Integration of design and entrepreneurship: a proposal for innovative educational models

This study examines the integration of design and entrepreneurship education, highlighting its role in enhancing creativity, fostering innovation, and bridging academic learning with real-world application. Design education focuses on user-centered approaches, aesthetics, and functionality, while entrepreneurship translates creative solutions into market-ready outcomes. The study showcases how merging these disciplines prepares students for leadership roles and equips them to address socio-economic challenges. Based on a doctoral dissertation, the research presents the "Design and Entrepreneurship" course, implemented for three years at Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University's Fine Arts Faculty Graphic Design Department. The 16-week curriculum develops entrepreneurial skills such as problem identification, business model creation, SWOT analysis, customer profiling, and moodboard preparation, all integrated with design principles. The model emphasizes iterative processes like prototyping, testing, and feedback. Using a mixed-method approach, data from surveys, chronological records, and classroom observations were analyzed. The results indicate that this interdisciplinary approach enhances creative and entrepreneurial competencies, fostering innovative, market-oriented solutions. Applied learning environments proved effective in promoting collaboration and equipping students with practical industry skills. The study underscores the importance of integrating entrepreneurship into design curricula to meet industry demands, enabling students to merge creativity with business acumen. It advocates for adapting this model across various art and design disciplines, fostering innovation and bridging gaps between theory and practice. The model's three-year sustainability demonstrates its scalability for professional success. In summary, integrating design and entrepreneurship education offers a transformative framework that prepares students to address both creative and socio-economic challenges, providing a solid foundation for interdisciplinary curriculum development.