Design Academy Eindhoven: Bachelor Course by Design Education Group

Bachelor course design academy eindhoven

a critical dialogue

Bachelor course design academy eindhoven

a critical dialogue January 2012 Arjo de Vries

Table of Contents

PAGE

INTRODUCTION

1 Bachelor Study Design Academy Eindhoven: short introduction 2 “I was blown away and immediately hooked” Brief review of the launch of the “Man and…” departments in 1989 with Marijke van der Wijst

5 8

THE BACHELORS IN DETAIL

3 Mission and position 4 Objectives and competencies 5 Curriculum overview 6 Eight Design departments 7 Four Compass departments A 2004: start of the Compass departments B Brief characterization of the Compass Departments C From introduction of Compass in 2004 to now: objectives and results 8 Curriculum A Educational Model B Structure and Content C Projects with Friends and business partners D Development of minors: Textile pilot and collaboration with EKWC E White Lady’s program F Study feasibility G Admissions H Internship 9 Results and assessment A Level achieved B Vision on assessment C Assessment criteria D Assessment procedure 10 Quality care A Student and Alumni survey B Important results Alumni survey C Evaluation interviews with students and tutors D Team meetings and assessments

11 12 13 17 20 20 21 22 23 23 26 31 36 37 37 38 39 42 42 43 44 44 49 49 49 54 55

Appendices

A Bachelor competencies in relation to Dublin Descriptors B Overview credit table

60 61

Bachelor study Design Academy Eindhoven: short introduction

Current situation “Having people discover what their core is and what their strengths are, making them aware of their inner self, the you and the we, that is what it is about. Compare it with Gothic cathedrals. They are in fact a collection of stories of human lives. The handwriting of every artisan who worked on it can be identified, since everyone was allowed to do it his/her own way. That is completely contradictory to the Greek idea of for example the perfect ball, where individual handwriting has no place. I don’t want to deliver functional designers, precisely tailored, like the perfect tool for the world. I want to know how something feels, I am looking for a personal touch, for the story of a student and for inspiration.” 1

Irene Drooglever Fortuyn,

Head of Man and Leisure

With 750 students, Design Academy Eindhoven is part of the professional arts education as a single sectorial school within the higher Vocational Education system. Design has many perspectives and approaches. Design Academy Eindhoven chooses the humanitarian perspective that looks for meaning, relevance and value, both in the cultural, social and economic field. She wants to meet the demand of society for designers in the broadest sense. After all, the present role of designers transcends mere product design. Designers think about the usefulness and meaning of services, information strategies and scenarios for change processes. Their designs are often characterized by unexpected combinations of knowledge fields and solutions that transcend traditional professional disciplines “There is a need for abrasive disciplines with a critical attitude, that are also able to give a practical dimension to their critical approach. From vision to object, that is the interesting part of Design Academy Eindhoven in my opinion. I have noticed that students who received their training at the academy have a more natural way of throwing people off-balance. They provide inspiration due to the different way they look at the exterior.” 2

Hilde Blank,

Head Man and Public Space

Unlike product design based on professional disciplines, Design Academy Eindhoven approaches design as a part of general human needs. With this more contemplative education format, she distinguishes eight research areas that map the wide field of design for daily life: identity, well being, activity, leisure, living, communication, mobility and public space.

Each Design department accounts for one of these research areas. The student takes his learning route through one or more Design departments, with the goal of eventually gaining his own position and favourite work environment. From the very beginning of his studies, the focus is on the student’s personality. Who is he or she? What can he or she do? What does he or she want? What are his or her dreams? The academy is constantly challenging students to learn to think in a conceptual manner based on their personal intuition and beliefs and to learn how to make their own choices. This is the only way they will be able to distinguish themselves as a designer later in life, able to rise above mediocrity.

Bernardine Walrecht,

head Compass Atelier

“Less bubble, more World. I am very much in favour of that. Over the past decades, the design industry has been looking inward. We have had a great time in our safe world and it was completely in line with the Zeitgeist. In my opinion, it was a necessary phase for the design industry to develop into maturity. Now it’s time to connect to the outside world.” 3

Design Academy Eindhoven has a flexible curriculum, based on two pillars: the Design departments and the Compass departments, which together function as warp and woof. The eight Design departments, as described above, form the substantive areas in which students graduate. The 4 Compass departments each represent an attitude and interest of the designer: ATELIER: craft and personal style, FORUM: culture and reflection, MARKET: presentation and entrepreneurship and LAB: research and experiment. During their training, students choose a combination from each of the two pillars as their eventual graduation profile. Thanks to this design, the academy is able to flexibly answer to the ambition of each student.

Oscar Peña,

head Man and Activity

“The strength of our academy lies in 4 ingredients. All tutors are professionals. Almost all of them are in education for 20% of their time and 80% in the professional practice. This means we are transferring fresh knowledge. Second, we live in the ecosystem of Eindhoven, surrounded by industries like textile, plastics, electronics, printing, construction, hardware and software, including a technical university. And we receive their support. Thirdly, all tutors as professionals are only required to focus on the content. So, we are not bothered by administrative tasks. And fourth, because of the ecosystem around Eindhoven, students behave like entrepreneurs. Look at the result of the Graduation for example and you see products that you almost can buy. They are very well executed.” 4

The majority of the tutors is teaching one day a week at Design Academy Eindhoven. Some tutors are teaching for two or more days. When they are not active at the academy, they are running their own design agency or work as designer, artist, writer, journalist, art historian, etc. Originating from work areas such as applied and autonomous fine arts, architecture, theatre, music, industrial design, autonomous and traditional design and large and small design agencies, they jointly reflect the colourful palette of the national design field. This makes the inspiration from the concrete design and related art practice a constantly returning incentive for both tutors and students, as well as a tangible focal point for growing ambitions. The freedom of the tutors to model the way they teach according to their own insights, accents and angles is relatively big. Within the substantive and educational vision of the academy and under supervision of the department heads, they are the ones who for the most part determine the curriculum of Design Academy Eindhoven. Design Academy Eindhoven occupies a monumental modernistic factory building, deWitteDame, in the heart of Eindhoven, symbol of history, industry, culture, openness, transparency and accessibility. The interior of the building encourages a direct and open interaction between students, tutors, employees and management. Open areas and flexible workplaces are an invitation to casual contact, regardless of status or position. It’s culture could be characterized as person-oriented, innovative, practice-oriented and informal.

Future situation “In my opinion, the Compass departments were never designed based on designer archetypes. The system was designed with just one thought in mind: ‘what do you need as a designer?’ I hear students who think it’s not fair that they have to choose a Compass department. The knowledge they gain at Lab or at Market, they need all of it, “why should I choose”, they say. Deep in my heart, I find the entire structure of the Compass departments outdated, just like the Design departments. I understand how they came to be, but I believe that both in the substantive and practical sense, a structure that forces you to choose isn’t a good principle to begin with.” 5

9 5

Walter Amerika, head Compass department Market and member of the Creative Board Design Academy Eindhoven

In 2008, the academy launched a major project aimed at the intensification of continuous renewal and improvement of the educational system. This focus on re-profiling was inspired by different motives: • the ambition to remain a leader with regard to content and form of design education • the continued critical attitude towards the design trade, the work field and design education • the conviction that creative designers of the academy can make the difference in complex social issues • the ambition to fullfil a bridge function between the knowledge economy and the creative sector • the results of targeted image and market research • external developments in the work field and in government regulations • the ambition to involve fundamental socioeconomic changes in the world into the curriculum (“less bubble, more world”) • a study program even more tailored to the talent of the student • a more cohesive and transparent study program for students

“If you look at the future, you’ll see huge potential for the larger role of design in society. If we don’t redeem this research potential, we’ll be marginalized in 5 years’ time into a sort of workshop-like club that makes tables and chairs. The way we will deploy the Master’s degree program will be crucial. In my opinion, you should truly try to intensify the Masters. Tons of internal and external research during the 1st year, behind the computer and on the streets. The 2nd year will be about the thesis, preferably combined with the market, the industry or other organizations. Maybe even sponsored. With a higher substantive requirement than what we have today.” 6

The main goals the academy wants to achieve with the renewal project are: • wider profiling and positioning of the academy than just within the cultural field. Particularly a clear profile within the social and economic field and, to a somewhat lesser extent, the technological field • creating knowledge and discourse as the ‘heart and mind’ of the educational system and the organization • better coordination and connection between Bachelors and Masters • further improvement of the study feasibility of the program by creating more possibilities for personal learning routes • more specific collaboration with (creative) industry, business, government and social organizations • better preparation for the rapidly changing professional practice of designers, better alignment with new forms of collaboration • improvement of the student counselling service, including the intensification of Academic career counselling

Walter Amerika, head Compass department Market and member of the Creative Board Design Academy Eindhoven

“I was blown away and immediately hooked”

◄ Marijke van der wijst 11

Brief review of the launch of the “Man and…” departments in 1989 Marijke van der Wijst is interior designer and exhibit designer and was HEAD of Man and Public Space from 1989 – 2006. Her work has been awarded with the Kho Liang-Ie-award (1993), the Mart Stam-award (2001), and the Dutch Design Award for Exhibit designs (2003). last but not least, she received the BNO Piet Zwart Award for her entire oeuvre in 2011. She was at the inception of the educational model of the academy. The 8 departments “Man and…” were the brainchild of Ulf Moritz and Joke van der Heijden. From the very beginning, Marijke was involved in the introduction and the development of the, then, progressive and unique structure of design education.

“Jan Lucassen, the then managing director called me and said: “There is a new educational system and we are looking for people to lead the new departments. It will cost you about 5 hours a week. Is it something you would be interested in?” I was buried in work. I understood that my department would be called ‘Man and Environment’ based on my background and discipline. I liked that “Man”. I could, and still cannot imagine any products without measuring them against people, size, usability, smell and tactility. And then there was that other thing. Was I now supposed to develop products that involved the environment? An egg-cup is an environment as well, as is a chair. I decided not to do it. “This is not me” I told him, “I’m too busy. And by the way, I have no idea what to tell these students.” “One week later, Ulf Moritz called me. I knew him by name, but that was all. After I tried to resist again, he spoke the legendary words in his authentic German accent: “Maar Maraike, jai en iek, wai hebben kein kienderen, Wai moetn dat toen!” (But Marijke, you and me, we don’t have any children, we have to do this!”). I was blown away and immediately hooked. That’s how it all started. I knew exactly what he meant, the challenge, of course! It was a wonderful thought, those 8 departments. For countless reasons.” “There are so many products, to host that diversity at different departments was a true invention. And 8 specialists, each from his or her own discipline and professionalism, who could decide for themselves how to put together their curriculum! And the ultimate plus was: 8 experts, 8 egos bidding against each other in establishing an excellent department. Whether intentionally or not, the internal dynamic was extremely strong. One other thing was that, as department heads, we were given the opportunity to put together our own team of tutors. Not to mention the fact that the substantive vision of the academy was in the hands of the 8 heads. This changed when Lidewij Edelkoort was added to the team, she came to define the vision. We had to get used to this, but it was very clear. Together with her, we redefined the vision, quality and expertise every year.”

“The basis of the system was that the departments and their heads were a deliberate choice and that there was trust in each of the departments and departments heads. If this is the case, the fact that opinions and visions differ, is less important. It only adds to the drive to compete and perform.” “Discussions during department head meetings involved questions such as: what are we training the students for? What is important to us as an institute? What are the issues the 3rd floor (educational support organization) should resolve? You know, we had nothing to do with the ballast of the 3rd floor. All administration was taken out of our hands. What a great idea to organize it like that. We were there for education and education alone. Where can you find that nowadays?” “The main thing for me during all of those years was a good team of tutors. No rivalry, no jealousy, all those things would be at the expense of the assessment of students. I wanted harmony in my team. You are in it together to have fun, not to fight.”

“It was a wonderful time. The image to the outside world was rock solid. Take the posters in the city for instance. During the period prior to the 2011 Graduation, I was reminded of it. Compared to the strong images of Anton Beeke, a pushpin, a paperclip or a clothespin, I wasn’t very impressed this time. Recycled paper is not bad by definition, but it has to feel good in your hands. The way it was done, felt like it came straight off of a roll of toilet paper.” “Li lifted the school far beyond its borders. The brand awareness was great. At a certain point I did wonder whether it was good for the students. After all, they had to live up to their reputation. Their work featured in some glossy magazines, only to fall into a huge black hole afterwards. Because the academy would not be there, the direction was gone and they were on their own.” “The main advantage of the launch of the system was that we did it with 8 people simultaneously. It was a wonderful interplay of people, it was pioneering, development, performance. All of us thought about a successor to complete the group again, something that never happened afterwards. Now there are successors who didn’t begin simultaneously with the rest. Selected by the Board. In summary: different times, different dynamics, different people. The system is and shall always be very susceptible to people. You could say that this is its greatest strength and weakness at the same time.”

THE BACHELORS IN DETAIL

3 Mission and position A designer graduated as Bachelor at Design Academy Eindhoven is able to shape the future of a complex society at a professional level.

From the very beginning, the academy focuses the eyes of the student on society and daily life around him/ her. The academy trains designers who are aware of the social implications of their designs, who have an eye for people and their personal and social needs. Design Academy Eindhoven prefers this more horizontal and integral approach of design over the more traditional vertical structure in separate design disciplines. This approach is a guide, both in the arrangments of the studies and the structure of the organization of the academy. The academy challenges every student to develop his personal talents and to contribute to current and future developments in society in his or her own unique way. Personal position and originality are most important hereto. As the study progresses, the process will be different for each student. The academy offers the student a rich learning environment enabling him or her to grow in his ability to answer three central questions. Who am I as a designer? What do I want as a designer? Where do I work as a designer? Through unexpected paths, Design Academy Eindhoven wants to encourage students to develop an abstract and conceptual way of thinking through research and analysis. It also wants to teach students abstract and conceptual thinking from their personal intuition. Much rather than teaching students a design methodology, the academy uses action and experience oriented education to put students in positions in which they are forced to develop their own design methodology. A methodology they can use to distinguish themselves in their career as designer. The organization of the academy is a reflection of its external orientation and social involvement. After all, it is based on and built around the department heads and tutors who for most of their time are firmly rooted in actual design practices. This means that Design Academy Eindhoven is able to quickly respond to new developments in society.

Objectives and competencies 7

Opleidingsprofiel

Vormgeving is a publication of the Overleg Beeldende Kunstonderwijs, October 2002, page. 14/15. The professional profile described therein is in line

A designer who graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven is able to shape the future of a continuously changing society at a high level. During his study, he learns to make independent choices and to develop his personal qualities. He is able to analyse complex assignments and to ask critical questions. He chooses the position he wants to hold later on in this broad international professional field. Students learned to organize their work independently under stressful circumstances and to achieve surprising results.

with the professional profile of the ‘Projectorganisatie Kunstvakonderwijs’ and the professional profile as formulated by the ‘Advies Commissie Vormgeving

This requires devotion, discipline and concentration from the student, as well as an individual route that is taken for several years within a wide range of practical and theoretical knowledge and skills. Graduated designers of Design Academy Eindhoven mainly have conceptual skills. No matter where they end up, what they do, their main weapon is their conceptual mind-set and their authentic approach to design issues. They are popular team players, great at encouraging other ways of thinking.

2001’ of the ‘Tijdelijke Adviescommissie Vormgeving’.

Opleidingsprofiel

Design Academy Eindhoven agrees with the formulation of the professional profile as included in the “Opleidingsprofiel Vormgeving” (Education profile Design). 7 Following the competencies listed therein, Design Academy Eindhoven distinguishes the following eight main competencies 8:

Vormgeving, Overleg Beeldende Kunstonderwijs, October 2002, page.18 through 27, in which the academy has added an 8 th competency: conceptual ability.

In view of the design process:

1. Conceptual ability The student is able to oversee and analyse a complex situation and to follow his own intuition as driving force in the research and the establishment of the concept. 2. Creating ability & Visual ability The student is able to develop a concept based on his own ideas and artistic visions and to realize and visualize that concept. 3. Ability to provide critical reflection The student is able to consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate his own work and that of others in the light of social, professional and ethical perspectives. 4. Ability to collaborate The student is able to deliver an active and constructive contribution to the course of a targeted design process as part of a collaboration (project team etc). In view of the design result:

5. Context orientation The student acknowledges complex problems in society and the field of design and solves them, taking into account socioeconomic, professional and ethical beliefs of others and himself 6. Communicative ability The student is able to obtain and interpret an assignment, negotiate about it with principals and other stakeholders and to convey and present the result of his work in an original manner.. In view of the attitude of the student:

7. Ability to grow and innovate The student is able to further develop, deepen and widen the craftsmanship, his personal position in the world of design and his artisticity. 8. Organizational ability The student is able to create and maintain an inspiring and functional work situation for himself.

Overview curriculum

year 1 Mo.

OR tu.

communication

5 6 7 8 mid term evaluation

compass evaluation

10 11 12

well being living

13 14 15 16 17 end tern evaluation

compass evaluation

3rd quater

publice space

22 23 24

Identity

25 26 27 28 mid term evaluation

compass evaluation

Leisure

31 32

graduation

Activity

33 34 35 36 37

end term evaluation

38 39

compass evaluation

year 3 th

year 4 th

Mobility

student

Mod Market1

Mod Atelier1

Mod Forum1

Mod Lab1

Market2

Mod

choice

compass specia-

internship

lisation

Mod Atelier2

Mod Forum2

studium generale

4th quater

art history - english course - white ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program

2nd quater

year 2

art history - english course - white ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program

1th quater

eduation program 2011-2012 design academy eindhoven

3.1

student

graduation module

choice compass specialisation

Mod Lab2

3.2 After one semester of delay in study: 2nd internship possibility: Febr.-June 2nd graduation possibility: June-Dec.

“Every student is perfect as soon as he discovers what he wants…”

◄ Bas van Tol, interior designer, partner at ‘Muller Van Tol’ (interior and industrial design), head of Man and Living

“What’s been keeping me busy lately with regard to Man and Living, are in fact two things. I would like to draw attention to the fact that living doesn’t just represent that what happens in the private home. Domestic qualities are required in much more places. Think about a hospital for instance, an airport or a restaurant. I want our students to know how to add a certain domestic quality to products. In addition, I cherish the notion that our home, in fact, is the only place where we are still in charge as individuals. This is the only place where you can shape your own beliefs or create your own safety. At the same time, we are tempted to purchase things that do not correspond with these beliefs. I am intrigued by the potential of our home to improve the world. How can we come up with projects that do more justice to the potential of our home? It would be wonderful if we could think of corresponding products to enable this. How do I maintain my house in my own manner? This is a beautiful and challenging question to me.

In my opinion, the rational and the intuitive are two separate things, but they can work together rather well. This is one of the basic principles of the education we provide. Thinking and acting, simultaneously, feeding your intuition with the rational, and vice versa. If you succeed in doing this, you will be surprised by the things that will happen. Living enables students to come up with their own unique idea, by creating from scratch, by learning to see who you are, and by being open to things that your hands are creating and the things around you. In the beginning, this may be very receptive, even somewhat naïve. But this is what it’s all about, these vulnerable moments and phases. In my team, there is a tutor who is very good at offering guidance and giving students self-confidence. This tutor comes from a family of poets, and has, naturally, a poetic attitude towards design. At Man and Living, the intuitive phase runs parallel to the thinking process. This is not the case in other departments, where ideas often have to be fully developed, before being shaped. Or you will be asked to immediately work towards a concrete product. At Living, it doesn’t take long before students start to create models, while having their thoughts dictated by the creation process. During the creation proces, you’ll come up with new ideas. You’re looking for something as you’re making something, but you just don’t know yet what that is. You are completely self-absorbed, confronted with your own abilities and inabilities and clumsiness. You will make choices, you try, and all those inner considerations will give you self-confidence. By creating a lot, you will learn to trust your intuition and you’ll get to know yourself and your work methods. Intuition is the inspiration you can blindly rely on, so to speak, even though you don’t exactly know where it is coming from. For me, this is one of the most difficult aspects in the assessment process. It is about the student as a person, but how can this be embedded into a system? And about the fact that you’re working with a person and not with a program consisting of projects. Of course you have to properly describe and assess those projects. But still, for me it is about the person. Every student deals with a graduation project in his / her own way, but it’s all about to guide the student in that process. Sometimes, my team isn’t able to offer the required guidance. If you will manage to find the right guidance, you can bring the student to a higher level and guide them to a Master degree program.

The presentation of a graduation project shows me instantly whether someone is a designer or not. With designer I mean whether someone is able to visualize ideas, create models and communicate about it. But the main question is: how can I help someone move forward? What is typical about that person? What does he or she need right now? You have to be able to articulate that, and to be honest, this is not always possible. Sometimes, there is simply too little to assess. In that case, the only thing you can say is: ‘there is too little to work with’. This in itself is a good learning experience, of course, but not a great one. Another thing is that I can see whether someone is afraid to truly work with material. The feedback would be relatively easy. The message, in this case, is: ‘You have to create more, and don’t be afraid to experiment with materials’. For us as a team, the examination is also a moment to evaluate ourselves as tutors. Together with the external examiner, you choose the mirror we want to present ourselves. You can make a safe choice, but we don’t prefer that. We would rather pick a critic, someone who tells it like it is, that keeps us on our toes. When a well-performing student displays something during his examination that doesn’t reflect his skills, we can explain by saying ‘but he or she has always excelled!’ The response of the external examiner will be: “But today it’s not there!” These are extremely important moments for us as a team. Sometimes you invested more in the student than in his or her project. It protects us from a tunnel vision.

The perfect student doesn’t exist. Every student is perfect as soon as he or she discovers what he wants and starts to develop himself / herself into that direction. A perfect example is a young man who, just before his final exams, realizes that he isn’t a product designer, nor wants to be one. He discovers that he is someone who loves to bring people together at one location. He learned here by working with places that people love to visit. What are the requirements for such a place? Why is a place suitable or not? He has learned to analyze this. The lighting, the size, the attributes, etcetera. Someone like that has made good use of our academy. He has maintained an extremely open attitude and taken an honest look at himself. When he got stuck, we sat down and I asked him what he loved to do most. Organizing parties, he answered. Then it hit us: if you let him organize a meeting, you’ll know that the location will be very appropriate and inspiring. So that is what he is doing now. A perfect student…”

Eight design departments Since 1988, the eight Design departments have been forming the core of the Academy’s educational organization. Through a targeted introduction to each Design department during the first year, the student chooses one of the following eight options in the second year:

Man and Activity supervised by Oscar Peña Man and Communication supervised by the Stone Twins: Garech and Declan Stone Man and Identity supervised by Marty Lamers Man and Leisure supervised by Irene Droogleever-Fortuyn Man and Living supervised by Bas van Tol Man and Mobility supervised by Axel Enthoven Man and Public Space supervised by Hilde Blank Man and Well Being supervised by Ilse Crawford The eight Design departments act as eight self-managing organizations under the supervision of the Executive Board. The head 9 of a Design department, an (inter)nationally renowned designer, doesn’t teach, but determines the content and substantive and strategic direction of his or her department, acts as a source of inspiration for tutors and students, heads evaluations, final exams and department meetings. The Department head reports directly to the Executive Board.

for a period of 36 weeks, 6 hours a week.

Together with the permanent coordinator, he or she determines the substantive program and puts together the team of tutors of the relevant Design department. The combination head – coordinator is crucial, there should be solid chemistry and great faith in one another. Especially since the head does not fulfil any teaching or organizational tasks, it is the coordinator who translates the policy into concrete and operational activities. Each tandem of head and coordinator provides the link of vision and realization, dream and reality.

Department heads are

connected to the academy

The Executive Board

appoints certain heads as special consultants for a period of several years. For the current period, these heads are Ilse Craw-ford for artistic policy and Walter Amerika

Design departments have no definite and specific curriculums. The curriculum is determined by current social themes, observed in the frequent dialogue between department heads, Creative Board 10, coordinators and the Executive Board. The continuity of the education is guaranteed by the composition of each team of tutors. It consists of a permanent core of specialized tutors, who bring a certain expertise of the design trade to the table, with, in addition, an annually alternating group of tutors who provide knowledge around these themes. This flexible way of curriculum development is possible, since the tutors are able to fully devote to their teaching task. All indirect/supporting tasks are provided by the Education Bureau of the academy. A fairly unique situation in the world of education.

for the policy in the field of external relations.

“You can only go up if someone else is watching the rope…!”

◄ Walter Amerika, Creative Consultant and Entrepreneur, head of Market, member of the Creative Board Design Academy Eindhoven

“After a difficult start, I am happy to see that we have become a close team. When I look at where we currently stand as Market, I can see that the ideas have become common property, the organization runs like a well-oiled machine and, what’s more important: we haven’t lost anyone along the way. Because that was the most difficult part, all our tutors are great, but they were not necessarily all connected to the ideas I envisioned with the curriculum for Market.

Market represents real life. One of the tutors views the world from a holistic, sustainable and spiritual perspective. This is not exactly my background, but his enthusiasm convinced me to learn more about it. Modestly, but still. It provides the concept of entrepreneurship with a somewhat different meaning than a purely economic one. As a result, a sort of social entrepreneurship is developing in my mind. I find that kind of cross pollination very interesting, to see what it could mean for Market or for the academy. In my team, it turned out to be great discussions, for which I am grateful.

Market is the Compass department that looks for the unique selling point of the student. With lessons such as ‘the Brand called you’, we tempt students to find their unique characteristics. At the academy, but most definitely in corporate life, you’ll be a competitor to others. In addition, design is an applied form of creativity, you’re always at the service of others. It is important to be interested and to be able to relate to others. That requires a certain balance within yourself, and that’s the kind of educational process we provide for our students. Everything we do is aimed at presenting as much as possible, in front of familiar and unfamiliar audiences, under pressure, unprepared and prepared. It is about presenting yourself and your design in a good way. It is not so much about coming up with ideas, but about being able to fill other people with enthusiasm about your ideas, always in collaboration with others. Let’s have a look at the assignment: create an useless and ugly thing and sell it for instance via tell sell-like techniques. This requires empathy and persuasion. It also leads to a lot of humor…and eventually self-confidence. We also work with simpler things, such as a climbing wall. Giving trust and gaining (self) confidence. After all, the only way you can go up is if someone else is watching the rope. If the other person drops the rope, you’ll be in trouble. With regard to each evaluation, students need to present their work in exactly 3 minutes. This is all you’ll get when you’re working with real principals later in life. The presentation is at first for their own tutors and students, but in the 2nd year also for family members or friends of each student. Some people come unprepared and they are done talking after 45 seconds, after which it will be silent until the three minutes are over. That is very intense. But there are also those who have just finished their second sentence after three minutes. All in all, it’s often a very confronting learning moment. In the 3rd year, we’ll invite investors. People in pinstripe suit from investment companies and banks, who are used to making major decisions about money and investments, will judge the investment cases submitted by each student. This may concern a real time product that they are creating at their Design department for instance. Such a Dragon’s Den passes an honest and hard judgment, which sometimes may be painful, but is always very educational!

We take great care in building a network. Students are given the assignment to map their network, first the shell of your family, than that of your friends etc. They then proceed to visualize it all, making the differences transparent and placing them on top of each other. The analysis of this produces surprising results. Where are your people? Mainly in the care industry or in the chemical or service industry? Subsequently, groups of 4 or 5 students will be formed to make a business proposition for something that may be meaningful to those people. Once they have it, we say: grab a telephone and get busy. Last year, each group managed to eventually get the management around the table to listen to their proposals. One group even received two tickets to Hong Kong to present it over there. You are as strong as your network. We help designers overcome their inherent reluctance and use and expand their network. The biggest scare however comes at the end of the 3rd year. For three years, students have been learning to hold presentations, first by themselves, then with an audience of family members, then before an audience of investors. But always in the safe environment of the group, to which they have grown accustomed.

And then, the last day, about two weeks after the Dragons’ Den, when they are completely exhausted, they have to perform a presentation one last time, alone, without the safety of the group. Somewhat according to the analogy of the X-factor, it’s called the D-factor, the design factor. We gather them at the front desk or in the hallway, and they have to come to the glass office at the 4th floor, one by one. Here they’ll find 3 or 4 people whom they have never seen: headhunters, executives, entrepreneurs and / or HRM managers. Assignment: tell them in 5 minutes who you are and where you stand as a designer. You want to follow an internship, why should we choose you? In my opinion, Market is currently introduced at a too early stage in the degree program. Let Market provide classes in relation to the topics of the Design departments. If you connect Market to the Design departments, our approach will be even more effective than it currently is. In this respect, the educational reform for Market is a great development!”

7 Four Compass departments A 2004: launch of the Compass departments In the period prior to 2004, the supporting, skill-oriented subjects were offered more or less independently. Students would choose a mix of these so-called mandAtory choice subjects, which suited their ambition, and were tuned to their design department.

As of 2004, the academy introduced the so-called Compass. The supporting and more skill-oriented subjects were integrated into four characteristic Compass departments. Each of these departments represents a distinctive stage in the design process and are in line with the prevailing attitudes from which designers work. Compass was and is the result of the ambition to give students a theoretical and practical preparation for the complex professional practices in an in-depth and coherent manner, and from different design attitudes. Characteristic for the new design of the education was the larger role for areas of content, such as psychology, (culture)philosophy, ergonomics and sustainability and a broader structured area for material knowledge and practical hands-on skills. The Compass was Design Academy Eindhoven’s response to the students’ demand for broadening and deepening the conceptual role of the designer in society. Design had stopped being only about product design. Society and business expected designers to contribute to strategic planning and to design scenarios for change processes.

The Compass departments typically emphasised on both practice (the ‘creation process’) and theory (the ‘learning process’). These each provide plenty of room for creativity, reflection, research and practical implementation from their own angle.

b Brief characteristic of the Compass departments ATELIER

Within Atelier, learning to think while acting is central. Atelier asks students to stop and think about their process and development and to become aware of their intuition, uniqueness and authenticity. By getting to know their personal qualities and developing their intuition, both can be deployed as strengths in the work process. From the individual perspective of each student, a process of wonderment arises. This process focuses from observation on creating, working with hands and deploying the sensitivity in a search for new meanings of material, shape, skills and context. FORUM

Forum puts design and the design trade in a cultural – social context. Which cultural and social developments affect that what designers create and do? Forum makes sure that designers are able to do their job with an understanding of context and from an approach of research and reflection. Forum considers it to be its core mission to understand and interpret the time we live in; to use it to determine the position of design and the role of the designer in culture and society. A Forum student will mainly be involved in guiding processes, designing strategies or writing scenarios and to a lesser extent with actually designing a product. He has a broad work field and is deployable in fields where creative thinking is important. LAB

Lab is the laboratory of the academy. This is where methodical research is conducted and where indepth experiments take place. Students learn to think abstractly and to work in an analytical manner. They experiment from a personal research method that is scientific or intuitive, but is always documented so that it can be reapplied. In Lab, new materials and techniques are tested, technology is stripped of its mystique. Lab students like to extend their horizons and to look beyond what they know. The focus of Lab is on the interaction between creator, product and user. MARKET

Market is the department for the enterprising designer. The focus is on the new market requirements of the 21st century: transparency, health, connectivity, usefulness, sustainability, honesty, quality and originality. Within Market, the student is enabled to develop his personal talent from a business angle. Learning to give a confident presentation, knowing what your subject is worth, being able to explain why investing in your idea is useful. All that in a globalizing world in which usefulness and meaning of production and consumption are constantly changing. Students with the specialization Market, have a more economic and entrepreneurial attitude towards the design trade. They are outward-looking and have an eye for the wishes and desires of people or for the market in the more general sense. They are capable of making a connection between the principals and their own professional identity, which enables them to determine their own position in relation to the market. The Compass makes sure that the freedom that tutors are given in the design of their curriculum, is also given a substantive and organizational bedding in the team they are a part of. Due hereto, the team becomes a place of exchange, mutual inspiration and substantive collaboration. Specialist tutors operate from the Compass team, supervised by a department head in terms of content. Just like in the Design departments, the department heads of the Compass departments add colour and content to the curriculum. 11 The Compass departments act as four closely interconnected departments with a cursory design, each operating independently. Each department head answers directly to the Executive Board.

an extensive curriculum

description is available for each of the Compass departments.

From the introduction of the Compass in 2004 to now: objectives and results

With the introduction of Compass, Design Academy Eindhoven pursued a number of objectives:

1. Broadening and deepening the knowledge and skills required in the Design departments and improved alignment between propedaetic year and follow-up study. 2. A transparent study program which resulted in a reduction of study delay that was caused by the Mandatory choice subjects being too provisional . 3. Promotion of collaboration between students and tutors by more substantive and organizational possibilities for project education.

4. A cohesive curriculum with balance between knowledge transfer and design meaning.

5. Broadening and deepening of the professional profiles which we offer.

Looking back and evaluating, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t draw any other conclusion than that our goals have largely been achieved. The broadening and deepening of knowledge and skills has been established. The connection between propedaetic year and follow-up study has improved and the study delay as a result of the Mandatory choice subjects has been reduced. The transparency of the curriculum has improved due to the composition of the tutor teams, the substantive focus of each Compass department and the management thereof by each of the 4 Compass heads. The collaboration between the Compass heads has led to an intensive, balanced and cohesive basic curriculum in the first year of the study. However, the overall study delay has not, or hardly been reduced with Compass. Please also read paragraph 8f about the study feasibility of the study and the plans for improvement. Project education has improved with the new design of Compass, but has not yet met the original expectations. The expansion with the department Market and the deepening with the department Forum has led to an improved alignment with professional practice. The differentiated design of the four Compass teams and their mutually different substantive perspectives have resulted in more cohesion between theory (knowledge transfer) and practice (design skills). All in all, Compass has resulted in a clear improvement, and the goals were largely met. Still, the mutual cohesion and coordination and the cohesion and coordination with the Design departments remains an item for continuous discussion and consultation. It is one of those issues for which the educational reform will lead to improvement. Looking back at the past 7 years, the supporting subjects have developed according to a logical pattern: from a palette of mainly independent subjects to Compass, creating more internal cohesion within the Compass departments. Today, there is a great need for providing more content and shape for the cohesion and coordination with the Design departments: integration of Compass and Design departments, one of the challenges weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re facing with the envisioned educational reform.

8 Curriculum a. educational model

Learning by doing is the leading principle in virtually all education provided by the academy. By undergoing the design process in a different scale and complexity, shaping it yourself, reflecting on it and then refining it, students develop their own design methodology. Learning is mainly doing, active and involved with growing knowledge, through intense experiences and with the understanding for and insight into what is required for improvement. Characteristic to the study at the academy is that it is not so much being taught, but learned. In addition to more traditional forms of knowledge transfer, the central teaching models are those that enable the student to gain knowledge and skills by trial and error: realistic practical exercises, projects with external parties, active assignments, creating assignments instead of reproductive assignments etc. All this, allowing the student to be constantly challenged to go through the creative process. The assignments given to the student are often abstract in nature, are in direct connection to realistic professional practice, require an active and involved attitude and call on empathic abilities. Realistic design assignments together with businesses, governments and social organizations, provide an authentic and challenging learning environment, in which the reality check occurs. Conceptualization is characteristic to the study. Through targeted research, a student learns to turn an idea into a concept, a supportive thought that forms the basis for the actual design result. By aiming the focus on the user and the context within which the design will have a place, the student learns to involve social, professional and ethical considerations of others and himself in his design proposals. There is a lot of guidance at the start of the study. Students are hardly aware of their potential and qualities, let alone of realistic ambitions. The Compass program lays a solid and clearly defined foundation in the first year, on which the student gradually learns to make his own choices and follow his own ambitions. “You don’t achieve freedom if you don’t follow the path of discipline” as quoted by one of the Compass heads. The academy is convinced that knowledge matured through practical experience and skills of the tutor play a decisive role in the development of the student and the end level of the study. The academy expects her tutors to be firmly rooted in the actual professional practice of art or design and to have earned their tracks. The fire of their passion for the trade and the ambition to pass it onto young people score higher as a requirement at the start of their employment than their pedagogical and didactical background and skills, an employment that cannot exceed 1 to 1,5 days in the eyes of the academy. It is this design that helps the academy ensure a continuous inflow of up-to-date knowledge, insights and experience. In the context of the proposed educational reform, tutors are given the opportunity to refresh their pedagogical and didactical knowledge and skills where necessary by means of targeted coaching and in-house training. Because of the relatively large group of tutors that students deal with during their study, they hear a lot of opinions about the design profession. Very confusing to them in the beginning, but gradually, this circumstance forces them to form their own opinion and to find their own identity as a designer.

“You can either make a tool out of the creature or a man out of him” (John Ruskin)

◄ Irene Droogleever Fortuyn, artist, Head of Man and Leisure 27

“At Man and Leisure, one of the elements in the exam is a corporate assignment. Last year we did one in the Biesbosch natural park.

Previously, we had done an assignment on ‘conflict of interests’ in one of the modules. And one of our students used this idea in the execution of the corporate assignment. She had discovered that the Biesbosch is infested with muskrats, who form a serious threat to the dykes and dig too many holes in the meadowlands. The funny thing is that in fact, the muskrat isn’t a rat at all, but a furbearing animal which arrived here on board American ships. An animal with no natural enemies. And what’s more, an animal with a beautiful pelt. But, well, they do eat huge holes into our dykes… The animals are caught and culled as much as possible. And so their beautiful pelts are never used. Whereas elsewhere in the country, people are breeding minks under highly dubious circumstances for their fur. In short, our student wanted to do something with these muskrat skins. She has turned them into a pair of wonderful gloves. But as soon as you wear them on the street, anti-fur lobbyists will start a discussion… and hey presto, you have a ‘conflict of interest’. So her design is a product for wearing as well as a ‘discussion piece’. To me, this personal twist the student has given to her project is something wonderful. Context

Question

For whom?

Materialisation

This, in a nutshell, is what we do in our department. There is always a question, from the client or from you as a designer, and there is always someone who is going to use the design or do something with it. The relationship between the designer, the client and the user is always set within a certain context, which can be of great impact on the end result. The final element is the materialization of the design. Students always study all four angles, whether they are designing objects, systems, services or experiences. In the future the aim will no longer be simply the one great design. Instead, it will be about co-creation, working in teams, and with others as well, who are not designers. We always offer several assignments in which the students will collaborate. The exhibition at the end of the year is also a product of students working together. In my team of tutors I am also looking for a mix of different qualities to help guide all the different aspects.

The educational principle I believe in is Bildungs-education. Allowing people to become thinking creatures, helping them discover their essence and their strengths, and making them aware of the self, the you and the we; this is what it is about. Compare it with a Gothic cathedral, which is in fact a collection of people’s life stories. You can recognize the signature of every craftsman who has worked on it, because everyone was allowed to do things their own way. This is diametrically opposed to the Greek idea of for example the perfect ball, where individual handwriting has no place. I do not want to produce functional designers, made exactly to measure, as a perfect tool for the world. I want to know what it feels like, I am looking for the personal, for the student’s story and for inspiration. The right hemisphere, as a counterpart to everything that can be measured. We have enough measurable things already. The students who come to us have been measured in evaluation systems since their pre-school years. Some don’t fit in these systems we have so cleverly set up. Which means they fall outside the measurable system, and so their tutors have never known what to do with them. But happily, we as an academy do! And in those children who did fit in, we will kiss into being the other hemisphere, and teach them how to find a new balance between left and right.

Not fitting into measurable units can be wonderfully liberating. Being super authentic, impossible to pigeon-hole. Leisure is about the hours during which we are free to allocate our own meaning to our time. Which is why we work on subjects like religion, music, repair, sports and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Use everything to manifest yourselves as designers in these areas. What counts is that you have your own approach, so presentations are key learning experiences; telling your story about the design to the people of the company for which you did the corporate assignment, or to all the students and tutors at Leisure. It will give you the strength to trust in your different view. In my experience, if you let them work as a business, something will always happen. I have never had a business say: bloody hell, I can’t believe how crap these students are! On the contrary! People who dare to take a different view are very, very precious. We can learn so much from them!”

b. Structure and content 12

For the description of the

separate curriculums per department, please see the supporting documents.

In outline, the curriculum is as follows. 12 During the first year, the propedaetic year, students get introduced to the four Compass departments in four quarters. In addition, they follow four introductory courses during that propedaetic year, at each of the Design departments, provided by and as an introduction to the eight Design departments as described above. In the second year, students will follow two design modules, each lasting one semester, at the Design department of their choice, while still following the four compulsory Compass departments during four quarters. During the third year of his study, the student spends his time on the Design department of his choice. Here he’ll follow the modules 3 and 4 for a period of 2 semesters. At the same time, he specializes in his favourite Compass department. The 4th year consists of an internship and graduation assignments (graduation phase). As of the 2nd year of the study program, each Design department has 4 design modules, each lasting one semester, each increasing in difficulty. Although each Design department makes its own variations and may deviate from the description below, the design modules can be described as follows: Module 1 is an intense introduction to the designer profession, aimed at ‘doing’. Longer and shorter assignments that encourage ‘creation’ due to which students experience what it is to continuously go through the creative design process. The descriptions of the assignments are often specific and offer more guidance than in higher modules. Module 2 is equal to module 1, and is aimed at ‘doing’, in different time spans and dynamics. Some assignments are open and call on the growing ability of the student to design his own design process. Other assignments are more closed in nature and guiding in terms of planning and work of the student. Per semester, a student faces different types of assignments:

example assignments per semester

semester assignment from concept to execution

quarter assignment

from concept to maquette from concept to prototype

small assignments conceptual assignment

material assignment

group individual assignment assignment

The assignments of module 1 and 2 are mainly aimed at separate practice and learning of intellectual and hands-on skills as part of the design process: conceptual skills, research skills, analytical skills, presentation skills and skills aimed at implementing the design, all focused on discovering the dynamic of one’s own design process and on increasing one’s own design skills. All this with the aim of driving the development of a personal designer style. Module 3 and 4 represent the broadening and deepening of the conceptual mind-set. Students apply what they learned in module 1 and 2 simultaneously and in mutual cohesion in the larger context of a fullfledged design assignment. For such long-term assignments, the student has to be careful not to let his design process bleed to death. He learns to independently design the design process and to go through it. In addition, he connects his own personality more and more to the design process and the design result. In other words, the professional requirements in module 3 and 4 are much higher than in the ‘first stage’ of module 1 and 2. In the fourth year, students follow an internship and work on their graduation assignments. Each of the tutors, and the head and the coordinator as well, often involve their extensive network in the choice of the internship. This guarantees quality, topicality and availability. Quality because a network of colleagues is linked to the quality requirements of the tutor or the head. Coordinators coach students in their choice. The choice of an internship often is the outcome of a careful consideration of the quality of the student and the relevant learning objectives versus the possibilities of the internship provider. For the up-to-date content of the curriculum of the Design departments and Compass departments, please see the curriculum developed by each department. These curriculums are part of the so-called supporting documents.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;More dialogue and less monologue!â&#x20AC;?

◄ The Stone Twins: Garech and Declan Stone are amongst other things, brand consultants, art-directors, graphic designers, authors, heads of Man and Communication

“We believe that the department of Man and Communication is on the threshold of a new era - one that embraces and reflects the rapidly moving discipline of visual communication. Design, in general, has to move away from pure commoditization: design as a product, especially in this era of rampant consumerism, and economic turmoil.

Design, or at least visual communication, has a really important role to play in terms of a providing a voice or platform on issues in society, such as how we can make things better, enable and improve people’s lives, and ultimately deliver value. Not just commercial value, but also social and cultural value. We think that the field of communication offers tremendous scope and opportunities here. In fact, this is also acknowledged by the students who have now made Man and Communication the biggest department (module 1+2). Let’s say, in the last century, visual communication was essentially defined by the profession of graphic design, but nowadays, it’s much more diverse than that. So, in the last two or three years, we have sown the seeds and believe that the Graduation Class of 2011 will unveil a more expansive type of creativity, that certainly can’t be described as mere graphic design. You will see a lot more films, installations, interactive applications (apps) – and even, a project articulated as a furniture piece. There is also photography, online projects, and a performance that was filmed. So, visual communication in a broader sense. Importantly, our course is not media specific. Two years ago, if you visited the Man & Communication projects at the Graduation Show you would see a lot of illustration. Now, there’s hardly any. Please note that we still value the potency or skill of illustration. In fact, we think that ability with a pencil is a very important trait as it’s totally in synergy with the individualism of a student. But, we believe that design should enhance the user’s understanding of content; and the execution should strive to be relevant to the message. So, if the media is dominating, which it was in the department at the expense of the messaging or the content, then there’s something fundamentally wrong. The world of communication has completely changed in the last five or ten years, we need tutors that are aware of the developments and open to new possibilities and technologies, that sometimes stretch beyond their own particular comfort zones and specialism’s. We always stress that the main currency in the department is ideas, or concepts. The YouTube generation reveals that the publication and distribution of messages is open to anybody. So, to fill the void, we at the Design Academy must encourage creative thinking amongst the students. Whilst the main currency is ideas - those ideas should be relevant, they may not necessarily embrace social issues but, at least, they should resonate beyond design - world. We regularly say, to the students, that if your parents don’t understand your project, then perhaps that’s a problem... Last year, we made it compulsory for one of the two graduation projects to tackle an aspect of social relevance. We found that there was too much navel-gazing and introspection amongst the students but, that is our criticism of the design-world in general. We’re trying to move away from a focus on personal fascinations. More dialogue - and less monologue. We challenge the students to read a newspaper. A potential graduation project is in today’s news. Look outside - and expand your frame of reference. As last year’s report on the academy stated: less bubble, more world.

32 Let’s be honest here, the recession has really kicked in.

A lot of these graduates are struggling to find well-paid work. We had a meeting a few weeks ago with the teaching team and we all feel we have a responsibility for our students. Without getting too heavy-hearted, if students are not adequately equipped when they leave the Witte Dame after four or five years, then we’ve failed them. It’s that simple. It’s irresponsible for Design Academy to continually boast that this is the great institute that produced Maarten Baas, Piet Hein Eek or Job Smeets. It’s irrelevant. As mentioned earlier, we’re only as good as the next set of graduates. In football, Alex Ferguson is not going on about his 19 league titles, no, he’s in pursuit of the next one. There’s nothing worse than complacency. Man and Communication is in the midst an exciting revolution in how people communicate. Media and technologies have drastically changed. Facebook didn’t exist six years ago. People are Twittering and surfing the internet on phones. Our students are equipped to seize these opportunities in ways that would make the other departments jealous. Coming up is a graduate who reenacted Facebook in the real-world - it’s humorous,

and therefore engaging, but more important than that it invites the public to question the sincerity and value of the friendships of this online phenomenon. Such a project deserves wide exposure. But it’s also a project of the moment.. the Zeitgeist. Wouldn’t it be great if our department had such ideas published every week or month in the Volkskrant? To be honest, this leads to our general criticism of the Graduation Show. The reality is, that it’s an artificial framework - a concept devised for displaying objects on podia. For furniture or products, it’s perfect - but not for the work of our department. Our ideal show is online, it’s manandcommunication.com. It’s a glorified blog and a showcase for the creative thinking of both students and tutors. One that comments on significant issues but also points to inspiration. It’s not unreasonable for Man and Communication to be positioned as a valid soapbox.”

◄ Efteling Radio, 2009

It’s been quite a while since DAE’s Man and Communication Department limited its programme to 2D visual communication. Today’s courses cover all sorts of projects in which two or more people or objects interact. A good example is a project that Man and Communication students in Modules 3 and 4 carried out for the Efteling, a Dutch amusement park looking for new concepts for a recently launched radio station aimed at children aged three to seven. The project was to be expanded with the addition of at least one medium besides sound.

c. Projects with Friends and business partners

Brit van Nerven

remember me, 2009 â&#x2013;ş

Remember Me was a semester-long project involving students from the department of Man and Well-Being and Dela, a dutch funeral-insurance company.The essence of the project embraced a universal desire to make memory a part of life rather than apart from life.

-16-

Music and Design: a Royal Orchestra and a Shadow Orchestra , 2010 â&#x2013;ş

Translate the world of a top-level musician, his instrument, his role in the orchestra, or his story into a design. This was the assignment the 47 students in Man and Leisure were faced with during the semester February-June 2010. An extraordinary assignment as part of an extraordinary project, one that students will remember for years to come.

Leolux, search for innovation, 2009 ►

Design Academy Eindhoven collaborates intensively with industry, the business world, community agencies and governmental authorities. In this way the academy offers its students into business processes and product developments. As Leolux is a Friend of Design Academy Eindhoven, this was the point of departure for this project.

FRAME magazine November 2009 170 : reports : leolux

leolux : reports : 171 prototype of rAchel Griffin AnD elke vAn Den berG’s nAkeD project.

prototype of lotte Douwes’ project.

elke vAn Den berG AnD rAchel Griffin present their DesiGns At leolux in venlo.

stAnD At the home furniture fAir, woonbeurs AmsterDAm 2009, where the project wAs exhibiteD.

lotte Douwes present her DesiGns At leolux.

presentAtion of lotte Douwes’ work At the finAl Assessment.

in the Front seat

‘Women know best what consumers want’ Frank van Werkum

Dutch company LEOLux has some original ways to convey its unique selling point – its manufacturing expertise – explains CEO FraNK vaN WErKuM. Words merel kokhuis Photos courtesy oF leolux

Currently celebrating its 75th birthday, Leolux is an essentially Dutch company recognized worldwide for the high quality and ergonomic comfort of its leather seating elements. since Frank van Werkum – previously associated with vescom and De Ploeg – arrived in 2007, he’s implemented an ongoing series of small changes. van Werkum maps out the course he’s set for Leolux and explains the rationale behind his decisions. When you arrived at Leolux, what was your main objective? Leolux is one of the largest factories in northern Europe producing design furniture. We have 500 employees, as opposed to our competitors, who have an average of 30. We do everything ourselves,

F72-Reports_DEF1.indd 104-105

from constructing the wooden frames to putting the finishing touches on the end product. We operate a paintwork factory and a transport division. We make and upholster all the frames. We have our own showrooms. I realized there was practically nothing I could do to improve the company. My job was to find a way to emphasize its strong points. To focus more and more on the core business. and those strong points would be . . . ? High quality, comfort and independence – we don’t have to rely on outside sources. We use the finest leathers and put great stock in our ergonomic design. Functionality is just as important as aesthetics. That’s why our slogan is ‘making sitting a pleasant experience’.

How have you managed to accentuate Leolux’s strong points? By paying attention to detail. And by solidifying the company’s prime position within the ‘making industry’. As I’ve said, we’re one of the few furniture companies that still have in-house facilities for making everything. Because the whole idea is so interesting, we wanted to share it with people. In September 2007 we opened a visitors centre for this very purpose, called Via Creandri. Our guests have the opportunity to follow the entire manufacturing process of a piece of Leolux furniture from start to finish. What else have you been doing? We noticed that despite the glut of young design talent around, these people

frequently have trouble selling their work. In many cases, they know so little about the manufacturing process that they design furniture which is nearly impossible to make. Nor do they give much thought to marketing methods. As a result of serving on the jury for the René Smeets Prize, I had good contacts with the Design Academy Eindhoven, and I suggested to the academy that we combine forces. Can you explain your joint venture with the Design academy Eindhoven in greater detail? There are a lot of talented students at the Design Academy, and I wanted to help them. Instructors at the school asked their students to come up with an imaginary

subsidiary for Leolux and to make a suitable design for it. Although their designs didn’t have to be anything like our leather furniture, they did have to be manufactured in our factory. The project gave these students a chance to make get to know the ‘making industry’ and make good prototypes. What happened to the prototypes? We offered the best designs a public platform – a selection of the student work appeared at the Home Furniture Fair in Amsterdam. We’ll be showing these prototypes in Kortrijk, Milan and Cologne as well. And we have some 700 dealers who wouldn’t mind hosting temporary exhibitions of these designs in their showrooms.

sounds as though the students at DaE really benefited from this project. Absolutely. Besides having a chance to make good prototypes, they also had the opportunity to make use of our employees’ know-how. Rather than stagnating in the concept stage, their designs were actually realized. And they also learned the best way to show their work to the public. and did Leolux benefit from the collaboration as well? We like the idea of gathering together a team of good designers. Although we may not do anything with these particular prototypes, there’s still the possibility of approaching one or more of the designers for the development of a new project at some future date. Or we might use one >>>

11/18/09 10:11 AM

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The great thing is that you work with them for three years and then they become your colleagues!â&#x20AC;?

◄ Marty Lamers, designer/art-director, Head of Man and Identity 37

“Identity is difficult to categorize, because everyone will of course immediately think of things such as personal identity, and this is tackled in each of the academy’s departments. Each product made in our school has an identity of its own. But hey, what’s in a name with us?

For me, Identity represents products that are literally close to a person, that can be worn against the skin, and with which you can closely surround yourself. But also that a designer, and this is where the two overlap, instils an identity into a material, or to put it differently, a sensitivity. Precisely because we deal with products that are literally close to people, we have a very sensuous way of working. How does a material feel? What does it look like? We are not so much involved in making a glass, but much more in the question how we drink (from one). Where? Or at which occasions? And then it is up to the Identity designer to come up with an appropriate atmosphere, material, and shape. In a sense we design feelings. At Identity, students do not always need to produce a ‘finished’ design; sometimes you can use a well-chosen image to suggest and communicate something. You learn how to establish an image in every possible way, for instance, an image of the way people hold a glass and where and when they would do so, etc. To us, this can be an end product. An assignment could be: take these two glasses and, performing a single action, make this one sexy, and the other one chaste. Students are certainly allowed to produce a 3D glass, but that is not the essence. The essence is that Identity alumni shape the way people live. They research lifestyles, discover trends and predict the direction these trends might take. Such designers are highly sensitive to their surroundings, they have special antennae for potential new things, they collect examples, create an image and an atmosphere to go with it, and are thus able to forecast trends. They have an acute feel for what will be important in the future.

When I say this, I am uncovering the almost existential discussion that is continuously held within our department: when is a product finished? There is a tendency in the outside world where people like to hold something, preferably something material. It has to take some sort of shape, people want to be able to walk around it or sit on it. But most of all it must lend itself for photography and end up in a magazine. At Identity, products are allowed to be ‘indicated’ as images. And for me it is important that if you design a tangible product, that it can be shown in different ways so that it can be marketed. Presentation. You could make an editorial pic, or design a shop interior to surround it. And with each new way of setting up an image, the design takes on a different shape. So if I want to drink something from a glass, I will want to see an indication of the atmosphere surrounding it. Am I drinking at an ultra-hip bar, in a train station, or in a fancy restaurant? And what will that mean for the materials and shapes I will be using, or for the colours, etc. This overall awareness, and these sensitivities are the things students learn to develop and refine within Identity.

The things that may be end products to us, are half-manufactures to the industry. We offer the industry the ‘tools’ to come to a finished product by working together. This explains my question to the students: who are you making this product for? Name an industry, name a client, name a brand. I want them to be aware of these. Identify. I cannot stress this enough: designers work in the service of other people. This is why we attach great value to market and brand research; go and see what is already out there, and try and find a niche. The market is saturated, and be honest, who needs another glass? So do your research and find out what is really needed, where you have something new to add. And be aware that if you work for Apple, you may be anonymous, but you will be much more influential than a famous independent designer. At Apple you will serve the entire world. The design profession holds a number of different truths and I teach my students that there is no hierarchy among these. I just want people who are passionate, who have conviction, who will stand for something. They will always find their way in the world; with and for others.

When I look at the last few years, our students have chosen to work in the textile industry, both for interior textiles and fashion textiles. Our students have ended up with well-known interior designers. But you may also find them working in fashion accessories and with fashion designers. Department stores and magazine publishers. Again, both for fashion and interior. And as a department head I have been following a more concrete course over the past four years. A little less conceptual. I have fought really hard to create the textile minor. If you have a lack of technical understanding, many options will simply not be available to you. Compass departments are all about skills. It is as simple as that. The best thing about my work at the academy is that I get young people coming in who are passionate and who know what they want to do with their lives. That you work with them for three years and then they become your colleagues. I must admit I have slowly become one with Identity. I was educated here, I taught here, and now I have the honour of being the department’s head.”

In the first module I always take them out into the world: to Paris, London, or Stockholm for instance. I want to show them everything that is out there, that they can work with later on. I want them to visit the museums there, the galleries, the furniture and fashion shops. I want them to know what goes on in the world, familiarize them with the references in clothing, interiors, hotels, cosmetics, magazines, and exhibitions.

d. Development of minors: Textile pilot

Over the past decades, Design Academy Eindhoven has become closely interwoven with the craft, not from a nostalgic desire for times lost, but as an actual part of a design, being the expression of the personal style, the hand of the creator. For years, the academy has been worrying about the limited specialist knowledge in the field of textile among our students. In 2007, the first initiatives were taken to do something about it. ‘De Ploeg’ one of few surviving textile manufacturers in the Netherlands, the Audax Textile Museum Tilburg and the academy put their heads together. One of the outcomes was the minor Textile for students of the academy. This was first implemented in the academic year of 2010-2011 to full satisfaction of the students. The educational reforms will provide the opportunity to program these minors in a flexible way. Fuelled by the success of the textile minor, the academy contacted the ‘Europees Keramisch Werk Centrum’ (The European Ceramic Work Ceter, EKWC) in ’s-Hertogenbosch halfway 2011. The goal was to initiate a partnership to allow 4 graduating students to work full time among professional artists and designers for a period of 6 weeks during the first semester in the academic year of 2011-2012. During that work period, the students were provided a place to live, so that they could fully focus on the work. This pilot was completed successfully in December 2011. The workshop master of the EKWC, initially very critical and reluctant said the following after conclusion of the pilot: “We should do this again, but longer! Our professionals receive motivation and passion from your students!” Each and every student was very excited. The pilot is the beginning of a continued and more intense partnership.

e. White Lady’s program

The annual White Lady Program consists of 10 lectures by internationally renowned thinkers and doers from within and outside the design trade. The program is part of the overall Bachelor curriculum and is compulsory for Bachelor students, and strongly recommended for Master students. Speakers are asked to combine their introduction with a workshop session or specific lecture for a Bachelor or Master department prior to or after their lecture.

The lectures focus alternately on the social context of design, on design thinking and research and on the concrete professional practice of designers. 13 Twice a year, internationally recognized experts give lectures in which design and / or art icons are a central theme. They may also be scientists or film makers and other artists. Video recordings or reports were made of a couple of lectures for publication on the website of the academy. The aim is to bundle the lectures and to publish them as a book or on the website of the academy.

Over the past year,

the following guests gave a lecture: Marcus Fairs & John Tackara, Don Norman, Joanna Berzowska, Demetrios

In this way, the academy wants to contribute to the international design debate. In time, the academy is planning on having this lecture cycle develop into a department for organizing lectures, workshops and symposiums, appealing to a broader public, even from beyond the academy.

Eames, the duo Neubau Berlin, Regine Debatty, Anthony Dunn and Jacob Jensen.

Since 2009, it is a tradition to launch the academic year with a symposium during which prominent speakers highlight topical design themes from different perspectives. That allows Design Academy Eindhoven to present itself as an institute in the centre of the design discourse, providing the academy community with an inspiring start of the new academic year. This year’s theme was ‘empathy’. In a series of lectures and workshops, musicians, scientists, design theoreticians, journalists, educators and critics expressed their, sometimes conflicting, opinions and discussed the future and current implications of empathy in the creative field.

f. Study feasibility

The Bachelor study covers 240 ECTS-credits, divided across different academic years, as indicated in the credit table, see attachment 2.

During the first quarter of the academic year of 2011-2012, the head of Education conducted interviews with all coordinators about study feasibility and study progress. The reason therefore was the outcome of an investigation he had conducted with the coordinator of the Bachelors on study delay over the past academic years. 14 Both the investigation and the interviews have resulted in a number of recommendations that are important to the development of the new educational model for the academy.

See supporting

documents: Doorstroom Bachelor studenten 2010:

The recommendations relate to the following focus points: 1. improving study career counseling / student coaching 2. assigning tasks / offering retakes 3. defining clear transitional standards 4. revision of final exam with the aim of improving study feasibility 5. improving didactical and educational approach 6. realizing appropriate pressure to perform 7. improvement of the structure of the curriculum A. better coordination between Compass departments and Design departments B. reconsidering the place of internship C. better internship guidance: substantive alignment and good planning D. better place for projects with external parties 8. diversity of facilities / individual learning routes 9. clear and suitable assessment criteria 10. creating room for manoeuvrability in the structure 11. recruitment, selection and placement (career guidance) of students These objectives have been given a place in the requirements program for educational reform.

PowerPoint presentatie voor hoofden, coördinatoren docenten en staf..

g. Admission

Design Academy Eindhoven doesn’t provide a profile for its Admission. In other words, any student who signs up and who has successfully passed the acceptance procedure, may begin his study at the academy, regardless of the profile with which he or she has completed secondary education.

During the previous academic year, the acceptance procedure was refined and improved. • The 1st round consists of a digital portfolio presentation, which is assessed on motivation, vision, creating ability, expressive ability and ability to reflect. • 2nd round candidates are given a home assignment. The assessment of the presentation, during a meeting between two members of the committee and several candidates, is based on vision and understanding of the assignment, analytical abilities, creating abilities, expressive abilities and, if applicable, 3D quality. In addition, the academy assesses 2nd round candidates on motivation, reflecting abilities, communicative abilities and, in case of foreign candidates, on their English language skills. • In recent years, the gap between students who were accepted and students who actually started was significant, which had an adverse effect in terms of finances. A backup list of candidates helped us actually reach the desired minimum of 160 accepted students this year. • An adjusted scheme applies to the candidates of Sint Lucas in Boxtel and the ‘Eindhovense school’, They present their work in person during the 1st round, giving them the opportunity to adjust their portfolio where necessary for the 2nd round. The quality of their work during the 1st round may earn them an exemption for the 2nd round. • An important consideration in the acceptance of applicants is the number of academic years a student has already used. The situation for the academic year of 2011 – 2012 was as follows:

Total number of applications 388 (Dutch 221, foreign 167) Number of 2nd round interviews 279 Accepted 172 Actually started 158 (Dutch 95, foreign 63) Back-up applicants 16 Higher Admission 8 The Dutch Admission counted 42 students with a vocational training, 18 students with a HAVO diploma, 20 students with a VWO diploma and 15 students with other types of education. Recruitment takes place through a Bachelor Course magazine that is sent to 2550 deans and CKV tutors together with the Graduation poster. Also the website, open door days, Graduation Show, exhibits in Milan, dean days and information provision by our own students at secondary vocational schools are part of the recruitment process. The contact with deans and CKV tutors has intensified over the past couple of years. Currently, we are investigating the possibility of establishing a joint presentation with other higher vocational art institutes in the form of a tradeshow.

h. Internship

During the fourth academic year, the students will follow an internship during the 1st semester and work on their graduation assignments during the 2nd semester. Head, coordinator and tutors often involve their extensive network in the choice of a suitable internship. Such a network guarantees quality, topicality and availability. Coordinators coach students in their choice. The choice of an internship often is the outcome of careful consideration of that which could be the best internship for a student with these qualities and ambitions.

The internship policy as described here, has been used since 2008. In this academic year, coordinators and students used a survey to express their wishes and expectation in respect of the goal and the place of the internship. This study resulted in recommendations that should lead to the following improvements in cohesion with the proposed reformed design of the curriculum: • more clearly defined goals (including personal ones) for the internship. • clearer guidelines for internship reports and presentations and archiving thereof. • more attention for personal guidance of the student during his internship. • a short description of the internship provider by the student for the digital internship database: information about the company, his/her experiences and possibilities and requirements for students who are planning on following their internship there. In addition to the personal goals of the student, the academy considers the following goals for the internship to be the most important:

• introduction to a realistic work situation: performing in an organization, getting introduced to authority relationships and decision making procedures, getting introduced to corporate philosophies, working with budgets etc. • developing the competencies collaborating and organizational abilities in a realistic context • discovering the social context in which a designer works, developing the student skills in context orientation • contributing to the choice of the student for a certain design discipline • the student is able to further develop his social skills within a professional context (communicative ability) • obtaining a realistic image of one’s own qualities and pitfalls as a principle for the remainder of your study

“Intuition without awareness makes no sense at all…”

◄ Bernardine Walrecht, design adviser and Head of Atelier 43

“One thing that is becoming increasingly clear to me is that, by introducing the compass, we have separated the 4 components which together form the whole of the design process. Roughly speaking, whereas the other Compass departments represent research, reflection, and communication, Atelier represents creativity. I know from experience, for instance, that Lab is more concerned with reality, whereas we tend to nurture and develop creativity, flexibility and imagination..

I sometimes feel slightly uneasy putting it like this, because it sounds as if I am blowing my own trumpet and that’s not at all what I am after, but if you remove Atelier from the academy there would be no Design Academy Eindhoven left. I am convinced that this is where flexibility is born, where students develop a suppleness of mind which allows them to always find new approaches or exit strategies; to view things or concepts from different angles or to change their shape. For the record, we are only a part of the design process. If you set Atelier apart and turn it into a school you will end up with nothing. The outline I just gave is what I think is the essence of Atelier; this is what it is about for me. I am highly aware that we Atelier people are dreamers; we have our heads in the clouds. But in the end, something has to happen, a design must be well-researched and marketable. So we cannot simply go on dreaming and fantasizing tucked away in our studios. But the studio is the place for creativity!

Right from the start, actively doing has been the focal point for Atelier. Lately we have been devoting more attention to the thoughts surrounding the action. Compared with the last accreditation we now spend more time on self-reflection and self-evaluation. Taking their work as a guideline, I will talk to students and ask them after their qualities, the traps they may fall into and the challenges they see ahead, like a kind of ‘design psychologist’. We offer students a course in ‘reflection/fascination’ across the years, in which they visualize their fascinations by collecting, categorizing and defining visual material. But also, and this is new, by capturing it in words. Working with images in an abstract sense means we consciously involve the left hemisphere. There is more to our work than thinking with our hands; thinking in linguistic constructions is certainly just as important. Intuition makes no sense if it does not go hand in hand with awareness. One of the means we use to achieve this is a two-day workshop with a writer or poet during the 3rd year. This makes students work on the cutting edge where different vocabularies intersect; visual, colloquial, poetic and design. Or take for instance assignments such as: “create a dead shape”, or “create a sublime shape”. The difference with other departments is that with us, these result in shapes that are tangible, yet abstract; i.e. not in a functional product. Atelier touches on the essence of our school. And this is why I am in favour of a greater role for Atelier at the start of the course. If a student fails the first year of Atelier, he is basically not cut out for the academy. But I will grant the students this: what can they do in 10 weeks? I want to program Atelier differently; after all, it simply takes more time to let the things we do sink in. Atelier is, as it were, a tool for measuring if a student really belongs in the academy. And so I am very interested in the results of Louise Schouwenberg’s research: why is it that Design Academy Eindhoven has produced such stars and great talents? As far as I am concerned, this research deserves absolute top priority! Once we find out what makes the difference, we can adapt our policies to achieve it. Which is something we absolutely need!

44 Less bubble, more world. I am very much an advocate of this

idea. Over the past few decades the design world has been very inward-looking. We have all been having a blissful time inside our own safe little world. And it corresponded with the spirit of the times that we have. In my view, it was something design needed in order to reach some sort of maturity. But now it is time to start forging connections with the outside world, and I can see it is starting to happen. This is not something we should hold against the design world, but it is high time that we stepped outside of our bubble. At the same time I notice that Atelier as a department is the least suited to such reaching out. We thrive on a monastic way of doing things. Meditation is one of the words we often use. Students think it is a loaded term, because it can be so personal… We are more concerned with the sinking in than the voyage out. In fact, Atelier is actually one big retreat, and a treat as well, by the way. Every student enters into his own inner world. “I’m so confused! These talks with Mathieu and Marietta, it seems as if they know me even better than I know myself!” A typical reaction from one of our students, the result of the assignments which have confronted her with her own being and challenged her to change the way she thinks. Of course you will have a hard time after such a talk. It’s all just part of the process.

I am increasingly finding out that design is a very complicated profession, for which you need both your left and your right hemispheres. Within the academy we are increasingly referring to the designer as an adviser, as an innovator. If you really want to give a subject such as design thinking a proper lift, we must start being more strict in our demands at the gate: admitting more students with a background in atheneum or gymnasium, highest level secondary education. This will be unavoidable. My greatest strength I think is that I have an instinct for pinpointing people and to me, the very best thing in the world is to get the best out of a person. I love psychology and coaching. I am going to conduct coaching talks with groups of students about four times a year. I am very much looking forward to that.”

9 Results and assessment A Achieved Level The concretization of the achieved level of the Bachelor’s degree programmes is formed by the annual Graduation Show during the Eindhoven Design Week.

This exhibit of graduation work of both Bachelor and Master students attracted about 30 thousand people this year, including the representatives of design schools from around the world. The widespread interest and interviews with representatives of other design schools demonstrates the leading role the academy plays in the eyes of many when it concerns level and development of design education. The Salone di Mobile in Milan also demonstrated the role that the academy plays in the international design debate. Some illustrative quotes:

• A quote of the New York Times: ‘’As usual, the best of the bunch was that of the Dutch design school Design Academy Eindhoven, although the exhibition by Israel’s Bezalel Academy was a lively runner-up.’’ • Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York about the discussion panel, Salone di Mobile, Milan, April 2011: “During the great MY WAY debate Design Academy Eindhoven organized with Alumni, Graduation students, Masters that teach at the academy, we got an amazing portrait of design today and the changing role of designers.”

During the previous accreditation, it was fully acknowledged that Design Academy Eindhoven is realizing a Bachelor Plus level. Mainly the conceptual approach of design makes sure that students are able to apply their well-developed analytical and reflective skills within a broad and changing context. Frequent exchange with and work visits to foreign top institutes 15 keep the academy sharp when it concerns international standards for the level of the Bachelors.

Aalto University

School of Art and Design (Helsinki), Cumulus

A second thermometer for the level of the Bachelors is the fact that 90% of the Master students of the academy originate from countries other than the Netherlands. That gives the academy a remarkable insight into the level of many foreign and non-European Bachelor studies and demonstrates that we are still operating in the top segment of design studies in the world, with regard to the achieved level.

(international network of design schools), USA Rhode Island School of Design (RISD),Pasadena Art Center College of Design, Stanford universitiy, INDIA Shrishti

B Vision on assessment

University Bangalore,

Assessments form the actual concretization of that which is important to the study program. Assessments form the heart of the study program. Nothing guides the learning process of a student better than an assessment and the accompanying implicit and / or explicit criteria. This is why assessments form the main part of the learning process of the student.

Over the past years, the academy has worked on further improvement of the assessments, or in other words, on providing insight into assessments for tutors and students. Still, the assessment in art education is the trick of balancing between objective criteria and subjective considerations: • There shall always be a mix of objective criteria that is evident to everyone and subjective criteria that give rise to debate until mutual agreement has been reached. • The academy pursues a personal and authentic interpretation of assignments. When working on assignments, other criteria may start applying to the assessment. After all, not everything can be covered by assessment criteria in advance. “Individual and subjective assessments and using criteria in hindsight is pretty much unavoidable” 16 • It’s not just the work of the student that is being assessed, it is also his individual work process and his individual artistic development. • The subjective and the individual are central in the assessment, this is what it is about. • The emphasis on own creations and own methods of approach involves relativity of standards and assessment criteria applied. • Striving for the unusual and being open to the surprising are valued principles in art education.

CHINA Beijing Tsinghua University, Sjanghai Tongji University, Cape Town University South Africa, among others.

Quote from:

Je bent goed bezig, publication HKU 2004.

The question remains: “if we have made the measureable important, have we made the important measureable as well?”

In addition, art education is also characterized by “myths and stories that can inspire students in a surprising way and help them on their way”. Moreover, competencies should provide room for unbridled creativity, unexpected associations and results. “Cherishing the unexpected, demonstrating tolerance in respect of individual beliefs is a great asset in art education.” 17

Opleidingsprofiel

Vormgeving, Overleg Beeldende Kunstonderwijs, October 2002, page. 12

Many assignments are focused on this, such as the following assignment: 18

“100 meter”

Assignment by Wineke

van Muiswinkel tutor and coordinator Leisure, module 1, during the year of the Olympics in 2008.

a good example to see how far the scope of students’ creativity stretches. No definition of outcomes, no predefined requirements, only the encouragement of a creative process to see what the student comes up with.

C Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria are derived from the 8 competencies distinguished by the academy. Each Design department and Compass department strikes a different balance, depending on the module and the student. To illustrate, two examples of the elaborations of the 8 general competencies in more concrete criteria for the 1st year at Atelier and at Lab.

General competency Atelier Criteria, Year 1 Lab Criteria, Year 1

A Imagination, creativity, poetry B Professional skills, application

Technical skills, problem-solving abilities, analytical abilities

Conceptual ability

Not applicable in year 1

Ability to provide critical reflection

Understanding, self-knowledge

Not applicable in year 1

Ability to grow / innovate

Originality, motivation, commitment, development, passion and concentration

Commitment and motivation

Organizational ability

Planning

Process, planning and insight

Communicative ability

Not applicable in year 1

Presentation and communication

Environment orientation

Not applicable in year 1

Ability to collaborate

Not applicable in year 1

Ability to create + visualize

and implementation of techniques, skill and care

D Assessment procedure

Within the Design departments, each academic year is divided into two design modules of 18 weeks each. Each semester is subdivided into two periods of 9 weeks. Design departments give both longterm and short-term assignments. Some assignments last the entire semester, others are focussed on interim assessments, the so-called Midterms. This means that the student is able to conclude a number of assignments halfway the semester and have these assessed during the midterm interviews. If the result is inadequate, the student is given the opportunity to do a retake. The final assessment of the module is determined by the overall impression left behind by the student after a semester. This doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make the assessment procedure less sensitive to unnecessary delays and calamities. The fact remains that when a student doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pass his module, he has to redo the semester. Within the Compass departments, the student is frequently given the opportunity to do a retake. With a special task to be performed during the following quarter, the student can still successfully complete the former quarter. Again, the final assessment of a module is formed by the overall impression left by the student during the quarter or semester. When the study results of the Compass quarter are inadequate, the possibility of performing a task is not offered, instead the entire period has to be redone.

During quarter and semester assessments, students are given the opportunity to present all their work in the form of an exhibit. They’ll show all work they made during the previous quarter or semester. Under supervision of the head, the team of tutors of the student jointly assesses the work, so they get a chance to see the results of each other’s assignments. Not only the quality of the (design) result is assessed, but also the process the student has gone through. Some departments deliberately choose a brief presentation of the work by the students. In this way, students learn how to present in a brief manner and to distinguish main issues from side issues. In addition, tutors and head monitor the quality of the assignments and make agreements about the necessary adjustments for the next academic period. Such an assessment is the dynamic place where the confrontation between assignments given and results achieved is the subject of discussion and reflection. It’s not just the students who are being assessed, tutors also assess and discuss each other’s assignments and address each other on quality.

The assessment of the internship takes place on 4 occasions:

1. 2. 3. 4.

approval of the place of internship by the head and / or coordinator of the Design department. assessment by the counsellor of the internship provider after completion of the internship by means of an assessment form for companies. the students writes an internship report, gives a verbal presentation to the entire Design department in accordance with the directives of that department. the student provides a brief and clear description of his internship provider for the digital internship database: information about the internship provider, his experiences, possibilities and requirements for others who want to follow an internship there.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A person who is very good does not need any tailwind from me.â&#x20AC;?

◄ Axel Enthoven, founder and CEO of Group Enthoven Associates Design Consultants, Head of Man and Mobility

“Just now I told my students in the first module: if I hear you using the word ‘I’, I will start asking you so many tricky questions, you won’t know where to look. Either you are an artist, but then I’m not sure if this school will be the right place for you. Or you think you are an industrial designer, or that your design work is done in the service of society, but then the word ‘I’ is taboo. And they could see my point. In my opinion, the students’ education has been too much about ‘me’ and not enough about ‘us’.

Which does not mean that students should not possess a certain level of individuality. Nobody needs another set of hangers-on. I want to introduce individuals to the market who will stimulate the industry, either by taking a critical approach or by helping with an effective implementation of their work. People who are able to stir things up and to surprise the industry. Individuality is a must if we want to recognize trends and follow our own gut feeling. Individuality is necessary for working in teams. But…, a design is never ‘mine’, an idea is never ‘mine’. It is ‘our’ idea and ‘our’ design! I miss a critical attitude in today’s students. And I believe that part of the academy’s assignment, in addition to teaching students the necessary skills, is to educate a ‘critical mass’ who will question the status-quo. Are we on the right track? Are these things I am reading on the internet all true? I want my students to be curious about the roots of contemporary society. What was it like in the past, how did we get from there to here? It will help them be critical of what they find today. After all, things are never straightforward. Individuality is achieved by acquiring expertise, through making an objective and an effective analysis, and for that you can certainly allow yourself to be led by your intuition. But intuition feeds on expertise. What you, as a student, think is beautiful is completely irrelevant for the industry and for society. Critical questions, objective analyses and sound lines of reasoning, these are key. When I look at the students currently coming in, I find myself struggling with the question: what should I be teaching them now? Professional skills? Vision? Personality? A discerning, inquisitive mind-set? I find consumptive behaviour and a passive attitude hard to take. They will not get you far in life. I will encourage students to read certain things, ask them to motivate certain choices they have made and I will confront them with the consequences of these choices. Have they chosen the right discipline? And always, always the same question: why? And I try very consistently to hold up a mirror to the student so that he can see his lack of knowledge and curiosity. Only this morning I experienced a clear example. A student had come up with a product, a table for paediatric examinations, and he said: “tomorrow I am going to examine the user of this product and film them for twelve hours.” So I said: “that’s very good, and which aspects will you be paying attention to?” “Well, to the things I’ll see” he answered. Which prompted me to say: “perhaps you may need some help from a child psychiatrist, because the child may behave in certain ways which you are unable to identify because of your lack of expertise in that field. And my second point is: who else is the user?” “Well, the paediatrician.” “So that would be the second person that you’d need to examine. And who else?” “I couldn’t really say.” “Who is going to make the table?” “Ah yes, of course, the manufacturer.”

50 “Yet another person you should be serving, and who else?”

“I think I’ve covered them all now, there’s the paediatrician, the child, and the manufacturer.” “Right, but who will be buying the product?” “Oh, of course, yes, the hospital’s buyer.” This is how we confront a student with his lack of insight into the process that is required to come to a set of demands for a product. My message is always that there are several things you need to be really good at. It all starts with communication, which means you must either be good at drawing, or at computer manipulation, or that you can write very well, or that you are a good speaker. A designer should master at least one of these, but preferably more. As a design manager you must be able to put ideas into words; in talking, but in writing as well. This brings me to the second fundamental choice a student faces: in which part of the design process do you want to work afterwards? In the preparatory stages, in analysis and research, the phase where the questions are answered, or in the management of the process? When our students graduate they are skilled at methodology, developing a vision, writing books, analysing trends, styling, management, and also fundamental product design. A person who did very well last year was Dennis van Melick, who won the 2010 René Smeets Award. Someone who was a mediocre student, by the way, until he saw the light during his internship! That is the way things go, sometimes…

His product shows that a certain balance is required between the ratio and emotion. You must be able to manifest emotion through your product. But the question is, how, and to which extent. A crystal glass may be 80% emotion, while its counterpart in a hotel will be 80% ratio: it should be stable, stackable, survive hundreds of dishwater cycles, and the price should be significantly lower, to name but a few rational demands. We are a small department. Which allows us the opportunity and the luxury to create top talents from mediocre students. On the other hand, if a person is already very good, they will not need more tailwind from me. We have succeeded several times at the former. We are able to follow students very closely, something I would wish for the entire academy. If we disregard for a moment how such an organisational puzzle would be solved, it would be an incredible luxury for the school if we were able to provide more one to one monitoring of the students. For instance, right now we have a very promising student who came in from Activity. Somehow, we wanted to reward him for his hard work and his qualities. Ultimately we offered him a 2nd internship instead of a 4th module. This is the kind of thing we would really like to do more: simply reward those students who stand out. But also to help a person find their strength. There is a girl in our department who is no good at designing, but she has this incredible feel for colour and styling. She is an example of a student who should not be designing, but who should go on to perform a valuable coaching role for those who are designing. Design must be useful in the outside world. You are allowed to have their head in the clouds as a designer; go ahead, you should blow your mind at times. But even when you are a master craftsman you simply cannot force creativity, free creation. You need the skills to get yourself back down to earth. Because ultimately, this is the place where your work is done.”

◄ Dennis van Melick Three to One Man and Mobility

Quality care The main activities in the field of quality care over the past years were:

• The investigation of LAGroup, described in the General Part about the organization of Design Academy Eindhoven, titled “The world within, the world without”. Central question: how to further increase the social relevance of designers of Design Academy Eindhoven? In other words, how can they play a bigger part and become more leading in designing important issues and design challenges for today’s world and the world of tomorrow? • Establishing and implementing the excellence program as follow-up to the OCW grand for further development of Design Academy Eindhoven as Centre of Excellence. • Investigation into study progress in the academic year of 2010 – 2011. Head of Education and coordinator of the Bachelors have performed a thorough investigation on the state of affairs with regard to study progress at that time and have objectively mapped the study delay per department. Conclusions were drawn and careful recommendations were formulated. See paragraph 8F. • Following the investigation on study progress, the head of Education has conducted intensive interviews with coordinators, with the aim of generating ideas for the promotion of study progress. • Intensive interviews between the Executive Board and heads of Design departments and Compass departments in view of the improvement of education as described in the Critical Selfreflection on the Organisation of the academy about the educational reform. • Academy-wide design of the project Educational reform under supervision of the Executive Board, with process-based support by an external consultancy agency. • Frequent interviews with the Student Council and with large groups of students about the quality of education and the facilities.

A. Student and alumni survey Care for quality is demonstrated by the attention to and contact between students, tutors, heads, employees and the Executive Board. This principle has been leading over the past years in the way the academy has begun to shape its quality care system. Periodically, we hold How long have you been looking for surveys among employees, Bachelor and Master students and alumni.

The extensiveness of the anonymously held surveys and the time it costs to analyse and appraise the results appeared to be little effective to us. Meanwhile, we have begun developing a simplified form of mainly short surveys that will form the basis for what we aim to do: initiating the discussion between stakeholders. At the Master’s degree programme, those discussions have been part of the regular course of affairs for some time. For some Design departments and Compass departments those discussions have been part of the regular course of affairs as well.

a job after your graduation?

% 100

b. Main results of the Alumni survey

18.7 20

4,5

> 2 years

7.3

no response

< 6 - 12 mounths

< 6 mounths

The response was very satisfactory, 24%, which results in a 92% reliability rate. Below, you’ll find a number of illustrative results.

4,5

1 - 2 years

In November 2011, the academy conducted the triennial alumni survey.

Differenced by department

Horizontal: In which Design department did you graduate? Vertical: How long did it take you to find a job after your graduation?

Man and

Activity

commu-

Identity

Leisure

Living

Mobility

Public

Well

Space

Being

nication

atelier

< 6 months Number: % of X-axis

25 71,43%

28 77,78%

11 57,89%

19 65,52%

22 78,57%

11 61,11%

17 80,95%

21 61,76%

3 75,00%

6 - 12 months Number:

6 17,14%

6 16,67%

6 31,58%

5 17,24%

4 14,29%

5 27,78%

3 14,29%

9 26,47%

1 25,00%

1 - 2 year Number: % of X-axis

2 5,71%

1 2,78%

2 10,53%

2 6,90%

1 3,57%

2 11,11%

0 0,00%

1 2,94%

0 0,00%

> 2 year Number: % of X-axis

2 5,71%

1 2,78%

0 0,00%

3 10,34%

1 3,57%

0 0,00%

1 4,76%

3 8,82%

0 0,00%

Total

% of X-axis

In qualification of these results: searched for a job inside or outside your field of expertise

% 100

49.5 33.3

12.7

2.9

1.6

No response

Not searching

In- and outside expertise

Outside field of expertise

Inside field of expertise

Public Space Design, Street Furniture Design

Web Design, Multimedia Design, Television

Exhibition Design

Trendwatching

Other

No response

Entertainment Design, Theatre Design

Services and Facility Design, Organisation and Advice

Leisure Industry, Experience Design, Sports Design Landscape

Identity-, Fashion-, Colour-, Textile-, Trend-, Accesory Design

Industrial Design, Product Design

Interior-, Home-, Kitchen- and Furniture Design

Graphic Design, Advertisement

5,3

4,9

Food Design

12,6

9,8

2,8

20,3 26,8

16,7

9,8

40,7 40 40

Fair Trade

50,4 60

Concept Development

6,9 Art in Public Space

12,6 Autonomeous Design

100

5,7 Autonomeous Art

100

22 Automotive Design

16,7 43,1

Architecture and City Planning

15,9 7,7

4,9 5,3 5,7 27,6

42,3 32,1 4,5

5,3 38,6 8,9 20,3 8,5 5,3 11

53 In which segment of the design field do Design Academy Students end up?

100

How would you discribe

How long did it take before

your current working position?

you could earn a living?

No response

> 2 years

1 - 2 years

< 6 - 12 mounths

< 6 mounths

No response

Other

Agency / Call worker

Employed

Entrepeneur

ZZP

“There is more than enough chit-chat in our profession already…!”

◄ Hilde Blank, Executive Director of BVR, advisers in spatial development, Head of Man & Public Space

“You know that you really don’t have the time, but you want to do it anyway. I have always wanted to have one foot in education. Education is the future. And I believe that renewal and innovation should come from within education. But I don’t always see these high expectations of education have come true. Schools will often be reactive, instead of actively plotting the course and leading. Education and research should be the frontrunners. What I would really want to see in practice is “wow, this issue was put on the agenda in the educational sector three years ago”. This is what education should be about and this is why I want to make a contribution.”

“As a department head, I clearly have my other foot in real-life practice. And in my professional practice I notice how spatial planning is faring in our times. We can no longer boast or fall back on traditional methods of spatial planning. Instead we are looking for ways to set things in motion, for different ways of looking at our use of space, or looking at it from another dimension. How to really give an area a new lease of life. I deal with policy makers, who want to learn how to think and operate outside the box, who are looking to be inspired, for that is the only way of realizing renewal and innovation. Many of the parties involved are trying to find the way ahead. The good thing for me as the Executive Director at BVR is that they will often come to us in the end, precisely because we are known, as an agency, for our extensive exploration of every opportunity and for considering assignments from a number of different points of view, and taking the client along. This joint exploration means that there is no fixed solution beforehand, which by the way is something that I cherish. Because this is why so many parties will be interested in us. In that sense I think the academy has a very strong profile. That profile is defined by the unexpected and being able to execute it with great professionalism. So the academy and I are a great match.” “There is a need for disciplines that are not so straightforward and that will take a critical approach. And that can put some flesh on their critical approach. From a vision to an object, that to me is what’s so interesting about Design Academy Eindhoven. I have noticed that students who have been educated here possess a natural aptness for changing people’s perspectives. They are inspirational, because they have a different way of looking at the outside space. During the studio sessions, workshops and meetings I hold at BVR, I have a real need for such people. I was introduced to Design Academy Eindhoven when I was heading the studio sessions for Atelier Overijssel and commissioned a group of alumni to find a different way of recording the use and meaning of a space. This led to some beautiful cartographic images, for instance about the way the hunters used the landscape. Images that were far more informative than maps for urban and rural planning. And we also had someone from the academy working at my office for a while who was wonderfully gifted at visualizing the essence of an issue. Things that would immediately change the nature of the discussion on the meaning of an environment.”

“Whereas urban and rural planners will often become entangled in policy or abstractions, students from the academy are able to continue to translate their views and visions to such a degree that it yields a tangible product. Somehow this helps people visualize a plan and become enthusiastic about it. And what’s more, they also display a clear personality in what they do. As an academy we not only spend a great deal of energy educating good designers, but also in the people behind the designers. What sort of a designer are you? That search. Students are of course in a phase in their lives where they go in search of their own identity. It brings a lot of insecurity, but perhaps it is precisely in the insecurity, in the search, that we may find the gems.”

“And on the other hand, students must also learn to understand and speak the language of policy makers, executives and other decision-makers. This role of an intermediary between all these different parties fits me to a T. This is why I believe they asked me to become head of this department. And it is how I see my responsibility, offering the students some of this. They should not have their heads in the clouds and strictly follow their own passions, but know that what they do and design should be in the service of current events, the themes at play in our society. Society is the focal point for us! I think it would be a terrible shame if the academy would change its colours and become a more generic school. That is something we should not wish for. To use my own words: there’s more than enough chit-chat in our profession already.”

Which description best suits your current position?

11% manager

20%

5% 9%

creative team

tutor

consultant

49% designer

6% other

c. Evaluation interviews with students and tutors The Student Council of Design Academy Eindhoven was established, initiated by the students, to seal the gap between students and the “3rd floor”, being the educational support staff.

See supporting

They frequently organize open discussions between students and the Executive Board, head of Education and staff members of the Education Bureau. The discussions are very clear. The students don’t just tell their story, but draw up clear reports, that are part of the development of the renewed educational model. Striking items expressed during the conversations in 2011 19:

document: Minutes Student Council: “A student perspective on the education system of Design Academy Eindhoven”

• Students appreciate the fact that they don’t have to choose more or less traditional design disciplines such as fashion design, graphic design or product design. The flexibility in choice and combinations of departments should be preserved in their opinion. • Even though they see the issues associated with it, students appreciate the fact that lessons are taught by professional designers and not by professional tutors. • There is much appreciation for the freshman year and the fact that they are given a good impression of the 8 Design departments during that year. • There is a big difference in demand that different types of students have with regard to education: “Some prefer theoretical knowledge, some are totally dyslectic, some are looking for a solid social and ecological basis for their projects, others only flourish if they can learn in complete artistic freedom whereas for others, each minute behind the computer is time lost…” In their eyes, this should be considered: more freedom of choice, including in following lessons outside of the academy.

• The necessary more in-depth level of the 2nd year of Compass compared to the 1st year is insufficiently established, students are not sure what is expected of them. • The cohesion between the Compass departments and Compass subjects is not considered adequate. According to them, coordination and balanced workload are lacking. • Students desire better communication between students and employees, between Design departments and Compass departments, even within Design departments and Compass departments, between students of different grades. • Students don’t always feel it’s an advantage that the mentors are also tutors. Especially when it concerns substantive differences of opinion, the interests of the tutor may conflict with those of a mentor. • In general, students believe that they receive “way to little feedback” with regard to the work that they produce. “After a semester of work, blood, sweat and tears, it is unacceptable to get only one or two lines of feedback on an A4”. There is great need for a broad analysis of and feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of the student. Vice versa, they also feel that they aren’t given enough opportunity to express their feedback about the study program and the tutors. • Finally, they noted: “Often students as well as tutors have trouble dealing with constructive criticism and proper feedback”. In their opinion, learning to deal with this should be an integral part of the study. “And maybe tutors should receive an ethics or sensitivity training to help them see which boundaries not to cross.” • Students miss a clear learning track with regard to conducting research. They are lacking sufficient knowledge of different research techniques. • In general, high work pressure and work load is appreciated by students. But, “having 8 classes a week is often simply too confusing. There is a need to focus more on a given class.”

d. Team discussions and assessments Design Academy Eindhoven knows a dynamic form of curriculum development. Due to the strong practice orientation of both department heads and tutors, the department head and tutor corps of the academy form in fact a permanent work field committee. Recent developments in the trade and in professional practice are quickly translated into the curriculum.

The Executive Board, supplemented with the Creative Board, frequently puts the topicality of the current curriculum up for discussion. During periodic consultations with department heads and coordinators, they discuss recent developments in the trade and in society. Based on these consultations, everyone takes the developments observed back to his or her team to implement these in consultation with the coordinator: such as finding new tutors where necessary, processing adjustments to the curriculum or finding suitable guest speakers. In each Design department, a team meeting focusses on these topics prior to the semester. In between these periods, informal meetings are held. The assessments don’t just serve as an evaluation of the student, but also of the quality of the work in relation to the assignments. The Compass teams gather at least once every quarter. In this way, desired adjustments to the curriculum are discussed and implemented. In fact, this gives Design Academy Eindhoven a proactive response to relevance, quality and consistency of her curriculum. It attaches great importance to this form of curriculum development, based on organizational relationships, practical intuition, substantive knowledge and experience, collective memory and creativity.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The world is bigger than Hollandâ&#x20AC;?

◄ Oscar Peña, Senior Creative Director Philips Lighting, Product and User Experience Design, head of Man and Activity

“The strength of our school lies in 4 ingredients. All tutors are professionals. Almost all of them are in education for 20% of their time and 80% in the professional practice. This means we are transferring fresh knowledge.

Second, we live in the ecosystem of Eindhoven, surrounded by industries like textile, plastics, electronics, printing, construction, hardware and software, including a technical university. And we receive their support. Thirdly, all tutors as professionals are only required to focus on the content. So, we are not bothered by administrative tasks. And fourth, because of the ecosystem around Eindhoven, students behave like entrepreneurs. Look at the result of the Graduation for example and you see products that you almost can buy. They are very well executed. Entrepreneurship is not only about economics or money. Students go to these industries and tell them: look, this is what I want to make, can you do that for me? And I tell you, they earn credits with this attitude: engaging with the world around them. It creates high standards, which I like and cherish. One of the great strengths of Design Academy Eindhoven is we do high content with high visualization. This means we are engaged with life, the social, the economic and the cultural, our thinking is high content. But we are also able to translate into a high visualization. That’s probably one of the unique strengths of the school. In Italy for example, they are very good in high content, but their ability to translate it is not very strong at least what I see in many of the schools today. Don’t forget, everything in this school is very well visualized, catalogued and orchestrated and that’s really powerful. A lot of people don’t understand what design is. They think for example that it is creating nice colours or selecting the curtains. About 70% of my time as a professional designer consists of educating, showing people how it can be done, giving examples, coaching, illustrating, visualizing and inspiring. Maybe 30% of my time is really engaged in doing the actual design. During graduation I always ask every student two questions, especially when their projects are not so clear at first sight: First, can you please tell me what is your contribution as a designer in this assignment? And second: do you think you are prepared, or we have given you enough ingredients and skills to face the real world? My department is to design products, services and experiences for the modern world, to enhance and stimulate activity. We are about creativity and imagination. We never say for example design: “design a bottle of water”. What we say is: “please think about water”. I am very proud of my multidisciplinary team of tutors. There are some tutors that are about process in a pragmatic way, they are about the straight forward design thinking. You do research, then analysis, then you translate your conclusions from the analysis and research into tangible propositions, you visualize them either 2D or 3D. We have also tutors that are more conceptual and much more provocative. We also have tutors that are in between, who have a little bit of that provocative vein but are also very conscious of manufacturing. We have male and female and for me it is on purpose. I make sure that in my department is not about male teaching. I have two female tutors, it’s not an accident, and it’s planned. I have male and female tutors and different nationalities because this is closer to our daily realities. The world is bigger than Holland. I want the students to taste a bit of the world as soon as possible. You can see that link in the projects they do: a student from Afghanistan that did the landmines, a student from Holland that did something for boats, a waterluce and a Dutch student who lived in New Zealand that did a project on making wine at home. We stimulate students to think about their origins and apply that in the reality where they live in. We are really trying to connect to the real world.

I want my students to be engaged with the world. They should know what’s happening out there, in your city, your neighbourhood, and your world. I encourage them to be curious, to go abroad, to observe, to travel and observe, to experience things, try things, and work things out. I believe the best designers are the ones that have seen the most. Design is about communication, not about making nice looking things, those times are over. For our evaluation at the end of the semester each student has three minutes, no more, to make a presentation about their two or three projects. I want to give them to feel a bit of the real world, for example many times in my professional life I only have a few minutes to make my point across to our senior management. If I don’t tell it in that time, I may miss the opportunity and they may even walk away.

RAAK project, 2009 ▲

Bertjan Pot Xavier de Clippelear

Recently I gave a lecture in Torino, Italy; the name was ‘It’s better to learn than to teach’. Because learning is more intense and eventually makes you produce something. The last 5 years I’ve been very keen on what I call the idea of making things. I want our students to think 30% of their time, trying to get in their heads and visualize what they are going to do. And the other 70% is about making, revising, making, revising, making, revising..! The more they practice, the better they get. Structure is very important. It’s learning by doing. I want them to be engaged with real things, with the materials and the physicality of them. By touching things you learn to understand them better. Touch is one of our most intuitive and direct connection to the world. The more virtual we become, the more physical we need to be.”

◄ KCO project, 2010

Video stills from DVD ‘Het Schaduworkest’ (The Shadow Orchestra)

NEid project, 2009 ►

collaboration with Aalto University Helsinki

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The collaboration between students starts with the collaboration between us as a teaching teamâ&#x20AC;?

◄ Nicoline Dorsman, art historian, researcher, curator, Head of Forum

“For one semester last year we worked in a demolition area here in Eindhoven with a group of third-year students. The existing houses will be taken down, and 400 new homes will be built in their place. Our assignment to the students: how can you design something for the people here that would make it easier for them to leave the neighbourhood after 40 to 50 years? Some would return, but others were moving elsewhere for good. How to get new people to move into the neighbourhood, and how can you make sure they will mingle more easily with the old residents who want to return?

We had a house at our disposal in the neighbourhood where we could have our meetings and classes. The students had their own work spaces and presentation spaces in other homes in the area. This is a typical example of what Forum represents. Our students learnt to have an eye for the context thanks to the surveys they did. They conducted interviews, observed people, took pictures; you name it. By analysing the results of their research they began to see and understand the consequences of certain cultural and social developments. They learnt to reflect on relevant themes in the neighbourhood, and on the question how these themes could be coherently represented in a design proposal. It turned out, for instance, that the playing grounds were not used by children, who didn’t play there at all, but they were used by loitering youths. The students studied everything that is known internationally about playing grounds. Not via a simple internet search, but a well-prepared and well-documented research, which is something they learn at Forum. The results of the research led to a concept for flexible playing grounds, taking into consideration all kinds of aspects, such as international safety norms. Then they made an oral and visual presentation of all of this. We think the form of a presentation should fit in with the kind of research they have done. A theoretical research is not presented in the same way as you would an interview or a visual analysis. Reflecting means being able to conduct research based on a theoretical framework, and then being able to apply these within a practical context. This link to the outside world forms the essence of the students’ work. Both as far as the design proposal is concerned and the way in which they communicate their results with their fictional clients, users and other stakeholders. Language is an important tool to help you reflect. Language is descriptive; it adds structure to your thoughts, which in turn determines the way you observe. Writing helps you formulate things clearly, to construct a line of reasoning, to add a head and a tail to a discourse. Writing influences the way you think and discuss, it influences your opinion and the way you present yourself. Sometimes we will allow students who really have a hard time writing to present themselves in documentary or photographic form. To a dyslectic, writing is a hell of a job. And yet we demand that students do it. Everyone must realize that written language is important. And besides, we often find that students who had a hard time early on will respond positively afterwards; they will tell us it has taught them new ways of structuring. Or because it has taught them to structure full stop. I think it is important that designers develop their linguistic side as well. That they receive input from this other angle, too; not just the visual angle. This is how our students distinguish themselves from design students in other schools. They are able to tap into both resources; their visual side, which is often most sensitive and better developed, and also their linguistic side, the poetic resource, where concepts and terms acquire meaning and which can help you apply a structure to the visual stimuli coming your way.

Typical Forum students are not strictly product designers. You will find them instead in museums, as curators or as people advising on policy development. Some will trigger debate through their designs. This year, for instance, we will be studying traditional crafts within a modern context. We will be doing this in Istanbul, where traditional crafts are still part of everyday life. But there, too, extinction looms. With its multicultural setting Istanbul offers the ideal circumstances for students to conduct their research. As a first step, the students will be reading and discussing Richard Sennettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Craftsman and several other texts to establish a theoretical framework. I think it is important to introduce them to different perspectives and to have them play around with these. Then I will let them write a set-up for a research: which questions will they be asking, which research methods do they intend to use, what is their timeline and what literature will they be using? Such a research plan is a great tool to help them reflect. What are my plans? How have they turned out? What will I be doing differently next time? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, the different researches will be conducted as a group, which is a good way of teaching them to collaborate.

Researching is a process, so in effect, we assess the students every week. Ultimately the main goal is not the result, it is the road towards the result that matters to us. This is a key form of reflecting: distancing yourself and taking a look at your own research process. Distancing will not only help you discover your strengths and affinities, but also which road you have taken and where it appears to be taking you. I think it is very good that we discuss each semester behind us with the team during each Review. Where our expectations have been met, where there is room for improvement, that sort of thing. And each year towards the summer we have a longer meeting where we hold the entire curriculum up to the light. The collaboration between students starts with the collaboration between us as a teaching team.â&#x20AC;?

appendices 1. Bachelor competencies in relation to Dublin Descriptors 2. Overview credit table

Ability to grown and innovate

organizing ability

orientation

environment

communicative ability

ability to work together

ability to provide critical reflection

ability to create + visualize

conceptual ability

Bachelor competencies

applying knowledge and insight

communication

The student is able to create himself an inspiring and functional work environment under changing circumstances and during various design assignments and to involve and connect others to that.

own team performance and the envisioned design result.

The student identifies limitations in the current design knowledge and practice in relation to social phenomena and undertakes action to bridge that gap.

The student is able to reflect on his own development and knows how to guide that by staying informed about the state of the art of the design trade, targeted (follow-up) study, substantive debate with colleagues and acquiring or collaborating in challenging assignments.

As part of a multidisciplinary team, the student is able to make a responsible and constructive contribution to the guidance of processes during the design process, observing the different roles in the team, the qualities of his

Design proposals of the student demonstrate advanced knowledge of and insight into the topical international field of design and the topical social reality of a well-informed judgment about the results of his systematic and intuitive research and of original ways to convey the results.

The student is able to honor his growing self-awareness, his intuition, his quirks and qualities and to integrate them into his designs as authentic influences.

learning skills

The student has a well-informed opinion about design concepts and results and is able to communicate about it in a targeted and critical way with fellow specialists and non-specialists, supervisors, principals and users.Thereby he is able to gather and interpret relevant data.

judgment

The student is able to apply his knowledge and insight into and experience with design processes in an (international) unfamiliar, changing living and working environment, to defend his choices in this from a social, ethical and / or professional perspective.

The student acknowledges and analyzes complex issues in the practice of the design trade and resolves them in a strategic, tactical and creative manner, while observing social, professional and ethical opinions of his own and of others.

The student has broad knowledge and critical understanding of the design trade and topical subjects and discussions within the field of design and is able to justify his own position in that.

The student is able to apply outcomes of scientific research and own practical research in concepts and designs under supervision. In addition he is able to deploy his own intuition and ideas as driving force in the development and application of his concept within changing contexts.

knowledge and insight

Bachelor competencies in relation to Dublin Descriptors

Dublin descriptors

Overview credit table

ATELIER 1

FORUM 1

ATELIER 2

COMPASS 3.1

FORUM 2

MARKET 2

COMPASS 3.2

LAB 2

3 4 1

INDIVIDUAL STUDY CREDITS WHITE LADY LECTURES

MODULE 1 DESIGN DEPARTMENT

MODULE 3 DESIGN DEPARTMENT

MODULE 2 DESIGN DEPARTMENT

MODULE 4 DESIGN DEPARTMENT

INTERNSHIP

GRADUATION

MARKET 1

LAB 1

ART & DESIGN HISTORY

INSTRUCTION LESSONS DIGITAL & MATERIAL

2 1

WHITE LADY LECTURES

INTRO LESSONS

SUSTAINABILITY

ART & DESIGN HISTORY INDIVIDUAL STUDY CREDITS

DESIGN DEPARTMENTS

60 CREDITS (ects) X 28 HOURS = 1680 HOURS (sbu)

TOTAL 240 CREDITS (ects) X 28 HOURS = 6720 HOURS (sbu)

60 CREDITS (ects) X 28 HOURS = 1680 HOURS (sbu)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design that addresses our human needs and starts form real lifeâ&#x20AC;?

◄ Ilse Crawford, founder and principal of Studio Ilse, head of Man and Well Being, member of the Creative Board Design Academy Eindhoven

‘ Wellbeing’ is not shampoo. Wellbeing is a word that has lost its value since 1944, when Franklin D. Roosevelt, then President of the United States, cited the ‘new goals of human happiness and well-being’ as core to his proposed Second Bill of Rights. To quote a piece I wrote in the Observer newspaper:

‘How did it happen that cities came to be designed for pride, profit and efficiency, but rarely for human happiness? That so many of the spaces we occupy and the things we use are designed more for the way they look than the way they accentuate and amplify our humanity. How did we come to the notion that rational systems and organisations make better decisions than people? It feels as if the19th century tenets of Frederick Taylor, the high priest of the Industrial Age have never gone away. ‘In the past the Man has been first, in the future the System must be first’, he railed. Perhaps it boils down to our constant obsession with more, and our perception that money brings freedom. Wellbeing deserves to be given equal billing to our economic aspirations…because the one without the other does not add up.’ In the Man and Wellbeing department it is the centre point of what we do. Whether we are looking at product design, furniture, colour, or design for the health care system. Wellbeing is our starting point for design. We look at how we can make design that integrates the way things look with human experience, from a physical, emotional, practical and poetic perspective. This way we make design that connects us to our surroundings and to each other. That gives meaning to the things, spaces and services we use. Design that addresses our human needs, and starts from real life. That brings together the cool head and the warm heart.

“It’s all very well to have a drawing of the product on the wall, but it has to be finished, too!”

◄ Bernardine Walrecht, design adviser and interim Head of Lab 71

“The thing that struck me when I started here as an interim head, was that I had always subconsciously thought that Lab was all about technology. But that is not the case at all. Technology is something we at the academy are really no good at, we do not know the first thing about it.

The most essential thing about Lab is that it deals with reality, with realisation. Or: turning ideas into reality. Whereas Atelier is about creativity, and Forum about context, Lab is about how to progress from an idea to reality within a design process. Which really is a “totally different ball game”, as the Americans put it. Lab students understand the jargon that is part of a production process, of naming and recognizing the qualities of certain materials and of an efficient production. It is all based on hard facts and sound, logical knowledge. Not a word of Spanish there. It is a rational environment with a strong internal structure. At Lab we perform a lot of experiments, but they are all rooted in set values, norms and requirements. There is only so much you can do with wood. And yet the fun thing is that students at our academy somehow manage to produce fabrics made from wood, and in blurring the distinctions they express the typical characteristics of a DAE student. They defy any form of pigeon-holing. But whatever they come up with at Lab, there comes a point eventually when a product must be realized, and that is where the story begins of cost price, production process, environmental demands, etc. In fact, Lab has some overlap with the things students learn at a technical university. The added value of our students lies in the fact that they have also studied the other Kompas directions. A typical Lab student possesses an inquisitive nature; innovation is what motivates him. Innovation through improvement, you could say. Such a student will do best if he can conduct research into other uses of a certain material, or different ways of treating the material. Innovative ways of storing and transportation, that sort of question or subject. For instance, someone once came up with the idea of producing square yoghurt cartons, because with round ones, transportation takes up more space because of the air in between the cartons. It’s all very well to have a drawing of your product on the wall, but it has to be finished, too. This is something that typifies a Lab student. Whereas Markt relates to the user, Lab is related more to the product and the manufacturer/producer. Incidentally, a system can also be produced, so we are not just talking about physical products. One thing a Lab student is good at, is thinking in terms of processes. They are able to pinpoint the essential moments in a process, and how to intervene in these to come to an improvement. And the funny thing is that if you really understand a process, you can build in some random qualities so that the product acquires just the thing that makes it stand out. Of course you cannot learn how to make the perfect mould within 10 weeks. But what I do see is that our students here are immersed in the process of creating moulds, which gives them a great deal of insight into the art of mould making and how this is done. So as a student you can communicate with a person who makes moulds. And that is what it is about, that students speak the language a little, but mostly that they understand it. Lab teaches you to communicate with the people who execute a design. In that sense, Lab is very well-suited for a minor. Instead of chasing after technology like a madwoman, I choose to use the technology other people have come up with. We are better at crowd sourcing, bringing people together who will help you realize the thing you have designed. We have to focus more on this aspect. This is where our strength lies.

Half way through last year, my team was suddenly faced with a new interim head which took some getting used to. Of course at the outset they had some difficulty with the fact that I don’t care one bit if something is aesthetically pleasing or not. In my role here I really don’t care. What is important is if a student has gone through the whole process and if he has done it in a clever way; this is what we should assess. But of course this hurts the pride of many of my tutors, after all they are academically trained designers. A chair may be very beautiful, but the question is if the student has soundly applied the basic principles of wood in making the chair. If he proves to have a good eye for proportions. At Lab, and as far as I am concerned this goes for all Kompas directions, we should return to a simpler state: what is the essence of this department? We must start asking ourselves this question again, and take the answer very seriously.

Some students asked me if they could do an internship with a ceramics company. To work on that with one or two tutors. This is the direction I am aiming for. Project assignments in which students and tutors jointly contribute their knowledge and insight. Students their refreshing knowledge, which will often have added value, and tutors their experience and matured knowledge, and then combine the two with the realities of an existing company. The best possible way of doing things!”

On the other hand, I am very strict about the presentation of the projects in year 3. The realization of an idea is the point, right? I am stepping on people’s toes… We all want to be accepted as we are. By working together, the value of an individual can sometimes suddenly increase substantially, and this realization is the challenge I am taking up.

for the accreditation of the Bachelor Design Study CROHO number 39111 NVAO characteristic #5488 Design Academy Eindhoven January 2012 Arjo de Vries

for the accreditation of the Bachelor Design Study CROHO number 39111 NVAO characteristic #5488

Design Academy Eindhoven January 2012 Arjo de Vries