Alumni

Introduction

There are many Department of Design alumni and they are all very different and extremely interesting. They show how diverse the paths after studying design can be. The department of Design is a part of “Netzhdk”, ZHdK’s alumni organization.

The Netzhdk organization for alumni

The ZHdK Alumni Organization, Netzhdk, offers a platform for former students across the whole university with lots of different occasions to meet up and opportunities to exchange experiences. Members have access to a range of benefits – from a job exchange web portal and forum to special discounts in the Mac shop.

Because the Department of Design loves to hear from former students, we are eager to continue expanding this valuable network.

Careers

Talking to ZHdK design alumni quickly reveals that design is a broad professional field. Careers follow individual paths. Personal drive and incentive are key — and open up manifold perspectives.

A few testimonies from alumni and their career paths:

  • «When I joined an agency after earning my BA in Industrial Design, I realized that something was missing. I had had my sights on ZHdK’s MA in Interaction Design for quite a while and decided to apply. On the programme, I was left to my own devices and learned to organize myself, get feedback, and pursue my project on my own. After graduation, I was offered the opportunity to work on the programme as a teaching assistant. A few years down the line, I am really enjoying establishing synergies between my teaching and research on the one hand, and my agency work on the other. For instance, offering students insights into applied project work, bringing together concept and craft. I try to spread the spirit of prototyping and to encourage students to engage physically with ideas.»

    Moritz Kemper, Interaction Designer

  • «Working on my project, ‘The Pain Interpreter,’ taught me how design enriches classical sociological research and leads to fresh, innovative results. Based on my personal experience as an MA student, later at a start-up venture, and now at Pro Juventute, I’d say that design’s main task is to challenge and change entrenched forms of behaviour in all areas of life. Analytical thinking and creative practice are still relevant to my work. The knowledge I’ve developed in both areas enables me to manage future-oriented projects and to provide consultancy across various disciplines.»

    Noa Stemmer-Holtz, “Education and Information” Project Manager, Pro Juventute

  • «I’m just now developing from a designer into an entrepreneur. Things began with my BA project (with Dinis Meier), a wristband designed to promote day-to-day rehabilitation therapy. After a few years of agency work, we went back to the project in the ZHdK Incubator, developing the product further with support from the Federal Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI). My business partner and I’ve just launched yband therapy GmbH. I owe the courage to tackle things head-on to the inspiring dynamics at ZHdK.»

    Samuel Bauer, Interaction Designer and Entrepreneur

  • «In my mid-20s, I finally wanted to do something the world actually needed. My MA at ZHdK began with an open question rather than with a clear-cut plan — just as projects do at IDEO, where my role as a design researcher is to sharpen questions. I go out and gather feedback to iteratively enhance products. I learned to do this the hard way during my student days: a young guy shredded my first outline. He was right, because he was a user. We’re not really used to testing our ideas and confronting criticism in our culture, where we learn early in life not to draw beyond the edge of the page. We need more ‘creative confidence’! Experimentation, empathy, and healthy pragmatism come before perfectionism in my job.»

    Hannah Peres, Design Researcher, IDEO

  • «I ended up on the Scientific Visualization BA by chance. The tutoring and support were fantastic, giving me an ideal platform to pursue my BA thesis as an MA project. Infographics: that’s my world! I first worked for the Beobachter magazine, later at NZZ am Sonntag. I was also pursuing my own projects and doing some teaching at ZHdK. The methodological, thinking, and communicative skills that I was lucky enough to develop as a student are a real plus today! I’ll soon be taking over the infographics team at the Tages Anzeiger and the Sonntagszeitung.»

    Marina Bräm, Lead Infographics at Tages-Anzeiger and SonntagsZeitung