Fundamentals Academy

Meet the team!

Francine is a Fundamentals Life Coach. She works with our students from Designer's Identity and Co-Design Studio, as well as with our coaches. What she hopes to achieve with her work as a coach is that people learn to communicate better; with each other and with themselves. "I provide people with tips that suit them and that they can use immediately. In addition to that, I believe it’s important to listen carefully and therefore sometimes hold back on my own views." Of course, life coaching can often lead to quite deep conversations, but Francine makes sure it also gets very practical, with enough room for humour.

Hi guys! We're popping in with an invitation for you and your network. 🌟 Friday 25 June from 15:00 to 17:00 Fundamentals is organising an Expert Review at our headquarters in Studio Gans. During the review participants get one-on-one feedback from coaches on where they are now as a designer, based on multiple sessions. 💬

So are you, or do you know of any designers in your network that are at a crossroads within their career? Then sign up via the link in our bio (limited spots!), reach out if you have any questions and ofcourse feel free to share this with whoever you think could make great use of this!

This week, the students of Co-Design Studio are working on a project they have had on their bedside table for a long time. A project they have been dying to do, but never got around to: it's the Week of the Bedside Table! 🔥

Our coaches Leonie and Luc guide the students during this week full of passion and ambitious plans. And tomorrow it is expo time! So they probably have a long night ahead of them... 😉

Meet the team!

Let's get to know Jorik, who designs learning experiences and is one of the developers of 👥. As a Fundamentals Design Coach, he currently coaches at the master Physical Therapy and Innovation in Motion Care. Within this master, he coaches students during an innovation course. "Everyone has their own perspectives and life experiences. This informs everything we think and do. What I do, is facilitate teams to make these different perspectives visible." 👀

"It truly helps when you pause and ask yourself once a week: ‘Do I really want this?’ ‘What sort of person am I?’ ‘Which role suits me?’ It gets you on the right track." - Anne, about her experience with the Designer's Identity program.

In September, we will kick off the program with our next group of heroes who are ready to further develop their identity as a designer. The first registrations are already in and we are STOKED! 🔥

How would you feel about contributing to your former studies as a professional? 💭

That is precisely what we do in the CMD Studio neXt course, where CMD students work on projects for real clients. They are coached by Fundamentals coaches, who have completed the same studies and are currently working as professionals in the field.

Fundamentals coach Joni is Coach Coordinator at CMD Studio neXt and really values this type of coaching: “As a professional, you can offer a real perspective of the work field, but also challenge the students to create the best possible concept.” They do this during brainstorming sessions, often at locations where coaches work themselves. “Working with a coach, who is not also the teacher, can help creating a bond of trust.” 🤝 This is something we hear often, says Joni: “It makes students feel like they can really have an informal conversation. It helps them to open up.”

As some of you may know, there was a possibility that Fundamentals would get a new home at Studiomakers this summer. The former library, in the heart of Utrecht, was to be transformed into a creative breeding ground. Fundamentals was one of the founders of this initiative, together with Buro Ruig, ROC MN and various other parties. Unfortunately, this initiative was officially declined this week. But do not worry! Just like in our beloved Studio Gans, we keep looking for another inspiring place where we can do what we are good at!

Want to know more about this? Via our LinkedIn and via the link below you will find the (Dutch) official statement that was shared today.

Jens Gijbels on LinkedIn: Utrechts initiatief in bieb vindt geen doorgang De afgelopen 10 maanden hebben Ivar en ik ons ingezet om de voormalige bibliotheek in Utrecht een tijdelijke en maatschappelijke invulling te geven. Helaas...

The past two weeks, our Co-Design Studio students took part in the ‘War room weeks’. During these two weeks they reflected on their learnings and translated these into defining their next steps as a junior design professional. Two insightful weeks, where they worked with a diverse and inspiring team of coaches.

Today the students closed off their War room weeks with an impressive exhibition. And while enjoying friday afternoon drinks with them, we watch with pride! 👏❤️

How do you deal with the side effects of corona, such as the lack of social contact or exercise? 💭 Students took the first step in exploring these topics, during the Nano Challenge. They worked on realistic, direct solutions for the problems they experience today. Something that sparks a lot of creativity, ofcourse! 💥

The challenge was organized by the Utrecht Challenge Alliance, in collaboration with the ROC, the University of Applied Sciences and the University of Utrecht.

The final presentation of the Corona Test Hackathon took place today. An impressive ending of an inspiring week, of which you will see more about... in the aftermovie! 😉

Fundamentals has recently entered a brand-new partnership with Studio Z. The start-up is an initiative by Josefien Jeninga and focuses on innovation in healthcare, based on purpose in life. Studio Z offers innovation processes in which healthcare professionals are guided in designing human centered solutions together with all parties involved. 🙌 Obviously, we love that.

Meet the team!

Mark is not ‘only’ a Fundamentals coach, but also an alumnus of our program Designers’ Identity. He’s currently working on upgrading the Fundamentals website and coaching for the programs Project van je Leven and CMD Next. So maybe the best way to introduce Mark would be as... the Fundamentals poster boy? 🧐