The role of design in post-socialist countries still in transition to capitalism has changed dramatically over the last two decades. industrial decline has led to a social legitimacy crisis suffered by industrial designers, who had so far led the sector. Although new forms of designer identities have sporadically emerged, this legitimacy crisis is still apparent and clamours for a radical shift from the traditional image of designers to that of those who are acknowledging new and expanding roles for design. The global financial and economic crisis parallel to the ever-deepening general system crisis in Hungary is an acute reminder of this need.