Department of Product Design

The Estonian Academy of Arts Department of Product Design is engaged with human-centred design. We have been training professional designers here for more than 50 years. Historically, product design study has focused on industrial design. The rapid development in the ICT sector has now broadened the term product design, and a new field – digital product design – now complements the previous field of industrial design (furniture, electronics etc.).

Our department allows study on the basis of two curricula:

  • the bachelor’s degree curriculum in Industrial and Digital Product Design,
  • master’s degree curriculum in Product Design.

Theupdated bachelor’s degree programme has two areas of specialization: industrial design (previously called product design) and digital product design. During the first semester, our students study together; then they can choose one area of specialization.

Due to labour market demand for digital product designers, in autumn 2018 we opened our digital product design area of specialization. This gave designers interested in the IT field the technical knowledge and digital design skills they needed.

In the Product Design master’s degree programme, we focus on design of objects. (Creation of digital solutions can be studied on the basis of the Academy of Arts Interaction Design curriculum).

Both bachelor’s and master’s programmes are practical in their nature: we solve real-life product development challenges in cooperation with businesses. In the 2017/2018 academic year, we designed a package drone for Cleveron, helped Europe’s best student company Festera with product development and created a vision of an e-donor environment for the North Estonia Medical Centre donor centre.

 “Design is a practical, interdisciplinary, human-centred, creative process that seeks for the best solutions for existing problems.” Martin Pärn, industrial designer, partner with the Iseasi design bureau.

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News and events

Kristin Silm

Product design form: Kristin Silm

Kristin Silm is an active multitasker who does it all, all the time. Name: Kristin Silm Position: Student Relationship to EKA: 2nd year digital product design student, student council member, protolab assistant 1. What projects are you working on at the moment? In the autumn semester we are working on a collaboration project with Swedbank, where we aim to create more valuable experiences for ...
Kaisa Uik

Product Design Form: Kaisa Uik

Name: Kaisa Uik Position: Future UX designer, design workshop facilitator Relation with EKA: 3rd-year digital product design student What projects do you have on hand at the moment? At the moment, I am in a phase, where all exciting projects have recently been completed and new ones are slowly starting. In the fall semester, we are working on a service design project for the National Library ...
Erik on siin pildil

Product Design Form: Erik Heiki Veelmaa

In April, we will introduce you to Erik Heiki Veelmaa, who is approaching the final stretch of his BA studies. Name: Erik Heiki Veelmaa Position: Transportation Designer at Auve Tech Connection with EKA: Bachelor’s 3rd year student 1. What projects do you have on hand at the moment? At the moment, I am working most diligently on my diploma thesis, which focuses on Estonia’s shrinking small ...
Päisepilt

Exploring Conditions for Community Care in one Neighborhood

How might peer support and community engagement enable a new approach to increasing low-cost and accessible mental health services in Estonia?  This was the central question of a 10-month research project supported by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund and Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) as a joint development grant, which identified gaps in the existing mental health services for young adults ...
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Product Designer Form Mariann Hendrikson

In the March Product Designer Form, we introduce Mariann Hendrikson, a student of industrial design, who is a good communicator and organizer, always smiling and bright, and actively participates in both student life and organizing workshops. You can always count on Marianne Name: Mariann Hendrikson Position: Hunt Kriimsilm Connection with EKA: Industrial design student (2nd year) 1. What ...
Juhuslik kus_Ekraan

Randomness, Where?

On Thursday, 16th of March at 19:00, EKA Graphic Design and Product Design second year students open their collective exhibition ‘Randomness, where?’ at ARS Art Factory Studio 53/98. The exhibition showcases works from more than 20 authors, who explore the theme of randomness and its many forms of expression through personal observations, discovering the beauty of the unpredictable. Can ...
1. pilt minust

Product Designer Form Karolin Eks

Name: Karolin Eks Position: Wanderer Connection with EKA: 2nd year digital product design student, organizer of design workshops. 1.What projects do you have on hand at the moment? The topic of the spring semester's special project is speculative design, where in teams we focus our eyes on Estonian design higher education in 2035. I'm terribly excited! I also give EKA and design workshops to ...
Pea_Foto_Priit Kangur

Product Designer Form: Priit Kangur

In the January product designer form, we introduce our cheerful master’s student Priit Kangur. Priit is a student with a practical mind and eager to learn, who has also successfully participated in the activities of Garage48 and is interested in everything related to design and design. Priit can always be found at events and workshops where product design students are active. Name: Priit ...

Student Work

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