Become a Friend
There are a number of ways to become a Friend of DAE. Some of the options are outlined below. For more information, contact friends@designacademy.nl.
INTERNSHIP
Friends of DAE may offer internships to current students. Design internships are a compulsory part of a bachelor’s degree at DAE. The internship periods start in September and February each year and last for 20 weeks.
The main requirement is that the student is supervised by a professional designer. Together with the host company, the student will create an an internship plan with learning objectives to be achieved during the internship. Ideally, the student will receive their own assignment.
For more information click here. If you have questions about offering an internship, contact internship@designacademy.nl.
WORKPLACE HOSTING
Companies, designers and makers who operate a professional workplace with skilled craftspeople and advanced equipment can offer students access to their expertise, time and space. This is particularly important for graduate students (fourth year BA students and second year MA students), as it enables them to realise their final projects in a professional environment.
Students ask questions and explore possibilities that may not occur otherwise in a workplace. In some cases, this has led to new insights and ideas that companies have been able to develop for their own customers.
Students benefit from learning to work with others in a professional space, develop their communication skills, learn industry jargon and learn how to plan for real-life scenarios.
Currently the following companies and organisations offer workplaces for our student community: Bruns, EE Labels, TextielLab, EKWC, Phoenix Cultuurwerkplaats, and Make Eindhoven. For more information about offering a workplace space to a student, contact friends@designacademy.nl.
EXPLORING INNOVATIVE DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Many Friends approach the Academy with a particular design question, looking for original insights and outs-of-the-box answers. This gives students the opportunity to test their design skills in practice and tackle real-world issues during their studies.
DAE’s education programme is intensive, so design challenges are usually only presented to a particular group of students. The critical thinking and reflection fostered by DAE’s approach often generates unexpected and new ways of thinking about a question, with more innovative and experimental results than the average design consultancy generates.
Find out more about how to access DAE’s new talent to tackle your design problem by contacting friends@designacademy.nl. Here you can find some examples of previous design challenges.
RECRUIT A DESIGNER
Not all design challenges and questions are appropriate to assign to our students as part of their education. However, briefs with a specified outcome (such as “we would like a new chair for our collection” or “decorate a space for us”) that are not a good fit to present to our current students can often be met by one of DAE’s alumni.
To find out if a brief is a good fit for DAE’s educational programme or to find an appropriate designer for a project, contact alumni@designacademy.nl.
DONATE TO DAE
The annual DAE Graduation Show is a highlight of the year for many people. Others find themselves drawn regularly to products designed by DAE alumni or attending the school’s public lectures and events.
There are many reasons that an individual might feel that DAE is a school that they want to be involved in and support. To enable this, DAE has set up the Design Support foundation for companies and individuals that believe in DAE’s philosophy and approach to design.
Design Support has a cultural ANBI status. This allows donors to deduct 1.5 times the amount of their donation in their corporate income tax return, if their company is subject to corporation tax. Private individuals may increase the gift by 25 percent when calculating their tax deduction. To find out more, contact friends@designacademy.nl.
SPONSOR AN EVENT
Design is about more than just products. It is a way of thinking, a way of connecting, and a way to respect each other in the creation of a product or service.
Companies and institutions that want to support and align with these values and with DAE’s reputation for innovation can sponsor a DAE event.
Examples of sponsorship opportunities include the annual Graduation Show at Dutch Design Week in October and the school’s show during Milan’s design week in April.
Sponsorships can manifest in a number of ways, based on the level of contribution. To find out more or propose an idea for a sponsorship opportunity, contact friends@designacademy.nl.
PARTNER IN RESEARCH
You might have a question that needs more profound research within your company, or you would like to participate in one of our professorship programmes? Together with DAE’s professorship we will set up a framework in which we will explore together possible outcomes of the set research question.
More about DAE’s professorships you can find here or contact research@designacademy.nl.
