Society’s datafication has progressed at breakneck speed in the past years and fundamentally changed existing power structures in the process. The communication and staging of complex data has thus become a key skill of our time.
By offering this new programme, which is unique in Switzerland, the School of Design, Film and Art responds to the societal, economic and technological developments in the context of digital transformation. The programme sees the designer's role in data communication as a navigation aid amid the current abundance of information and recognises the importance of his or her ability to reveal previously undetected patterns and contexts through visual, animated and interactive interpretation.
Data has always been a central component of the disciplines in practically all academic courses. In art, design and film studies, the focus has rarely been as explicit. However, these disciplines are more in demand than ever in the communication, narration and staging of data-based findings, as well as in the critical interpretation and discussion of the associated social developments. During the course of your studies, you decide whether you want to take an applied, explorative-investigative or artistic-curatorial approach.
More than anything else, you should be curious and open to the existing wealth of different data phenomena. You are keen to acquire skills in the fields of animation, graphic design, programming/coding, storytelling and data analysis. You have an open mind and wish to work in both virtual and analogous spaces. You enjoy devising solutions that appeal to different senses and can be experienced visually, aurally and haptically. You are comfortable switching between applied, investigative and experimental approaches. What matters most is that you cannot wait to help shape the future.
No. The skills required will be taught from the ground up. The focus lies on a creative approach to code. You decide how deep you wish to immerse yourself in the world of creative coding. What matters is a positive attitude and curiosity. The goal is to learn to understand programming-related processes and interdependencies and to communicate with data analysts, data scientists and interaction designers. Students with prior knowledge of programming experience will be coached individually.
You need to have a general interest in graphic design and be curious about the development of new design methods. Basic skills in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) are recommended, but not a prerequisite. Once the semester starts, numerous tutorials will be unlocked for you.
Get in touch with the head of programme any time.
