Head of Department
E-mail: demian.horst@umu.se
Phone: +46 90 786 9782
Background
With German roots but born in the south of Brazil where I got my
bachelor education in industrial design, I have always been very
curious about studying, working and living abroad. My career
started in 1998 when, fresh from university, I joined a local bus
design and manufacturing company owned by a family of Swedish
imigrants. Several seeds were planted then. The importance of team
work, knowledge about state of the art 3D design tools and
awareness about the value of user centered design. In 2001 I moved
to Sweden to specialise in the transportation design field and
joined this school as the first brasilian to ever study in the
programme. During my masters I developed great contacts that led to
a Summer internship at Saab Automobile and to their subsequent
support on my thesis project. After graduation I joined the applied
research group at the school and got involved in a collaboration
project with Volvo Trucks. From there I started to gradually shift
my time and attention to assisting the transportation design
programme. In 2005 I opted for a career move that meant gaining
more insight into how the car industry works from the inside. I
joined General Motors in Germany and for 3 years was involved in
production design connected to the brands Opel and Saab. Late in
2008 I was recruited by UID and returned to Umeå to be responsible
for the MFA in Transportation Design, a role that I held with a lot
of joy and achievements until 2021.
What I do at UID
I am responsible to manage and secure the operation of the
institute within given frameworks, and to lead the staff by
promoting development and collaboration connected to the goals and
visions of UID. In the past I have been responsible for maintaining
and developing the content and direction of our internationally
established MFA programme in Transportation Design. Finding,
preparing and carrying through collaboration projects with external
partners are parts of my tasks. I work alongside the programme
directors and lecturers and take active part in teaching and
tutoring at the school. Besides teaching involvement in all courses
from the TD curricula I often support students with my experience
in digital modelling, visualisation, strategic design and
storytelling. During recent years I have also been involved in
reviewing and advising bachelor students during their portfolio
course.
The school's yearly graduation event is also a project I enjoy
being part of. It involves regular planning and promotion to
connect the design industry to the outstanding pool of talent found
at the school. The 'UID Design Talks & Degree Show' has become
an established and highly appreciated event in the international
design calendar, setting the stage for networking and important
discussions about the future of the subject. This experience is one
of the reasons for my increased participation in global decisions
related to strategic collaboration and subject development at
UID.
Talk to me about:
Spara
