Presentation

The Creatives Futures module aims to offer strategic tools for foresight and trend analysis in order to better anticipate the transformations of our societies on a local and global scale. Targeting creatives who seek to develop or perfect their professional projects (graphic designers, industrial designers, interaction designers, product manager, design strategist or innovation manager), this program offers the opportunity to develop skills that enable the participants to adopt a strategic approach to co-creating the future with their clients. Whilst strengthening their abilities in detecting and analysing weak signals or managing a monitoring environment, participants will learn to integrate sense-making foundations into a strategic project. This process will foster the development of their critical thinking skills, enabling them to engage with contemporary discourses on the future and challenge the role of designers in shaping it. 


Over a period of 5 weeks, participants will acquire the theoretical foundations of foresight and will put into practice new techniques of design and design fiction. With the help of various tools and methods, they will be able to assist their teams and clients when addressing key topics of Change and Futures thinking.

 

 

Language

English

Qualification issued

Certificate of course - 1/5 Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS)

Fees

CHF 1 200.-, Alumni EXECAL CHF 1 000.-

Credits

2 ECTS

Length

4h for 5 weeks, on Friday afternoon 2pm-6pm

Registration deadline

Sold-out

Date of course

October 11, 18, 25, November 01 and 08, 2024

Useful links

AdmissionsContact

Course format

Hybrid teaching (real-time online and on site at ECAL)

Learning goals

We give you the keys to
  • ​​​​​​Understand the importance of foresight and its application in the design process to stimulate a disruptive approach and inform decision-making.
  • Apply foresight methods and techniques, such as trend analysis, radar and scenario building, to generate innovative proposals.
  • Identify and analyze emerging signals of change by gathering and sorting information.
  • Use design scenarios as strategic tools to explore alternative futures and assess their implications.
  • Explore the design fiction method to co-create with customers and teams, and generate new ideas while thinking critically about the future.

Course program

This section presents the courses detailed by week.
Week I
THE BASIS OF FORESIGHT
  • The origins of foresight
  • Foresight psychology
  • Key concepts for creatives
WEEK II
METHODOLOGIES AND TOOLS
  • Sense-making and scoping
  • Choice of methods
  • Horizon scanning and radar
WEEK III
FORESIGHT SCENARI
  • Signals and trends
  • Uncertainties and alternative futures
  • Creating foresight scenarios
Week IV
CRITICAL THINKING AND FICTION
  • Speculative design and design fiction
  • Foresight and ethical design 
  • Critical design and disrupting the status quo
Week V
PRACTICE
  • Storytelling and preferable futures
  • The futures of your profession
  • Practical and critical exploratory work

Lecturers & speakers

Pascal Wicht

Strategic designer & Foresight designer

Federico Matteini

Head of Open Innovation program KNOVA, EPFL

 

Tom Savigar

Expert in foresight and Founder of Avansere 

Bas Van De Poel

Co-founder at Modem