INTERNA
-TIONAL

The construction of international exchange programs responds to one major goal: learning how to respect. People, cultures, nature, life on this planet, yourself, and much more. There are many aspects to this statement. Some of them are linked to the professional input and the learning process via the teaching that students receive at partner institutions. Others nourish the individual soft skills, such as learning languages, gaining self-confidence, adaptability, becoming pro-reactive and being open minded. In our global world, the designer is constantly faced by the challenge of developing products and services, in respect of the environment, for people from various backgrounds and countries.

The personal international experience plays a major role, considering that it helps to mind different user scenarios and to include them into a broad design approach. Specific situations of the daily life are not described in travel guides, and can only be observed and hold back inside the traveller’s memory. It is the deep understanding how people in other countries work, live, communicate and behave. How their entire environment responds to the cultural rules, that have evolved throughout centuries. Successful design unfolds, once the complexity of the world becomes a key inspiration for innovation.

Since the beginning The SDS is a place where different cultures and people of diverse origins cross their ways and give birth to a broader approach of design.

By his nature a designer is a curious person searching for multiple inspirations. The process of leaving the country of origin and adapting to a new cultural environment, is an integral part of becoming a designer. This is why an international experience is of added value on different levels: it is a major asset for employability and it has a strong influence on the personal development of every student.