Graduate product designer HF (formerly designer HF product design): What does their day-to-day work look like?

Graduate product designers HF* and graduate product designers HF*developanddesignprototypes of new products or improve existing objects. In doing so, they not only deal withconcrete productsbut also withvirtual objects,ServicesandExperiences in digital and analog space. Their activities are differentiated according to areas of application: for exampleIndustrial Designor industrial design, which deals with the creative development of consumer goods (household appliances, tools, furniture, toys, lighting, etc.) and capital goods (technical equipment, commercial vehicles, etc.). Other areas of application areTextile, fashion, jewelry and watch design.

Qualified product designers analyze the requirements on the basis of an order, competition or their own ideas, research, create concepts, test materials, produce models or prototypes and bring the product to production maturity as a functional one-off or as an industrial series product through critical examination and further adjustments in consultation with all those involved. You plan the project - including estimating the costs - and see it through to implementation.

Qualified product designers HF work as specialists in design offices or in the design departments of institutions, industrial or craft businesses or independently in their own studio. They often work in interdisciplinary project groups, which are often led by themselves. They consult specialized experts and work closely with material manufacturers, suppliers, production companies and customers. To this end, they always keep up to date with creative work at regional, national and international level and incorporate social and ecological aspects into their work alongside practical and economic ones.

* The further training and job title for qualified production designers HF was "designer HF product design" until October 2022.

Target group, personal characteristics and skills: Who is this HF course aimed at?

The courses to become a qualified product designer HF (formerly designer HF product design) are aimed at professionals trained in design and craftsmanship who want to design useful products and are aiming for a federally recognized higher vocational education qualification.

To work in product design, you absolutely need:

• Sense of form, color and function
• Imagination and innovative spirit
• analytical-conceptual skills
• Technical understanding
• customer-oriented behavior
• Ability to work in a team and willingness to collaborate across disciplines

Prerequisites for admission to further training as a qualified product designer HF (formerly designer HF product design)

The universities of applied sciences are responsible for designing the degree program. They also define theRequirements for admission to further training. In both cases, they are based on theFramework curriculum "Product design". Basically the following applies:

• The HF course in product design is open to all interested parties with aCompletion of upper secondary levelopen. The schools or course directors decide on admission with other qualifications and backgrounds (sur dossier).
• Anyone who holds a Federal Certificate of Competence (EFZ) in arelevant professioncan complete the training in less time or with a third less effort (more on this in step 6). Relevant professions include, for example, clothing designer, graphic designer, industrial ceramist, interactive media designer, stonemason or draughtsman. A complete list of relevant professions can be found in theFramework curriculum.

In addition to this basic requirement, admission to the product design course is subject to the individual requirements set by the schools.Admission proceduredecisive. The admission procedures of the individual HF vary and are usually subject to a fee, but all serve the purpose of checking the aptitude of those interested in the course and only admitting those who have a real chance of graduating and achieving professional success. Admission procedures usually include admission or aptitude interviews, the submission of work portfolios and often also the completion of specific homework assignments (e.g. development of a prototype).

Students who complete the continuing education program to become a certified product designer HF (formerly designer HF product design) must generally provide the school with proof of 50% work experience during their studies in which they can apply what they have learned in practice.

Learning material, content and skills imparted in further training

Product design training is based on the "Product Design" framework curriculum, which came into force in October 2022 (prior to this, the basis was the "Design and Art Framework Curriculum", which led to the title "Graduate Designer HF Product Design"). The universities of applied sciences have a certain amount of leeway when designing the courses, which is why the curricula differ in detail.

The classification and designation of theSubjectsdepend on the higher technical college. They are, for example

• Ergonomics, shapes, colors, materials
• Drawing
• CAD (Computer Aided Design) and visualization
• Visual communication and presentation
• Creation of prototypes
• Legal basis
• Project management and corporate governance
• Trends and marketing
• Design history
• English or 2nd national language
• Projects and internship

HF courses in product design teach skills in the following areas6 areas of expertise:

• Development of your own creative personality(e.g. reflecting on own design experiences, dealing constructively with criticism, presenting and reflecting on own position and sharpening it through research)
• Exploring and designing(e.g. visualize ideas, incorporate new trends and sustainability approaches, compare solution variants, incorporate process and production technologies, develop in iterative processes, assess feasibility, conduct material experiments, etc.)
• Design(e.g. formulate rough concepts and make them tangible, create, compare and evaluate concepts of solution variants, define materials and manufacturing processes, plan projects through to execution, taking into account legal bases and customer requirements)
• Realize and hand over(e.g. developing, realizing and presenting designs, accompanying the realization of a product, evaluating realization and deriving findings, presenting projects and conducting negotiations, etc.)
• Taking an entrepreneurial perspective and assuming responsibility(e.g. analyzing the order, target group and customer needs, preparing offers and tenders, planning and securing financing, monitoring the budget and using production resources in line with the situation, documenting material flows, recycling resources, etc.)
• Collaboration and coordination(e.g. clarifying roles and tasks, interdisciplinary cooperation, incorporating feedback, planning and moderating workshops, building and maintaining networks, etc.)

Costs of further training

The costs for continuing education to become a qualified product designer HF (formerly designer HF product design) are determined by the higher technical colleges. The tuition costs vary greatly and include a different number of services (e.g. fee for the diploma examination).

HF continuing education courses that have been recognized by the Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI are subsidized by the cantons. The subsidies are regulated inter-cantonally and apply to students who have been resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein for at least 2 years. The schools will inform you directly about the course costs for students with a different place of residence. (Information on SERI recognition can be found in the answer texts).

If you have lived in Switzerland or Liechtenstein for at least 2 years, you can expect the following costs:

• Costs for the admission procedure for the product design course: approx. CHF 200-240
• Course costs: approx. CHF 1500 per semester for the 4-semester full-time course (= total course costs of CHF 6000) or CHF 1750-3100 per semester for 6-semester part-time courses (= total course costs of approx. CHF 10,500-18,600)
• Diploma semester/examination fee: possibly additional up to approx. CHF 2000
• Working material
• additional costs in some cases for enrollment, teaching materials, excursions, etc.

Ask the school of your choice about the actual costs you can expect.

Duration of study, scope and schedule, form of teaching, teaching times

The further training to become a qualified product designer HF (formerly designer HF product design) takes4 semesters of full-time study(incl. internships) or6 semesters part-time. Anyone completing the training alongside their job must work at least 50% of the time in a position where the course material can be applied.

The training is organized intwo variantsoffered:

• a more compact version in the size oftotal approx. 3600 learning hoursfor apprentices with relevant previous training (EFZ e.g. as a clothing designer, graphic designer, industrial ceramist, interactive media designer, stonemason or draughtsman; complete list in the RLP ((link to https://www.becc.admin.ch/becc/public/bvz/beruf/show/253)).
• a more comprehensive variant in the scope oftotal approx. 5400 learning hoursfor learners without relevant previous training.

The training providers can offer a maximum of10 %of the total learning hoursFocus on contentin the fields of industrial design, ceramics, fashion design, product design, jewelry design or textile design. They must describe these in the school curriculum with additional skills. The specializations or focus areas have no influence on the title awarded after successful completion of the course.

The learning hours of this HF training course are distributed as follows across the variousEducational components:

• without relevant previous education (total 5400 learning hours): at least 2400 hours of contact lessons, at least 420 hours of guided self-study, at least 300 hours of individual self-study, at least 1800 hours of practical training, 480 hours of qualification procedure
• with relevant previous education (total of 3600 hours): at least 1600 hours of contact lessons, at least 320 hours of guided self-study, at least 480 hours of individual self-study, 720 hours of practical training, at least 480 hours of qualification procedure

TheLesson timesare determined by the schools and vary for part-time courses: As a rule, they are spread over 3-4 half days per week (e.g. one evening plus a whole Friday or Saturday per week) plus one block course per semester.

Form of teachingThe contact lessons of the continuing education program for the diploma in product design HF (formerly Gestalterin HF / Gestalter HF Produktdesign) take place partly in the form of classical classroom teaching, partly in studios, during field work and excursions, in the form of supervised group work, synchronous webinars, etc. Guided self-study includes tasks such as exercises, special assignments, reading and research assignments, guided fieldwork, etc. Individual self-study includes preparation and follow-up work for lessons, general study time, independent studio work, exam preparation, etc.

Individual self-studyYou should allow sufficient time for your individual learning - how much depends on your previous knowledge, working style, learning speed and the training model you have chosen. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week.

Qualification procedure, diploma and title

During the further training to become a qualified product designer HF (formerly designer HF product design), learning progress is continuously assessed in the form of semester and intermediate examinations as well as graded semester or project work etc. Students who have successfully completed all qualification requirements are admitted to the final qualification procedure (QV). Some schools also require a foreign language certificate at level B1 in English or another national language for admission to the QV for the diploma as a product designer HF.

The responsibility for the final qualification procedure lies with the universities of applied sciences, which set out the provisions and details in a set of study regulations. As the HF course in product design has only existed in this form since October 2022, many schools have not yet published their examination regulations and the detailed examination procedure (as of January 2024).

In general, the professional competences listed in step 4 are tested in the qualification procedure. The QV usually consists of (the preparation of) a practice-oriented diploma thesis as well as written and oral examinations.

Diploma and title

Those who successfully complete the course receive a federally recognized diploma and may use the following protected title:

• German: dipl. Produktdesignerin / dipl. Produktdesigner HF
• French: Designer diplômée ES en design de produit / Designer diplômé ES en design de produit
• Italian: Designer dipl. SSS in design di prodotto

Recommended title in English (not protected): Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education Product Design.

Until October 2022, further training in product design concluded with the title "dipl. Gestalter HF Produktdesign" or "dipl. Gestalterin HF Produktdesign" (the French and Italian titles remained unchanged). Anyone holding this title may use the new title awarded since October 2022.