Value-creating practices and barriers for collaboration between designers and artisans: a systematic literature review

This study aims to map out the challenges of existing design collaborations in craft sectors and delineate different types of value associated with artisan and designer collaboration. A systematic literature review was undertaken, examining peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2022. The results indicate three levels of sustainable value created from designer-artisan design collaboration, which include business growth, regional development, and autonomic capability development. However, collaborative value is often hindered by a lack of a clear understanding of the process of value coordination or shared value creation, the challenges of balancing different relationships, thinking patterns, and values, and a lack of understanding of different actors’ roles regarding materials, technology, and design processes. This study bridges knowledge gaps by offering a holistic depiction of designer-artisan design collaboration, mapping current challenges of practices, and defining future research agendas.