt att få beställaren inse värdet av UX-arbetet, vilket gör att designers tvingas använda UX som tankesätt istället för arbetssätt. Vid intervjuerna framkom det riktlinjer som företag kan använda sig av för att börja med UX. Från resultatet kan vi dra flera slutsatser. UX är nödvändigt för att kunna leverera artefakter med hög kvalitet och värde för användarna men begränsas av beställarens tidskrav och ekonomiska resurser. Designern behöver ha retoriska kunskaper och kunna forma en fungerande kommunikation som leder till att klienten förstår värdet av UX. Om designföretag inte involverar UX i sina designprocesser, förslagsvis genom användartester och demonstrationer, riskerar företagen att tappa viktiga konkurrensfördelar. Denna studie skapar en bra grund för vidare forskning inom ämnet. Studien avslutas med rekommendationer till fortsatt arbete, kring ämnen som var för omfattande för att ta upp i denna studie.

[pt] O Design de Exibições já é bem conhecido e aplicado em museus de arte de diversos países. No Brasil, sua prática em museus de arte se afirmou progressivamente nas últimas décadas. Sua classificação duvidosa como disciplina no Campo do Design e sua complexidade por envolver conhecimentos multidisciplinares faz com que seu ensino em universidades e em cursos de Design ainda não seja uma realidade comum no Rio de Janeiro, talvez no Brasil. Profissionais brasileiros que atuam na área aprendem com o exercício da prática e não com auxílio de uma teoria de base. A concepção e a montagem de exibições de arte exigem trabalho em equipes multidisciplinares. Enquanto esse fato possa trazer uma confluência positiva de conhecimentos variados, também pode gerar dúvidas quanto ao papel de cada categoria profissional envolvida, fazendo surgir possíveis conflitos dentro das equipes. Portanto, julga-se relevante descobrir qual o papel do designer nessa prática e o momento de sua participação. Finalmente, o Design de Exibições pode evidenciar objetos expostos em museus de arte por meio do emprego de narrativa e pelo recurso a cores, luzes, tecnologia, entre outros elementos. Também o Design de Exibições tem a possibilidade de tornar exibições de arte mais amigáveis aos visitantes, porém não se confirmou a hipótese de ser ele um facilitador para uma melhor compreensão do que venha a ser arte e seus conceitos por parte do público. / [en] Exhibition Design is already well established and applied in art museums in numerous countries. In Brazil, it was progressively practiced in art museums during the past decades. However, its teaching in universities and in design courses is still not a reality in Rio de Janeiro, and maybe in Brazil, due to its doubtful classification as a discipline within the Design Field and due to its complexity, involving multidisciplinary knowledge. Brazilian professionals working in the field learn through practice and are not supported by a theoretical base. The intricate process of elaborating an art exhibition requires multidisciplinary teams. While this fact can bring a positive confluence of varied knowledge, it can also create uncertainty regarding the role of each professional category involved, creating possible team conflicts. Therefore, it is deemed necessary to define the designer s role and the timing of his/ her participation. Finally, Exhibition Design can highlight objects exposed in art museums through narrative and the use of colour, light, technology, among other elements. Exhibition Design can also make art exhibitions more visitor friendly, but the hypothesis that it facilitates the public s better understanding of art and its concepts was not confirmed.

Environmental labels on products and services have been increasingly significant in influencing consumer purchasing and represent a crucial communication of the environmental credentials of products and companies. Yet their importance to industrial designers, who are recognised as having significant influence over the environmental impact of products, is less known. The overall aim of this research project is to investigate factors affecting the implementation of UK environmental labels by in-house industrial designers in UK Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). A review of the literature on industrial designers and environmental labels found that there was a gap in knowledge surrounding the factors affecting how and whether in-house industrial designers implement labels in their work, and what understanding they have. In response to the literature review a number of research questions were generated, which influenced the direction of this emergent, exploratory research. A Preliminary Study was set up to collect qualitative data from practicing industrial designers in UK SMEs on their recognition and use of environmental label schemes. A mock-up Resource was consequently developed that provided the information the Preliminary Study participants claimed to need. During the Main Study the Resource was used as an elicitation tool to further probe designers' understanding and use of labels. Subsequently, three Case Studies were conducted with UK SMEs who have implemented labels on their products, to identify elements of best practice. The in-house SME designers in the study appeared to have knowledge of environmental label types and schemes. Both this and designers' position within their companies especially in terms of their input on design briefs moderates their ability to implement labels. The cooperation and contribution of colleagues is also significant to the effective application including driving their use and being willing to include them in the product development process from early stages to impact on success or effectiveness. It is suggested that a whole company approach is needed. This thesis provides an original contribution to knowledge on in-house designers' capability to implement labels; understanding of designers' current knowledge and use of labels; and the role of designers in all SMEs, not just those engaged in ecodesign or using environmental labels.