Focus

We offer six Focus modules (subject to change):

1. Ceramics
   This focus program starts in the 30.000-year-old tradition of ceramics but urges you to push it beyond its limits. In a carefully mapped out semester of information, experimentation, reflection, question and translation we’ll ask you to define your vision within the tradition of the craft, as well as to take the concept of ceramics beyond the craft.

2. Reframing textiles
   The textile industry is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil. In this Focus Module Textile we look at textiles with a perspective toward the future, in which we are required to reinvent our methods of production, consumption, and use, as well as our aesthetics. What are the responsibilities and opportunities for the designer in this context? Bridging research, experiment, narrative, and design, we will introduce you to a wide spectrum of techniques and materials, both traditional and new. Besides exploring materials (traditional fibers, natural/synthetic, bio-materials, wearable tech, etc.) and techniques (weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing, laser cutting, etc.), the focus of this Module Textile will also be on engaging with the outside world through collaborations with the Textile Museum and TextileLab in Tilburg, weaving factory EE-Labels in Eindhoven, used textiles collection company Sympany, and other interesting parties.
   From 4 February until 26 April 2023, the results of the Focus Module were on display at the Textile Museum.
   Also in 2024, the results of the Focus Module were on display at the panorama deck at the Textile Museum.

3. Digital [Hybrid, interactive, performative]
   The DIGITAL focus module delivers a foundation in the application of digital technologies to design process, implementation and communication. It provides an environment in which essential knowledge, assistance and resources can be shared to investigate and realise digitally enabled design outcomes. It supports the questioning of digital futures: their benefit and impact on society

4. Free Choice
   In this free focus module, students work on a design-related theme or project. They create their own content and pathway, making their own plan, individually or together with other students, to reach the desired learning outcomes. Through this option, students can choose their own tutor(s) to guide them.

5. Cartographic Explorations: The Water Edition
   This FM by DAE’s Social Innovation Lab, in collaboration with Waterschap de Dommel, explores water as a vital, multifaceted resource through design research. Students engage with fieldwork, mapping, and data visualization to address water-related challenges such as scarcity, pollution, and climate change. The course includes expert insights, excursions to water facilities, and guest lectures on cultural and ecological dimensions of water. Emphasizing both technical and social innovation, it fosters critical reflection and creative responses to the Water Transition. Selected projects may be showcased at Dutch Design Week and further developed through ongoing collaboration. More Info here.

6. Exchange
   Exchange enables you to enrich your education with diverse perspectives and applications of your learning in different contexts. By studying abroad, you embark on a life-changing journey, embracing the unfamiliar, gaining new perspectives on the world, and developing greater cultural sensitivity. We provide connections to many study abroad offerings in cities around the world. DAE established exchange partner agreements with many leading art and design colleges and universities around the world to offer the semester-long exchange program. These agreements facilitate an exchange of students between Design Academy Eindhoven and the partner school for a maximum of one semester studying abroad. The study opportunities for exchange students vary according to the terms of the agreement established between DAE and the partner school.