Design Thinking & Innovation in Collaboration with the Design Museum

At the RCA, we teach design thinking, training designers who go on to lead global brands worldwide as creative directors and CEOs. In contrast to standard, linear approaches that build on tested models, design thinking is creatively structured, analytic and responsive. It draws in diverse disciplines and multiple areas of expertise and exploration, starting with the core premise that everything is a design problem. Through the application of this informed analysis within business-driven, public-facing and community-centred contexts, design thinking can produce innovation, which in turn enables brands to remain competitive in changing markets. This one-day executive masterclass led by Professor Jeremy Myerson, the RCA’s Helen Hamlyn Professor of Design, will cover five main areas: the emergent role of design within the landscape of innovation; combining convergent and divergent thinking; the real world versus the world of ideas; the power of visualisation; and creating environments for innovation. Using case studies and innovation stories that draw from current exhibitions at the Design Museum, the masterclass will explore the curatorial context and provide a rich and stimulating mixture of new ideas and practical tools. Through the course you will learn to negotiate the complex relationship between the concrete and the abstract, to enable an understanding of the purpose of design thinking in promoting innovation, and the benefits to an organisation. As part of this masterclass, during Day 1 you will have the opportunity to visit the permanent and temporary exhibitions at the Design Museum, which include: Designer Maker User Beazley Designs of the Year 2018