This paper illuminates the 13-year run for general design education, which developed in response to the art and design education community’s ability to build an academic community originating in practice during the 1990s. This paper distinguishes between knowledge developed from an insider’s perspective and knowledge developed from an outsider’s perspective, such that established university disciplines represent the outsider position. Relying on Goodlad’s framework for studying curriculum theory and practise, this paper addresses curricula for the primary, secondary and upper secondary levels and discusses ideological changes stemming from the processes of building an academic community. This paper also reflects on the potential consequences of these processes and emphasises the possibility of narrowing the gap between general design education and higher education in design (e.g. product design). Training new teachers is crucial when implementing new educational ideas. This paper highlights the need for close cooperation between teacher training and professional studies in design, as such an approach could have positive effects for both parties. The concept of Knowledge Building is used to describe both existing processes and possibilities for the future. Special emphasis is placed on the knowledge building discourse and on working creatively with knowledge.