On August 5th, the Counselling department, in collaboration with the Junior College, organized a career talk for High School, Junior College, and NIOS students, as part of the Junior College series on careers. The session featured an insightful presentation by Thomas Dal, a renowned transportation designer and educator, who provided valuable insights into career opportunities in design. With over 30 years of experience in the design industry, Thomas was approached by the Strate School of Design Paris to set up and run the Asian branch of the Strate School of Design in Bangalore. Having played a pivotal role in shaping design education, Thomas spoke about the nature of design, the design process, required skills, industry trends, and future directions in his insightful talk.
Thomas detailed the design process, from market research to manufacturing, and discussed essential skills such as empathy, business understanding, and teamwork. He identified key trends, including sustainability, AI, and a 360-degree approach to design. His discussion highlighted the evolving nature of design careers and the impact of cultural and economic factors on career choices and job stability. The goal was to prepare for a future where design, technology, and empathy converged to create impactful and meaningful products.
At the end of the session, the students engaged with the speaker by asking questions. They enjoyed the talk and gained valuable insights from Thomas Dal, making it an interactive and enlightening experience.
About the Speaker
Thomas Dal is a trained transportation designer from Institut Superieur de Design ISD -France where he graduated best overall in 1999, with jury and industry felicitations. He also graduated from EAPLV (Paris) as naval architect in 2006, and has built many yachts everywhere in the world.
After working for a decade in the car industry, developing more than 60 cars projects for many European car makers, Thomas re-oriented his career towards education by starting from scratch the successful DSK-Rubika school of design in 2008. In 2011, Thomas quit DSK-Rubika to go back to France and start working for the Decathlon group as Director of Design and Innovation.
In 2017, the Strate School of Design Paris approached Thomas to open and run the Asian branch of the Strate school of design in Bangalore.
Driven by this challenge and understanding that the future of the world depends on education, this international multiple design award winner, grabbed the opportunity to come back to India and to enter the field of education in order to become a “designer of designers” and to set up the best design school of INDIA: Strate School of Design Bangalore.