Editorial Team
Formed in November 2020, the core team has evolved to include former DAE students, professional editors, and communications and campaign specialists. Collectively, they have experience in design, journalism, communications and curation.
The team sits within the Communications, Presentations and PR department.
At the heart of Design Academy Eindhoven, the Editorial Team drives stories and initiatives that support the communication of activities, ideas, and processes shaping the institution. Its primary goals are to strengthen connections within the DAE community and help the Academy’s staff, students and alumni share their vision with the world.
Formed in November 2020 as part of the Communications, Presentations, and PR (CPPR) department, the core staff has evolved to include former DAE students, professional editors, and specialists in communications and social media. They work collaboratively with professionals across multiple disciplines – including many DAE alumni – to bring together diverse voices, bold ideas, and critical perspectives that bridge gaps and spark conversations.
Within the Academy, the Editorial Team works to dissolve silos between departments, projects, and individuals. Its aim is to foster collaboration and a sense of belonging among students, staff, and alumni. The team is responsible for creating content for DAE’s website and key social media channels, as well as advising other departments on communications strategies and outputs.
Beyond the walls of the institution, the Editorial Team acts as a storyteller and advocate for the Academy’s values. Through thoughtful publications, engaging digital content, and collaborations with press and cultural platforms, the team seeks to support DAE’s position as a global leader in design education and connect our community to vital conversations shaping the future of design and society.
Open Call
The editorial team provides a platform for the DAE community to share content and ideas through the school’s channels, including this website and the DAE’s social media channels.
We maintain an open call for content on social media – particularly for DAE’s Instagram. All ideas for content are welcome, including the sharing of information about student- or staff-run events, projects, collaborations and exhibitions. Submissions can be sent to communications@designacademy.nl, or you can reach out via DM on DAE’s Instagram account.
Contact the Editorial Team
Email: communications@designacademy.nl
PROGRESS UPDATES
23 June 2023
Recently completed projects:
“X” – In April 2023, we collaborated with Elevator Radio to develop “X”, an experimental radio and research project at SaloneSatellite during Milan design week. Find out more here
Style Guide – a guideline for language use and general grammar for the DAE website has been developed and is currently awaiting final sign-off. This will be published publicly on the DAE website and will be open to feedback and further development from the community.
MA Head and BA Studio Leader interviews – we have completed a series of interviews with all of the current heads and leaders across the MA and BA departments. These can be found on each studio or department page on the website.
Who Knows – we have published the second edition of the Who’s Who series, which shines a light on the individuals that make up the DAE community behind the scenes. Who Knows focuses on individuals and organisations that embody different forms of knowledge within the school, from librarian Evie Pipers, to workshop instructor Joop Aarts and the student-led BZar, DAE’s Material Banks. The series was conducted by alumni Sean Fisher, who wrote the interviews and also provided the portraits. A third series is currently in development.
Redesign of Research & Debate – the Research & Debate section of the website has been overhauled to better reflect the school’s current activities and highlight the work of the Research Department. This section of the site also acts as an archive for the school’s public exhibitions and presentations and is home to the Lecture Series and Arena.
Ongoing and current projects:
Community Experiment Grant – The Community Experiment Grant, spearheaded by editorial team member Pete Ho Ching Fung, is now in full swing and has supported a number of student initiatives over the last six months. These include TUTTI Community Cooking Series, Drag King workshop, the Fermentors, SIDENOTE, and Research Garden, to name a few. Find out more about the Community Experiment Grant here
Alumni interviews – the ongoing alumni interviews series continues, with recent articles on activist and designer Pauline Wiersma and Sander Manse co-founder of Berlin-based PR firm Send/Receive. We aim to consult with DAE’s new Alumni Coordinator, Ned Karr, to develop further alumni-focused editorial projects.
New history of DAE – we are developing a core text about the history of DAE with alum Colin Keays, which will be published on the main DAE website. Alongside this, we are developing complementary small projects to highlight particular aspects of DAE’s story and the individuals who have shaped the development of the school.
Launch of the DAE journal – following budget issues, the launch of the DAE journal was pushed back to 2023. We are now planning to launch the first edition of the journal in autumn.
6 October 2022
— Recent progress
The Editorial Team has grown further with the addition of Chloe van der Smitte, DAE’s Creative Publisher. This completes the latest evolution of the team and sets it up to pursue the ideals set out in the mission statement with renewed energy. This has already manifested in a number of projects that have been realised in the past few months.
Recently completed projects:
→Who’s Who a series of interviews published on the DAE website and disseminated on social media that profile different community members and initiatives. The first series focusing on the theme of Care, was published in September 2022.
→Code of Conduct a new online resource that brings to life DAE’s Code of Conduct, with searchable keywords and definitions of terminology used within the document.
→Welcoming Campaign: a series of posters designed by DAE alumnus Afonso de Matos to help new and returning students find specific resources within the school, such as counsellors, housing information, student initiatives and more.
→New format for DAE Letter. The previous long email format has been replaced with a shorter summary, hosted on the DAE website, to help with accessibility.
→Field Notes series of critical responses to the DAE Research Festival, written by students.
→New series of alumni interviews, profiling recent graduates as well as alumni from the school’s previous incarnations, published on the website and shared via social media and the Alumni Newsletter.
Ongoing and current projects:
→ Archival websites for sharing research, projects and more.
→ Microsite dedicated to the history of DAE and the landmark 75 year anniversary of the insitituion
→ Updates to DAE Style Guide, taking on board feedback from DAE’s new Diversity and Inclusivity Officer
→New area of the DAE website dedicated to collating resources around the history of Dutch Design
→Proposal to launch ‘micro-grants’ for projects proposed by students, staff and other community members
→Monthly poster campaigns to highlight different elements of school life, communication activities and resources for students and staff
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20 April 2022
— Recent progress
Since the last update, there have been considerable changes within the Editorial Team, which has expanded to include new members. These include a new social media manager in Matilde Patuelli, a graduate of the Social Design MA, who replaces Editorial Team co-founder Colin Keays, and Pete Fung, who joins in the newly created role of internal community coordinator.
The team’s role has also shifted, as the challenges presented by Covid-19 have either been solved or are no longer relevant with the majority of restrictions lifted. This provides more freedom to focus on creative projects, such as editorial content series and supporting significant initiatives such as the recent DAE Research Festival, the upcoming rollout of the Code of Conduct and helping the Education Desk reach potential new BA and MA students.
Current projects:
→A mini-series of content based around the recent DAE Research Festival
→Digitising DAE’s new Code of Conduct with an online ‘handbook’
→Developing a proposal for a new editorial section of the DAE website
→A new interview series with second-floor staff to help students get to know members of the DAE team
→Ongoing development of the DAE Style Guide
→Support with setting up the new DAE Disclosure Desk
→Working towards final phase of initial Wiki concept for the DAE website, with the site opening up for community authorship and editing
Recently completed and ongoing projects:
→Updating and creation of new BA Studio pages, including interviews with incoming Studio heads for the 2022-23 academic year
→Publication of a mini-series of content based around the 2021 Graduation Show, titled After The Show
→Coordinating a series of video interviews with graduates at the 2021 Graduation Show
→Creation of interview formats guidance for anyone creating interview-based content for the website
→Early stages of planning and support for DAE’s exhibition at Milan’s design week in June
→Revival of regular weekly roundups of news and activities on Instagram
→Creation and publication of regular Alumni Newsletter
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9 December 2021
— Recent progress
In the period since the last update, the team has experienced some changes in its structure and activities, as staff changes and Covid-19 have presented significant challenges. However, progress continues to be made towards the team’s original objectives and it is currently actively seeking new members as well as supporting the wider department in the recruitment of new staff. Among the current priorities is the development of relationships with the new Student Council and Lecture Committee teams.
Current projects:
→A new content stream for the alumni section of the DAE website, which includes commissioning writers from DAE’s recent graduates as part of an ongoing commitment to nurturing new talent and supporting the development of a new alumni newsletter
→A style guide for communications across DAE that is in the final stages of development and is due to be published in 2022. Following publication, the team will initiate a process of collective editing with members of the DAE community to ensure this document remains a living reflection of the shifting understandings of design at DAE and wider social and cultural change
→A post-graduation show content package, including perspectives from writers outside of the institution and former graduates
→The launch of a new edition of the DAE Filter Challenge, following a successful first edition earlier in 2021
Recently completed and ongoing projects:
→Supporting communications for the DAE Graduation Show, including commissioning a video series of interviews with graduates
→Supporting communications for DAE’s exhibition in Milan during design week
→Delivery of Instagram interviews series featuring first years and exploring the impact of Covid-19 on their experiences of DAE and their studies
→Introducing an interview series on the DAE website with heads of the new BA Studios
→Ongoing support for internal Covid-19 communications and communications around the development of education within DAE
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4 March 2021
— Recent progress
In the period since the last update, the team has built on its initial progress and introduced a number of new initiatives.
These include:
→A new hub for Inclusivity & Culture content on the DAE website, creating a Q&A around this subject and acting as a conduit for feedback where appropriate
→Weekly updates about forthcoming DAE events on Instagram Stories, including student and tutor-driven projects like the Minor exhibitions and Critical Inquiry Lab radio
→A shift towards sharing more student-led initiatives on Instagram, particularly in Stories
→A new events update on the DAE website, bringing together disparate communications strands into one place
→Bi-weekly meetings with members of the Student Council to discuss ongoing projects and key issues emerging among the student body
→Meetings with the Lecture Committee to explore how the team can support this programme
→Meetings with MA class representatives to introduce the Editorial Team as a step towards encouraging students to engage directly with content submissions and promoting their work on the DAE channels
→Continued development of communications and PR strategy, contacting new media collaborators and exploring alternative avenues to promote student work beyond the Graduation Show
→Development of monthly DAE Letter to surface more archive and external content
→Ongoing support for internal Covid-19 communications and communications around the development of education within DAE
→Communications and support for student recruitment, including BA and MA open days, which were delivered online for the first time. This included experimenting with new platforms, including Snapchat.
— New projects
The team has also begun work on a number of ongoing projects, focusing on new platforms and technologies such as Minecraft and Augmented Reality, to reflect some of the experimental work being undertaken within the school. These are being explored in tandem with other more traditional initiatives to support the key goals of building bridges within the DAE community and the world, including:
→Developing a photography and interview series focusing on experiences of first-year students during the pandemic
→Begun work on an interview series with community members, including new research professors and DAE Lecture Committee. This project aims to put faces to names and initiatives within the DAE community, which is of particular importance in light of the current restrictions on gathering within the DAE building
→A new Instagram Filter competition for the entire DAE community, exploring the wider potential of Instagram as a creative platform. This is due to be introduced in March 2021
→Developing ideas for a database and newsletter for open calls and other external opportunities, aimed at both alumni and current students
→Further conceptual work towards establishing an editorial channel on DAE website
→Minecraft research project, investigating the potential of this platform as an experimental communications channel for DAE
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18 December 2020
— First steps
In the four weeks since it was founded, the editorial team has begun to implement initiatives towards the goals outlined in its Mission Statement:
→ Established an initial collaboration with the Student Council. A member of the Student Council is invited to attend the editorial team’s weekly meetings on a bi-monthly basis, and there is an open invitation for ongoing collaboration on an ad-hoc basis.
→ Set up an ongoing Open Call for content for DAE’s social media platforms to all students and staff. This is part of our effort to improve representation across the DAE communications platforms, reflect the daily life of the school and support student initiatives.
→ Introduced a new, regular roundup of weekly events at DAE via Instagram stories, which will be published every Monday. Anyone within the DAE community can propose an event or activity to be included in this each week.
→ Begun to create collaborative relationships with students, staff and tutors to create a bridge between areas of expertise and help identify ‘blind spots’ within DAE’s communications
→ Started to establish open and honest external communication about the steps being taken by the Academy to advance safety and inclusivity in an institutional context.
— Next steps
In January, the team hopes to begin implementing the second round of initiatives towards our Mission Statement goals. These include:
→ Surface more of the daily activities within the school to better represent the reality of the creative process and student life at DAE.
→ Find ways to engage students directly in the creation of content for the DAE social media channels and website, if there is interest in this.
→ Introduce an area to curate and share editorial content on the DAE website and support members of the DAE community in identifying opportunities for and creating content to be published on the website.
→ Learn from previous success with live broadcasts from The Arena and student radio projects and introduce more live content across platforms.