ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND DESIGN RELATED EDUCATION: NAVIGATING AN UNCERTAIN SCENARIO

The paper contrasts the labor development guidelines addressed by university graduates from the design sector. The territorial context brings difficulties, because the discipline is poorly known by traditional manufacturing or service companies. This even when design careers have been taught for more than fifty years in the country. The objective of this research is to know the preference orientations of entrepreneurs, as well as the effectiveness of their strategies to stay in the market. This information is useful to know the perspective of the companies at the time of their foundation, as well as the adaptations of their strategies. The study is carried out on ten companies, over a period of three years. The methodology considers an identification of the companies, their classification into typologies according to the services they provide, diagnosis related to design management, follow-up through meetings and guided visits to collect information systematically. The results show large differences in income and a strong influence of macroeconomic variables. In addition, knowledge of administration and accounting, as well as of social networks to disseminate the company's values, are relevant factors of success. The high dropout rate of companies in this period is verified, after multiple attempts to reinvent their services. Difficulties are observed in obtaining highly qualified personnel, which implies a high turnover of employees. The scenario for these ventures is uncertain, due to a poor design culture by potential clients and the environment in general. This information allows us to describe a conceptual model of visualization of success factors, offering antecedents for better decisions. Novice designers will be able to consider the aspects that the research declares as essential, minimizing the factors that could lead to failure. In conclusion, the research allows us to obtain a vision regarding the design preferences of entrepreneurship graduates, their performances and strategies over a period of three years, as well as compiling useful information to minimize the investment risk of future entrepreneurs in the design sector. The qualitative analysis of the variables involved allows us to understand the correspondence of the education of graduates with the choice of the nature of their undertakings, as well as the effectiveness of their developments to achieve a position in the market.