Nowadays the value of a company or a product no longer resides in the business or the product itself but rather in the so-called ‘soft factors’. Soft factors concern the perception of the business or product in question by clients, co-workers and shareholders. Design is able to guide the perception of these recipients. The use of design can help providers differentiate their products and services and add value to their business activities. The Master of Design Management degree is one of the initiatives of EURIB aimed at raising design policy to a higher level within organisations. This study programme has five core instructors who each coordinate a (part of a) module: Gert Kootstra MBM (also programme director), Frans Joziasse MBA MSc., Erik Roscam Abbing MSc. MDM, Jos van der Zwaal and dr. Rik Riezebos. Course director is Suzanne Leentvaar MA.

Design management is a relatively young discipline that explicitly recognises that design can contribute to the ‘business performance’ of a company. Design ‘per se’ has been used for quite some time by many an organisation. The particularity of design management is that the focus is on development of vision and making strategic choices regarding the use of design by organisations. Exaggeratedly, one can state that where for time immemorial design has placed the accent on style (‘aesthetics’; rendering things ‘beautiful’), in design management the accent is on creating added value for a business. The program of the MDM degree is based on four fundamentals:

By means of ‘design leadership’, companies can develop a very profitable business - even in markets that are subject to price erosion

Focus on the strategic management level (design from a managerial perspective)

The understanding of design in a business environment (oriented at adding value)

‘Proven knowledge’ as a basis for design policy (scientific basis)

The MDM study programme is aimed at directors and managers with a degree from a school of higher (vocational) education with at least four years of work experience. Likely candidates are:

Managers/directors responsible for the design policy of (a part of) their organisation (for example, working in design, R&D/product development, corporate communication or marketing);

Members of boards of directors, senior creative personnel, ADs/ CSDs of consulting firms in the area of design, design management or design research.
The first category named can consist of producers of consumer goods (both durable as well as perishable), retailers, service providers, business-to-business companies, not-for profit organisations and government agencies. The primary language of this programme is Dutch. Students who have basic knowledge of Dutch but have difficulties speaking and writing in this language can still participate. Most literature is in English and it is allowed to hand in assignments and the thesis in English. The Over EURIB/ Studenten section contains an overview of companies from which our students hail.

Module A: Design leadership/ strategic designmanagement

Introduction: leadership and management

Design leadership: creating an environment for innovation

Design as business driver

Strategic management

The strategy process

Strategic thinking: the paradox of logic & creativity

Strategic change: the paradox of revolution & evolution

Strategic design planning: envisaging corporate design strategy

The strategic role of design in a value network

Integration module A
Core instructor: Frans Joziasse MBA MSc.

Module B: Design in relation to brand and product

Introduction brand strategy

Brand personality and design

Brand architecture and design

Case Decathlon

Brand stretching

Introduction product design

Product design and innovation (theory)

Product design and innovation (practice)

Product design management

Integration module B
Core instructors: dr. Rik Riezebos and Erik Roscam Abbing MSc. MDM

Module C: Design contexts and the designmix

Introduction module

Design history

Global (brand) design

Intercultural communication

Product design

Packaging design

Design for the retail environment

Design for the corporate environment

Design for new media

Integration module C
Core instructor: Jos van der Zwaal

Module D: Instruments for design strategy and measuring performance

Introduction: the design management process – planning to monitoring

Managing design in an experience economy

Trend analysis and developing future insights

Human-centered design research

Bench marking and auditing

Quality management and the design-balanced scorecard

Market research in the design process

Design and emotion

Design resources and procurement management

Integration module D
Core instructor: Gert L. Kootstra MBM

The Masters programme includes the writing of a research-based thesis. The thesis process is supervised by a EURIB staff member or an external specialist. The course of study includes four ‘on campus’ days in which students are supervised while they conduct research and write between 40 and 60 pages of thesis. The thesis must be defended in a final exam in front of an exam committee. If the exam is passed, the degree of ‘Master of Design Management’ will be awarded.

The MDM degree is a so-called ‘master of professional education’, which means that the study programme deals with developments in the work field and is not aimed at educating students to become scientific researchers. Although the lectures take place at the Erasmus University, this course of study does not fall under the auspices of the university. After completion of the study programme, the degree of Master of Design Management (MDM) will be awarded, which is comparable to an MBA degree.

Lecturers of this programme are amongst others (in alphabetical order): Hein Becht (SCAN), prof.dr. Jan Buijs MSc. (TU Delft), prof. Ralf Beuker MBA, Pieter Boelsma (IDIS), dr. Marielle Creusen (TU Delft), dr. Pieter Desmet (TU Delft), prof.dr. J.W. Drukker (TU Delft), Majorie Dijkstal MA (Keja Donia), Jeroen van Erp MSc. (Fabrique), Joris Funcke (Trevic), Fennemiek Gommer (Spanners), David Griffiths, dr. Pascalle Govers (Heineken), prof.dr. Paul Hekkert (TU Delft), Han Hendriks (Johnson Controls Europe), Yo Kaminagai (RATP; Paris Transportation Company), André de Koning (Mountain Design), Jos Oberdorf (NPK Industrial Design), Philippe Picaud (Decathlon), prof. Mike Press (University of Dundee), Marcel Probst MA (Ten Have & Company), Eric Quint (Philips Design), Gert Jan van Reenen MA (Septa Management Group), Hilde Roothart (Trendslator), Paal Smith Meyer (LEGO), Michel van Tongeren (SVT Branding + Design Group), John Venneman (Gispen) and Edwin Visser MSc. (TBWADesigners Company).