Register your interest.
2017-2023 Programmes
– See NEW Professional Diploma in Design Leadership and Management for next intake)
As design becomes an increasingly important business function, designers and those who lead design teams require a broader range of skills to translate strategy into practice, managing people and budgets while supporting a culture of creativity and dealing with multiple stakeholders.
The Design Management Professional Diploma has been developed to empower designers and design managers with the tools, processes and methodologies to successfully manage design as a key business resource.
Who is it for?
The Design Management Professional Diploma has been developed for busy working professional designers and design function managers (not all design managers are designers) to empower them to take their business and careers to the next level.
The programme is for those working in design management roles, or aspiring to – Agency Owners, Design Directors and Senior Designers, Design or Account Managers, Studio Managers and Team Leads. You don’t have to be a ‘design manager’ to manage design (people and processes) but you have the responsibility for delivering great results. With the Design Management Professional Diploma, you get the skills and tools to do so.
Developed by PARK a world-leading consultancy in design management and design leadership, and the founders of the LEGO Academy, the Design Management programme is a blended learning approach of experiential, in-person, online and 1:1 coaching, delivered by expert trainers who work on a daily basis with design leaders to respond to the opportunities generated at the emerging intersection of design and business.
The programme is endorsed by design councils across the world, and alumni include among others, Fjord, GSK, LEGO, Mars, Novartis, Sony, Bosch, Unilever, Johnson Controls, Publicis, RichardsDee and Design Partners.
Design Management Professional Diploma; Design Skillnet on Vimeo.
Applications will re-open mid- 2024.
Register your interest or please get in touch via info@designskillnet.ie.
Programme Duration
10-month programme (10 classroom days over 10 months).
What are the next programme dates?
The next intake starts on October 1st, 2024.
Workshop dates*:
1st & 2nd October 2024 – in person
26th & 27th November 2024 – online
12th & 13th February 2025 – in person
25th & 26th March 2025 – online
27th & 28th May 2025 – in-person final presentations
*TBC. Scroll down for the full module details.
Course Director
James Hall, an Industrial Design graduate, James began his design career at LEGO designing new toy-based play experiences and progressed from design manager to design director, leading and managing small and large teams. In 2010, James moved to Hasbro as Sr Design Director, and in his consultancy role now works on design leadership across many different industry segments including Bosch, Grundfos, Unilever, Bang & Olufsen and LEGO, with a specific focus on design strategy, design organisation, processes and tools.
Structure & Format:
The one-year blended intensive learning programme is a mix of in-person classroom, online and 1:1 coaching, and is thoughtfully designed to meet the needs and work environments of practicing multidisciplinary design teams while equipping them with the essential tools to lead change in their industries.
The programme is modular with 10 core modules, in four phases, and the delivery is structured to accommodate the working lives and time constraints of participants, requiring only 10 days away from the workplace.
- 6 face-to-face days and 4 days will be online, with one workshop delivered in an international location, connecting to another programme.
- 1:1 online coaching sessions for every module.
- Remote learning platform.
- Individual and group assignments.
Workload & Assignments
A minimum of 5 hours per week is expected to cover the course material and additional time is required for assignments and team projects. Case studies and assignments are tailored to the industry profile of each cohort.
To attain the Design Management Professional Diploma, participants are assessed on each module via a variety of practical assignments. The programme emphasises the practical application of knowledge to benefit participants and their organisations. Assessment workload is set across the programme to allow participants to successfully combine learning with work and life demands.
Programme Content
Design Leadership, Design Management, Quality, Process, Language, Value, Service Design, Design Strategy, Design CX, Design Briefing.
Programme Features
Blended learning; 1:1 coaching; unique faculty of industry practitioners; action learning; one module delivered in an international location; peer learning; and international alumni network.
Course Dates – Programme Schedule 2024*
- October 1st & 2nd 2024 – Face-to-face in Dublin– Design Management, Design Leadership, Design Process and Design Quality
- November 26th & 27th 2024 – Online – Managing Service Design and Design Language
- February 12th & 13th 2025 – Design Strategy and Design in CX
March 25th & 26th 2024 – Online – Design Value and Design Briefing
- May 27th & 28th 2024 – Face-to-face final presentations and evaluation of all modules in Dublin
*subject to change
Q&A with programme director and past participants!
To find out more about the programme, read our Q&A series with the Course Director James Hall and past participants David Wall, Lydia Ward and John Duggan.
Application Process & Dates
The next applications will open in mid-2024.
Fees
Design Skillnet subsidised government-funded rate*: €5995
Full rate: €9995
**Member rates apply to IDI, ICAD, IAPI, 100 Archive members who are private sector or commercial semi-state organisations based in the Republic of Ireland.
Please note the cost of flights and accommodation for the exchange visit or travel to Dublin are not included in the programme fee. Installment plans can be discussed.
Please contact us directly at info@designskillnet.ie to discuss your interest and membership options.
Modules
Face-to-Face in Dublin
Face-to-Face Exchange Germany (to be agreed with the group)
Design Strategy and Design in CX
Read about:
Online.
Online.
Face-to-face in Dublin with live project presentation in front of senior member of the organisation.
Read about the:
"I highly recommend it. I'm passing on everything I've learned, upskilling the rest of the team, and looking at who do we next put on to the course."
"I would definitely recommend the programme to others, it's really worth if you want to take your career, or the design function in your business, to the next level"
The course exceeded my expectations. I learned more, was more challenged and brought more back to my day-to-day work than I had anticipated. It was great. Thank you.
I really enjoyed the Design Management course. James is an amazing, engaging teacher and I learned so much from my classmates. I felt very lucky to be around such talented individuals and build great connections. We dived into interesting topics such as Design Strategy and Service Design, and the assignments and presentations really helped me to understand the different areas of design that a Design Manager might oversee.
The course really set me up for success in my new Leadership role! I still refer to the worksheets and the toolkit and it was an incredible investment into my career.
“The programme provided us with mentorship, a toolkit, and time to focus on how to position design as a strategic capability within our business.”
“I’ll miss everyone I worked with on the Design Management Professional Diploma, they offered so much support. I found the distinguishment between leadership and management very helpful and the content we covered on the programme was really insightful and helpful in terms of my professional development.”
"The Design Management Professional Diploma was ideal - I wanted to be able to develop my understanding of management and leadership in a design context, and this programme really delivered on that”
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Register Interest
Please fill in the form to register your interest in participating and we will be in touch with more information.