Design entrepreneurship and a social responsibility project proposal

Design is frequently used for many purposes such as informing people about a subject and promoting the products or services to be sold. Especially after the 1990s, with the spread of internet and rapid change of technology, the definition of design and the role of designers began to change. This rapid transformation in the digital information age has changed the dynamics of many professions, including the design industry. These changes also affected existing businesses and new business enterprises. The aim of entrepreneurship is to establish businesses and organizations that offer creative and effective solutions to the needs identified in the market. Design and entrepreneurship have common features which make them both successful such as being innovative, creative and solution-oriented. It is very significant that to identify the problem correctly by empathizing with the target audience, both in a design project and in a business initiative. With design thinking method, it is possible for business entrepreneurs to increase the success of initiatives by learning how to think like a designer. On the other hand, observation and research skills of traditional entrepreneurs support the designers to realize their business ideas. In this research, the relationship between the concepts of enterprise and design is analyzed and the concept of design entrepreneurship is mentioned. The problem and needs are identified with design thinking method and it is aimed to create an example of design entrepreneurship via social responsibility project proposal. In this context, in the first part of the thesis, the important changes that the concept of design has undergone from the past to the present and the role of the designer in the historical process are explained. In the second chapter, the definition and types of entrepreneurship are discussed and sample social entrepreneurship projects are analyzed. In the third chapter, the effects of designer features on entrepreneurship are discussed and the concept of design entrepreneurship is emphasized. In the fourth chapter, as a result of the research and the questionnaire conducted, user needs are determined and a project proposal titled "Gülsün Çocuklar" is presented as an example of social entrepreneurship. Keywords: Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship, Design Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Responsibility Project.