Design - Innovation, Strategy and Product - 1st Level Master Degree - Milán - Italia - IED Istituto Europeo di Design - sede Milán - I41819

Design - Innovation, Strategy and Product - 1st Level Master Degree.

Master - Milan.

Credits: 60
Start date:  January 2017
Duration: 1 year
Attendance: full-time
Language: English

The Italian and International business models require practitioners able to tackle the project not only from a technical and productive perspective but, above all, from a strategic and structural point of view. The Master in Design aims to prepare a new generation of designers ready to consider any design variable as a design problem, either through an analysis of the market and the needs of contemporary users, either imagining future scenarios, in favor of innovative solutions. Design has become an instrument capable of innovating the strategic objectives of companies. The traditional user-centered (UCD) approach modifies the concept from "designing for" to "designing with" people, adapting today's socio-economic and production system in evolution.

This Master is organized with the extraordinary collaboration of Continuum, one of the most innovative consultancies in the world of international design.

Career opportunities:

the Master in Design prepare practitioners with expertise in the field of design and innovation, able to enter the role of Designer within the creative/design and strategic/managerial field, design agencies, companies, self-employment and self-production realities and institutions.

The course is recognised by MIUR (Ministry for Education, University and Research) as an Academic Master Level I credit rated at 60 credits allowing students to progress further in their studies in Italy or abroad.

Description.

Entry requirements:

The Master in Design must include an Honours Degree in the fields of architecture, engineering, design, economics or humanities both for Italian and foreigner students.

Methodology and structure:

Based on cross-disciplinary working team, the Master applies creativity development of the best design agencies and think tanks, and stimulates the collective thinking, in order to share know-how and empower all related skills.

The philosophy of the course, project and client based, offers to participants the opportunity to experiment and put into practice mindset and methodological processes (design thinking) by carrying out real projects, through a process based on team work and learning by doing.

All projects are followed by Leader Advisors who are also practitioners, selected for their expertise on the different project topics. Conferences and seminars offer the opportunity for debates with specialists and agencies, distinguished personalities from a range of design disciplines as well as others including entrepreneurship, technology and economy. High-profile Italian and international businesses and social enterprises enrich the Masters programme by disclosing their skills through projects, case studies and strategies.

The preliminary stages of this Master introduce students to the culture of design thinking and related methodologies through lectures, workshops and laboratory works. Subsequently, participants face different project phases, experimental and interactive courses (with different purpose, complexity and goals) based on learning by doing.

At the same time students can attend nurture courses to get involved in the strategic, technological and expressive area of design, bringing ideas and insights in order to feed the personal and professional growth of the whole team.

Students are called on to take a proactive and professional role with the clients in order to overcome the academic reality. They will benefit from a practical experience, where team work change according to the brief and the proposed teaching strategy.

The Master in Design enables students to meet with different production systems, which keep stimulating and take them to develop their own project methodology, allowing them to produce unique concepts. This process gives concrete answers to the needs of the market by the use contemporary languages and signs.

The course culminates in an exhibition where students present their dissertations and internships to a committee made by other candidates and experts.

The course is recognised by MIUR (Ministry for Education, University and Research) as an Academic Master Level I.

Program.

DESIGN METHODS.
The aim of this module is to cover the vast array of design methodologies that are used throughout the Master course. It will explore the culture of team work as a successful design asset and will then move on to provide greater insight into the methodology of Design Thinking, a powerful tool for innovation, Design Strategy and Design (input and output). The module will also explore the methodology of Double Diamond as a converging and divergent design thinking process. The course will also analyse tools used for the creation and management of innovation processes (e.g. customer journey, prototyping franken models, resonance testings, backcasting, qualitative ethnographic research, storytelling).

HISTORY AND CULTURE.
This intensive course, which takes place during the first few weeks of the Master course, is designed to align students coming from diverse design backgrounds with current design trends. It starts by covering the Italian design industry, a system characterized by individual designers and agencies, who have told the story of the last century in an indelible manner. The course will also cover the converging influences of different design cultures, from Italian to Scandinavian, showing how they have converged to create a special cultural mix, meaning designs can have be both a local and global perspective.
In terms of new design scenarios, the course will highlight the existence of analogue and digital ecosystems and the importance of both brand service and brand experience.

DESIGN 1.
The first project will look at the product in terms of the relationships that exist between brand, distribution and design and the Maker and DIY movements. Students will cover the business strategies for product and portfolio, competitive analysis, strategy distribution and online communication. In order to conceptualize the product, a combination of primary and secondary research will be used, to understand the socio-cultural context (trend & lifestyle) and the user need (through an introduction to ethnographic-based research).

DESIGN 2.
The second project will then cover the theme of “brand distribution” through the study of the technological, production and socio-cultural context (habits, behaviour, trends), with the aim of identifying the correct product and design portfolio. Students will gain a deeper understanding of online–offline relationships and, in order to identify distribution and communication strategies, a combination of primary and secondary research and an ethnographic approach of user-research will be used. Students will learn to identify the relationships between brand guidelines and design guidelines, design language and the management of the product portfolio.

DESIGN 3.
The third project focuses on the relationship between brand reputation, communication distribution, product and portfolio. This is achieved through the understanding of entrepreneurship and business strategy, and technological, production and socio-cultural contexts (habits, behaviour, trends). Students will perfect their research skills using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research techniques also using an ethnological approach of (advanced) user research in order to conceptualize, develop and implement a design product.

DISSERTATION PROJECT.
The final test reflects the client-driven spirit of the Master degree. Students will take on a project brief supplied by the agency board, or an industrial challenge developed internally by a team of students. In the latter case, through the development of the brief, students need to demonstrate the acquisition of analytical and strategic design thought, the ability to work autonomously within a team and to have the necessary skills to communicate designs in both a concrete and effective manner.

COMMUNICATION LAB.
Effective design communication is a fundamental skill needed by design professionals, be it in the sharing of information within a work team, or in terms of communicating designs to clients. This module aims to equip students with the necessary skills to manage and disseminate information of differing natures (make sense out of chaos) and effectively synthesize information (problem solving). The course will cover the strategy of design story-telling through the use of different narration tools such as verbal and digital story-telling and the use of graphic tools.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.
This module offers a level of cultural enrichment by providing technology scenarios, where those who are at the forefront of research technology serve as examples to help deepen students’ knowledge of themes inherent to design. Students will tackle the issue of identifying the correct production processes for a particular product under development, in order for design as efficient as possible. This module will also cover a new cultural approach to design through the application of Design Life Cycle principles.

DESIGN ELEMENTS.
The aim of this course in to acquaint students with the physicality of design (expression, proportions, composition, details), through the correct use of skills to judge aspects such as ergonomics, usability and affordability of the product. Students will analyse the relationship between function, form and product architecture, enhancing the relationship between design language and design style and demonstrating the importance of both conveying a personal style and following the design style of a business / agency.
The course also provides an advanced overview of stylistic expressions and their scope (supernormal, minimalism, emotional design etc.)

DESIGN MANAGEMENT - STRATEGY & BUSINESS.
This module aims to cover brand and product strategies, offering valuable assistance by helping design teams define the strategic considerations which help determine the correct competitive product positioning in relation to customer needs. Particular focus is given to the brand experience, considered as a valuable tool in creating a global definition for a product.

CASE STUDY.
Meetings with professionals from various design, artistic and industrial sectors will expand students’ skills and perspectives, and provide a forum for students to discuss their own designs and consider new stimuli from an innovative perspective, in collaboration with industry stakeholders.

EXTERNAL VISITS.
During the Master studies, guided visits will take place. These will include visits to key sites of Italian design, such as international exhibitions, agencies, production sites, museums and showrooms.