Introduction

With the beginning of my Master of Design (MDes) Design Management studies at Ravensbourne College of Design in London, I am adding this blog to my website and photography portfolio. On these pages I will reflect on my learning experience, review literature and articles and write about my view and perspective on topics such as Design Management, Design Thinking and Service Design.

I obtained a B.A. in International Business Management and Chinese from UAS Konstanz, Germany and lived and worked in China for a while. I used to work in intercultural and multi-disciplinary environments and I cherish the creative potential, the variation and the inspiring atmosphere. Hence, moving to London fits in quite well.

The British education system has got a reputation for academic excellence and caught my attention early, as I used to listen to podcasts of LSE and other British universities and enjoyed their way of teaching.

Why Ravensbourne?

To put it briefly, I was looking for a course which would combine design, creative and business aspects. These courses are hard to be found at traditional institutions. In fact only a few colleges and universities in London offer such programmes. When I finally found the MDes at Ravensbourne and read through the module’s description, I was very happy with the course structure and the overall content.

On the downside, there was not too much of information on the course and college to be found online. However I like the college’s philosophy of open spaces and work collaboration, manifested in its building architecture. I believe that it anticipates how the future of work life could and should look. Besides that, the option of attending extracurricular courses in photography, video editing etc. was another benefit of choosing Ravensbourne.

What I Hope to Attain?

I see a seamless link between my background in international business, environmental expertise and the MDes programme. However, I am completely new to creative and design subjects as a professional practise. I have never dealt with the concepts and methods of Design Thinking before but I do have an idea of what is awaiting me and how this could help me in my future professional career. At the end of the programme I expect to be equipped with creativity methods and design skills that I can apply in the field of business strategy, entrepreneurship and product and service innovation.

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Ravensbourne student card (source: Author’s own – 2012)

How I Anticipate Achieving This?

Through research, reflection and practice.

Why Did I Integrate the Blog and Portfolio?

Part of my intention of studying the MDes is to merge two things I followed seperately in the past: Work (mostly in a business context) and my interest in design, photography and creative techniques. I see this blog and the website as a long term project, which should not expire on 10/09/2013 when I finish my studies, to shape a consistent profile of what I am doing. Lifelong learning …