College Exhibition: Umea Degree Show 2006

College Exhibition: Umea Degree Show 2006
Projects from the Swedish institute's students include a sports car with a joy stick and a "fashionable hybrid"

Students at Sweden's Umea University Institute of Design presented their work in the annual Degree Show in June, which included work from the Masters programmes in Transportation Design, Advanced Product Design, and Interaction Design along with projects from the Bachelor level graduates.

Students were required to collect information about a brand, prepare a strategic plan for it, and to develop a complete concept for a vehicle that is representative ethos of the chosen brand. The students used the concept of the vehicle, its proportions, surface language, details, graphics, functionality, and material choices, to create the identity of the product that captures the spirit of the brand.

The education at Umea Institute of Design is characterised by strong cooperation with industry. In addition to support during the thesis work, the students participate in several sponsored projects during the Masters Programme. Experienced tutors and a strong commitment within the Swedish automotive industry to educate better vehicle designers have helped to boost each years students results. Cooperation partners have included: Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Trucks, Scania, SAAB, Komatsu Construction Equipment, Toyota Corporation, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, ABB, and Microsoft Corporation.