In this paper, the idea of "coming into presence" and an epistemology that recognises the agency of the learner in the construction of knowledge is developed as an organising framework for reconceptualising design education. Design is typically taught as a problem solving exercise based on a representational epistemology. A critique of the representational epistemology is presented. The idea of design as "coming into presence" is introduced and exemplified though considerations of implicate order, context, and closure. It is suggested that an epistemology of presence provides a better alignment between how people experience the world through design and the ways in which they engage with it both intellectually and practically.