Creative Leadership Masterclass in September 2022

Next course starts 14 November 2024

Fees

Early bird fee: £990 - limited places remain
Regular fee: £1100

Location

In person at RCA Battersea campus over 2 days
14 & 15 November: 10am - 5:30pm

Watch this introductory video by Professor Emeritus Jeremy Myerson

Led by renowned inventors and educators, founders of innovation and design studio Special Projects, Clara Gaggero Westaway and Adrian Westaway, with a keynote presentation from Professor Emeritus Jeremy Myerson, this executive masterclass provides a rich and stimulating mixture of cutting-edge ideas and practical tools.

Explore the role of design within the innovation landscape, how to combine convergent and divergent thinking, the real world versus the world of ideas, the power of visualisation and creative ways to scale up your design concept.

Through case studies and real-world examples, this transformative design thinking course is crafted for organisations and individuals who seek to learn necessary tools and frameworks to reconcile practical constraints with imaginative and impactful solutions.

At the core of the 2-day masterclass is the opportunity to use design thinking in practice while working as part of a creative team on a real-world project brief. Whatever business sector you are in, or level of design interest or expertise, this design thinking course will equip you with a robust model to apply in your own working life.

Our approach to Design Thinking with Special Projects

The Royal College of Art views Design Thinking as a form of human-centred innovation and offers a different approach to problem solving. By reframing challenges from the user’s perspective, we incorporate empathy and real-world engagement with people’s lived experience.

This executive masterclass with Special Projects blends rigorous research with a playful, optimistic approach to bring delight and a profoundly human quality to a wide range of complex challenges. It also means resolving the contradictions between the real world of barriers and constraints and the abstract world of imagination and creative ideas. This design thinking executive course provides the tools and frameworks to bridge this divide.

About the course

Course structure

This Design Thinking and Innovation masterclass takes participants on a journey through the design thinking triple-diamond, a systematic approach to design that helps teams navigate complex problems and create innovative solutions.

Personal and organisational benefits

The benefits to you and your organisation include:

thorough understanding of design thinking as applied across a range of business and organisational challenges
a new model to reframe innovation projects through a design lens
experience of working collaboratively
access to global practice in design thinking
critical, creative and insightful thinking
ideation and visualisation skills to realise design innovations
empathic understanding of users
interaction and networking with peers from different backgrounds and functions
a certificate of attendance.

What will you learn?

You will learn:

an introduction to design thinking – theoretical principles and practical building blocks
real-world applications of design thinking and its outcomes
strategies for improving decision-making by reframing innovation challenges in a people-centred way
ways to co-create effectively with others and how to drive innovation within a team
global best practice in how other organisations have used design thinking.

How will you learn?

Learning takes place over 2 days in person where participants get taught as a group and work in smaller teams.

The sessions include a mix of:

lectures
a series of practical exercises
team creative workshops
a final critique of project presentations by a panel of experts.

Course outcomes

Participants will come away from this course with:

A comprehensive understanding of the main stages of the design thinking process.
Tools and frameworks to bridge the gap between practical constraints and imaginative solutions.
Enhanced skills in creative brief development, research techniques, ideation, prototyping and storytelling.
The ability to effectively communicate and implement innovative ideas that deeply resonate with users
A reinvigorated sense of what can be achieved through a people-centred approach.

Who should attend?

Anyone interested in transforming their organisation and professional development through the application of design thinking for innovation, including:

Innovation and development leads, in-house R&D, public sector and third-sector business innovation teams
Ιnnovation directors and managers, senior business managers, strategic planners and consultants
Design, marketing and sales professionals, customer experience and user experience experts
Policymakers
Entrepreneurs

About Special Projects

Special Projects is an independent design and innovation studio based in London and creating globally, founded by designer Clara Gaggero Westaway and magician Adrian Westaway.

Their team of researchers, designers, storytellers and magicians work behind the scenes to help leading organisations and disruptive startups craft strategic design visions for the future, reinvent user experiences, discover new opportunities and bring clarity to complex problems.

Fueled by a passion to make technology more human and interactions feel special, Special Projects combines rigorous research with an optimistic approach that brings magic, delight and a very human quality to some of the most challenging technical problems.

Special Project’s mission is to enhance the unquantifiable aspects of life: empathy, wellbeing, delight, with meaningful design and invention. To achieve this, the team leverages human insight, technology and the thought process of magicians.

On campus delivery

This course will be delivered face-to-face at our flagship building in Battersea.

Covid-19

Our planning incorporates the latest Government guidance as well as consideration of how best to ensure a safe and inclusive learning space for participants and staff team.

Our participants health, wellbeing and quality of experience while attending our on-campus courses is paramount to us.

Full details of the Covid safe guidelines in place for the course will be provided to you in advance of your start date with your welcome information.

Disclaimer: Change to online delivery

It may be necessary due to Covid-19 restrictions to change the mode of delivery to live online. We will endeavour to notify all participants in advance of any changes, no later than two weeks before the course start date.

Terms & conditions apply.

“This is a fast-paced, masterfully imparted course about the principles of Design Thinking and its application to real life challenges for all kinds of businesses, including private companies, public service and non-profits.”
Giovanni Salinas Senior Product Development Engineer at Supplyframe, 2023 participant
“Working through the triple diamond framework with a group of people from different walks of lives is an extreme experience. Diving into problems, working between abstract and real worlds, and pushing to materialise ideas are all not only inspiring but also enjoyable process to unleash our imagination but at the same time keep our feet on the ground.”
Helen Yu Founder of MadLab ,2023 participant
“The RCA Design Thinking & Masterclass was a fully immersive deep dive into the design thinking process giving me the tools and confidence to bring change to my organization. The context of starting the course in an institution like The Design Museum helped me to deeply appreciate design in all its forms and left me with a greater understanding and affinity for the impact and potential design can unlock to improve our lives.”
Michelle Mormont Innovator Communities Lead at World Economic Forum, 2023 participant
“By examining tried and tested design theory, the workshop gave us the confidence to trust the creative process and apply it in our future work projects. The expertise shared in the short course was awe inspiring, such brilliant speakers who graciously shared their creative process and their work. A huge learning curve in less than two days!”
Stephanie Horan Senior Lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth, 2023 participant
“Insightful, practical and fun. This course provided me with the basis to take design thinking into my everyday practices and bring new ideas to my clients. From the course leader to the other attendees everyone brought ideas to the table and worked together to build some amazing outputs.”
Jake Krais Manager at PwC, 2023 participant
“Learning directly from the RCA, a world-leading college in Art and Innovation was fantastic. In two days we used Design Thinking methodologies to discuss world peace, farming, hospital ICU experiences through a very hands-on approach. I experienced the incredible value Design Thinking brings to structuring ideation and innovation to create value for my company.”
Laura Rosich Director, Digital Service Innovation & Hybrid Tech at McKinsey & Company, 2022 participant
“I enjoyed meeting and collaborating with professionals from other industries, and being able to learn from their varying skills and experiences.”
Mirjam Martinović, Marketing Executive at Colart, 2022 participant

Short Course Co-Leader, Co-founder & Creative Director, Special Projects

Clara is an award-winning designer and inventor renowned for her human-centred approach to innovation. With a portfolio that includes collaborations with BBC, Google, and Samsung, her work has been exhibited at MoMA and the Design Museum London. As a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Royal College of Art and a faculty member at Oxford University Said Business School, Clara is dedicated to creating hopeful, sustainable design solutions that enhance well-being and foster a healthy relationship with technology.

View full profile

Short Course Co-Leader, Co-founder & Director of Technology and Magic, Special Projects

Adrian is a visionary designer and inventor, uniquely blending technology and magic to create extraordinary experiences. His innovative contributions span high-profile projects with Sonos, BBC, Nokia, and Google AI. An influential thought leader, Adrian lectures at the Royal College of Art and the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. His commitment to sustainable design and creative innovation has earned him prestigious accolades, including a Fellowship at the Royal Commission of 1851 and membership in the Magic Circle.