AOD launches ground-breaking 3D Product Design Degree to enrich manufacturing industries

Thursday, 26 March 2015 00:44 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Asia is where a majority of the world’s production and manufacturing takes place; Sri Lanka too is gaining reputation as a turnkey manufacturing hub with a special focus on ethical and sustainable standards, placing the nation at a great advantage. With everyday products from mobile phones, computers etc. beginning to get manufactured at home, the local industries are demanding for qualified product designers to take the lead in integrating the coveted value addition of design, into their merchandise. Answering this impending demand, Sri Lanka’s dynamic design educator – AOD International Design Campus has launched the globally recognised Northumbria University UK degree in 3D, furniture and product design, supported by studio facilities and a full-time international faculty. Following is an interview with Isaac Monté – the Belgian architect and product designer who is the leading faculty member at AOD for this revolutionary, new program that is predicted to impact industries across the board. Isaac is a multi-disciplinary product designer hailing from Europe. Isaac first discovered his love for creating things while studying up to masters’ in interior architecture at his home country Belgium and in Norway. Later, he pursued further education specialising in product design in the Netherlands. Having studied and worked in several countries across Europe, Isaac’s approach towards product design is one that merges the world-standards of education and industry know-how.

Q: You have gained design experience in several cities across Europe; how has this shaped you as a designer and how do you hope to share that with AOD students in SL? A: The past eight years I have been gaining experience as a designer by living, studying design and working as a designer in a variety of countries. I grew up in Belgium and I have lived in Norway, France, The Netherlands, Austria and now Sri Lanka. During these long-term residencies I have experienced different cultures and approaches to design. My vision for product design has been influenced by all this. The way I view design and my own design work could be called design activism; a reaction to the issues in our society and the industry which is aiming to create useful, beautiful products based on needs and trends. My experience in several countries, in developing, prototyping and even selling a product is what I offer to AOD students. I want to teach them how they can think in a practical and commercial way and make a respected, stable and rewarding living as product designers. Q: With your experience internationally, why is product design education important for industry? A: Product design is much, much more than making beautiful things. We are currently living in a setting where we are being surrounded by an overload of products that we actually don’t need, saturating the earth with synthetic materials, polluting our living environment. In a world of increasingly stressed natural resources, we need to radically rethink consumer products. In my opinion this is why education in product design is so important. We need a generation of designers educated to address these problems and set us in the track of sustainability; product design is one of the most powerful industries that can contribute to a major change in the world if guided correctly with good education and responsible thinking; this is what we hope to create for Sri Lanka through AOD’s new program in 3D, product and furniture design. Q: With an internationally recognised degree, what kind of opportunities do you see for future AOD graduates in their home country and abroad? A: At AOD students will learn to look beyond the borders of the profession and to see new possibilities and specialties. Right now, with this program being the first of its kind and calibre, the opportunities at home are just tremendous for our graduates. For example the AOD department of product design is already intended to work with a major variety of industries from tourism, hotels, electronics etc. and also work closely with the government to create a new dimension in local crafts at grassroot levels. This is in addition to all the fantastic career opportunities beyond the island too. The program, which is a world-renowned one from Northumbria University UK, has been strengthened in Sri Lanka with a strong industrial agenda emphasising the important correlation between design and business. Therefore I foresee the graduating students of AOD product design department contributing to a new vision to product development for specialised and general markets in both Sri Lanka and abroad influencing social, cultural, artistic, ecological and economical contexts. It’s a bright future that is out there for them and I’m very excited to play a role in it. For more information on the Northumbria University UK Product, 3D and Furniture Design at AOD International Design Campus and to reserve a space on its 2015/16 intake, call Nooha on 0115867772/3, 0775980141, email [email protected], log on to www.aod.lk or visit AOD between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.