At one of the most important events of World Design Capital 2022, he was one of 17 international speakers at the high-profile conference presenting the foundation's scientific work and its central mission of "Designing Design Education."

The whole world is changing - and to shape this change, design in all its facets is called upon. The growing significance of design was also reflected in the World Design Policy Conference in Valencia, which took place for the first time this November. It was one of the most important events with regard to the city’s role as World Design Capital 2022.
As one of 17 international speakers, René Spitz, board member of the iF Design Foundation and professor of design research and communication management at Rheinische Fachhochschule (RFH) Cologne, presented the research project Designing Design Education, which is also the foundation’s central mission.

Taking place on 3rd and 4th November 2022 at the Palacio de Congresos de Valencia, the World Design Policy Conference was a vibrant blend of academic congress and festival: an open forum that showcased the diversity of how design is seen and practiced around the world. With their contributions, international representatives from the design industry illustrated the social value of design. The focus was on the role of the state regarding the framework conditions and the promotion and understanding of design in the public and private sectors.


Education is the key – design is the key
René Spitz spoke about the importance of design studies and design education. "Education is key. We need education if we want to transform the world we live in into a world we want to live in. Education opens the doors to better ways, to a better future. Poor education or lack of education closes doors," he said in the introduction to his talk. "Design is key. We need design if we want to transform the world we live in into a world we want to live in. Design opens doors to better ways, to a better future. Bad design, too, closes doors. Moreover, design "shapes" these doors, gives them a form. And more importantly, design shapes our habits, our attitudes to consumption and lifestyle, and our personal goals."
"Design opens doors to better ways, to a better future. Bad design, too, closes doors."
René Spitz, board member of the iF Design Foundation & professor of design research and communication management at Rheinische Fachhochschule (RFH) Cologne
Education is key - this was the conclusion reached 50 years ago by the Club of Rome as a "think tank for future issues", René Spitz continued. With its first report The Limits to Growth, which is as topical now as it was then, the Club of Rome paved the way towards sustainability. One of the core statements was: Only thanks to education can we understand that we have to change our habits, that we have to change our personal goals and our attitude towards consumption and lifestyle. Only thanks to education can we understand that things will only change if we change. "It took us 50 years to understand this message. Tell me what that says about our education?", René Spitz asked his audience in Valencia.
He then turned to "wicked problems", a term that was coined at the Ulm School of Design at the time when the report was published. "Wicked problems" are the opposite of simple, "tame" problems. Because today's design tasks are always "wicked problems", "we need education if we want to deal with uncertainty, with contradictions, with different interests and perspectives. Critical thinking needs education. Simple answers lead to hatred and destruction," he said, closing the circle in terms of content.
Designing Design Education – We are the change
What does the iF Design Foundation do? What is its mission? René Spitz described the research the foundation has been doing in recent years and he presented the White book . One of the central findings: design education has to change radically. What is being done and how it is being done is not what is needed. It is also clear: "If we want change, we mustn’t wait for it to happen. We are the change. And there cannot be one single answer to this complex issue. There can't be just one new model or prototype to be reproduced all over the world. We have to do it together because design education has to be tailored to each specific context", stated René Spitz.

As another finding from the research, he presented eight topics that can be seen as a foundation for the kind of design education that is required: sustainability, culture, innovation, values, artificial intelligence, production, user experience and aesthetics. "We have also learned that personal development issues are crucial. Personal development unleashes the full potential of design." He moved on to the subject of public value of design, a concept that is more general than sustainability. It is about society and group relations, about resources and the relationship between effort and utility, about ethical standards and about well-being brought about by aesthetics. As a conclusion, René Spitz presented a matrix that interweaves all these topics and can be considered a basis for restructuring design education. But where do we go from here?


How do you teach emotional intelligence? How do you teach trust?
René Spitz presented the new research program of the iF Design Foundation for the next three years, which is being carried out in collaboration with Die Neue Sammlung - The Design Museum in Munich and is intended to give concrete advice on how to implement a new design education programme. "We want to gather all the experiences that already exist in the world. We just need to bring them together. That's what we will do within the next three years."

He concluded his presentation with the example of "innovation", which, according to the current findings, must be one of the main subjects of design education. He quoted London-based design professor Gareth Loudon as an expert on teaching innovation, according to whom soft skills and emotional intelligence are key - from trust to respect to creativity and empathy. "But how do you teach trust? How do you teach emotional intelligence?" René Spitz asked his audience. "This is where you come in. We need your help." Please let us know: How do you teach trust? How do you learn trust, emotional intelligence, empathy and so on?"
If you have answers to these questions from your personal professional practice, then please share your ideas with the iF Design Foundation and contact René Spitz at res@if-designfoundation.org.