About
![Use as a placeholder image.](https://transforms.designskolenkolding.dk/production/images/01-Interioer-Kantine-1500x1032.jpg?w=1330&h=600&q=90&fm=webp&fit=crop&dm=1717763926&s=bdc3e4ab080b7471558a4d79c940e209)
Opportunities and solutions
We explore how to live and how to create positive change. We try to solve problems and envision new possibilities.
Because the world is calling for change. For sustainability, community and a good life for everyone. So, it's not just about filling our lives with more stuff but about improving what already is. Making it more beautiful, functional, playful and appealing. It's about listening to people's needs and including them in the development of new solutions.
Kolding School of Design has around 400 students and enjoys international recognition as a design university where students can work with tools, techniques, concepts and methods in an international environment and with easy access to good workshop facilities.
The history of Kolding School of Design
-
1967
In August 1967, the school, then known as Kunsthåndværkerskolen, opens in Kolding with a textiles programme (printing and weaving) and an advertising programme. The school is established in Vesterbrogade as a department under Kolding Tekniske Skole. The following year, the school moves to premises in Brdr. Volkerts Fabrikker, and a ceramics programme is added. At this time, the school has around 100 students. -
1970-1990
In 1970, yet another programme is added: Clothing. In 1989, the programme is restructured and improved, and extended from four years to five. After the first phase of a new educational structure, the school now includes a one-year interdisciplinary basic school, four two-year programmes (Clothing, Graphic Design and Illustration, Ceramics and Textiles), and three two-year specialist departments (Department of Industrial Design, Department of Unique Design and Department of Visual Communication).
-
1993
Graphic Design and Illustration, the Department of Visual Communication, Ceramics and parts of the Department of Unique Design move to Saxovej. Bdr. Volkerts Fabrikker now houses administration, the basic programme, Clothing, Textiles, the Department of Industrial Design, parts of the Department of Unique Design, workshop, auditorium and canteen. In 1995, a new programme in Interactive Multimedia is set up.
-
1996
In January 1996, the school breaks away from Kolding Tekniske Skole to become an independent institution under the Danish Ministry of Education. The school acquires the Solar building in Ågade and organises an architectural competition to renovate and refurbish the building.
The content and structure of the programme is changed once again, resulting in the Department of Industrial Design and the Department of Unique Design being replaced by the Department of Product Design. The Department of Form and Theory is established, while the Department of Visual Communication is maintained. The objective is greater interdisciplinary collaboration, with more emphasis on theoretical aspects and form.
-
1998
The school moves into the new building at Ågade 10, gathering all of the school’s departments under one roof. At the same time, the school changes its name to Designskolen Kolding / Kolding School of Design.
-
2002-2007
In 2002, the government and the political parties enter into an agreement for the artistic programmes under the Ministry for Culture which mean that, for four years, the school is guaranteed a steady income provided it meets certain requirements. The first actual research project is initiated.
The following year, the school inaugurates an extension including workshops, study areas and a photo studio. At the same time, a new Executive Order is approved for Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. The first four-year performance contract is entered into with the Ministry of Culture, which decide to close Ceramics in 2007.
-
2008-2010
In 2008, two large subject-specific departments are set up: the Department of Communication Design, comprising Graphic Design, Illustration and Interaction Design (formerly Interactive Media) and the Department of Product Design with Industrial Design, Fashion and Textiles. Research becomes part of the new Faculty for Education and Research, which also handles study administration and cross-disciplinary teaching.
The school undergoes an accreditation process along with an assessment of its research activities, resulting in the school being granted university status in 2010, and thus able to offer a three-year Bachelor’s programme, a two-year Master’s programme and then the possibility of a PhD programme.
-
2011
Through the business development project D2i – Design to Innovate, the school becomes part of a major initiative to create growth, innovation, and jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises. From 2011 to 2020, the school facilitates programmes for more than 800 companies and even more employees—workshops and courses centred around design as the key to skills development and business growth. This EU-funded project laid the foundation for the school’s focus on continuing and further education, which gained significant momentum with the launch of a diploma programme in 2018.
-
2014
In connection with the presentation of the Finance Bill for 2014, the school is able to set up an Accessory Design programme (Bachelor’s and Master’s) with a focus on shoes, bags and jewellery.
-
2017
In collaboration with the LEGO Foundation and the LEGO Group, the school establishes the world's first Master's degree in Design for Play. Through this new educational programme, LEGO and Kolding School of Design aim to jointly contribute to a more playful and thus creative society.
-
2018
The school launches a revised Master's degree programme, which integrates classic design skills with cross-disciplinary specialisation. This means that graduate students specialize in either Design for People (social design), Design for Planet (sustainability), or Design for Play (play and design) and develop their professional skills in relation to either Fashion Design, Textile Design, Industrial Design, Communication Design, or Accessory Design. The new structure makes it even more possible to train designers with professional depth and broad competences to collaborate across professional groups. Designers with a sharp profile who can help challenge companies and public institutions in their way of seeing the world and in collaboration with them create new, exciting solutions.
2018 is also the year that the school launches a new diploma programme in strategic design and management. The education is tailored for consultants, managers and middle managers as well as for teachers in both the private and public sector and provides skills to work at the crossroads between design, innovation and management.
-
2020
In June 2020 the school is granted a positive institution accreditation. This means that the school officially meets the criteria for offering excellent and relevant university programmes in an environment that supports openness and dialogue. A positive institution accreditation gives the school the responsibility and freedom to implement a system, which ensures the quality and relevance of its programmes as well as the possibility to set up new programmes and adjust existing ones.
-
2021
The school expands its continuing and further education activities by offering courses focused on design thinking and methods, as well as facilitating tailored programmes for both public and private organisations. Both the courses and programmes combine theory with practical application, where participants learn to navigate user journeys, develop ideas, and translate them into action through prototyping and visualisation. The focus is particularly on solving complex problems and equipping participants with the tools to challenge their own and others' assumptions, as well as to facilitate change processes.
-
2023-2024
The school's building at Ågade 10 undergoes an extensive transformation to create the best conditions for creative expression. Technological development requires future-proof workshop facilities, while the school's status as a university has given a big push to research, which also requires physical spaces for co-creation.
The A.P. Møller Foundation contributes DKK 24 million to the transformation, the Augustinus Foundation contributes DKK 11.25 million, and the Louis-Hansen Foundation contributes DKK 15 million. Kolding School of Design’s own financing amounts to DKK 17.8 million. The renovation takes just over 1 1/2 years and is carried out by CUBO Architects, with Hansen & Knudsen A/S as the main contractor and Tegnestuen Mejeriet as the project management consultant. In connection with the rebuilding, the school is rehoused at Dyrehavevej 116, which previously served as the location for UC Syd.
Organisation and management
The programmes are under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education. Kolding School of Design is headed by the Rector, who is employed by and refers to the school’s Board of Directors, who have overall responsibility for the school. The Board of Directors is made up of elected members of the board of representatives, all of whom have professional design or industrial experience.
The management of the school is undertaken by the school’s heads of department – the Prorector, the Head of Administration, the Head of Education, the Head of Research – and the Rector. In the day-to-day management of Kolding School of Design, the Rector is assisted by the management team/rectorate.
Kolding School of Design's management is handled by the Rector in collaboration with the school's Rector's office, which in addition to the Rector consists of the Vice-Rector, the Head of Administration, the Head of Education, the Head of Communications and the Project Manager.
In the day-to-day management of the institution, the Rector is assisted by the management group/Rectorate.
![Use as a placeholder image.](https://transforms.designskolenkolding.dk/production/images/01-Interioer-Kantine-1500x1032.jpg?w=320&h=450&q=90&fm=webp&fit=crop&dm=1717763926&s=d472bdecb8b2bb817b0aa588a3211607)
“Kolding School of Design wants to inspire, challenge and develop Danish design and the designer's role, relevance and reach in a global reality.”
Contact
Board of Directors
External representatives
- Nanna Ulrich Gudum, Head of Design, LEGO Group (chairperson)
- Merete Due Paarup, City Council Member, Kolding Municipality (vice chairperson)
- Hans Christian Asmussen, Designer, Owner of NATiON
- Rune Kirt, CEO, Architect & Co-founder, KIRTxTHOMSEN
- Michael Qvortrup, Design Manager, Industrial Designer, Artlinco
- Karsten Uno Petersen, Member of the Regional Council, Region Syddanmark (alternate member)
Internal representatives
- Lene Tanggaard, Rector
- Anne-Mette Hummel Holm, Director of Administration and Business Development, prorector
- Eva Kappel, Director of Education
- Lene Nyhus Friis, Project Director, Head of Lab for Play & Design, Lab for Social Design and Lab for Sustainability and Design
- Charlotte Melin, Head of Communications
- August Severin Kjærholm Rizzi, DSR
- Marie Louise Junker Jacobsen, DSR
- Karina Sørensen, Employee Representative
- Helle Graabæk, Employee Representative
![](https://transforms.designskolenkolding.dk/production/images/STUDIERETNINGER/INDUSTRIELT-DESIGN/MG_4881.jpg?w=544&h=725&q=90&fm=webp&fit=crop&dm=1708504481&s=48186e671f8708ea6ccdc5f444481000)
The Board of Representatives
Appointed by Design Denmark
- Rune Kirt, CEO, Architect & Co-founder, KIRTxTHOMSEN (member of the Board of Directors)
- Christina Halskov, Partner, Halskov Design Studio
- Carsten Nguyen Henriksen, Independent Brand Design Consultant; Carsten Henriksen Studio
Appointed by the Danish Arts and Crafts Association
- Hans Christian Asmussen, Designer, owner of NATiON (member of the Board of Directors)
- Lene Thomasen, Textile Designer, owner of Tekstilwerk
Appointed by the Region of Southern Denmark
- Karsten Uno Petersen, Member of the Regional Council (alternate member, the Board of Directors)
Appointed by Kolding Municipality
- Merete Due Paarup, Member of the City Council, Kolding Municipality (vice chairperson of the Board of Directors and the Board of Representatives)
Appointed by the Danish Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
- Bo Ulsøe, CEO, Blunico A/S Appointed by the Confederation of Danish Industry
- Lise Thomsen, Head of Subject, DI Kreative Erhverv
- Morten Bach Jensen, Group Vice President, Grundfos Holding A/S
- Michael Qvortrup, Design Manager, Industrial Designer, Artlinco (member of the Board of Directors)
- Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Creative Director, Atelier, Bang & Olufsen A/S
- Anne Qvist, Architect MAA & industrial designer, Anne Qvist Design Office
Appointed by Dansk Fashion & Textiles
- Morten Dybro, Head of Sales and Development, Dansih Fashion & Textiles
Appointed by the IT Industry
- Sara Marie Alvad, CEO, 1508 Aarhus
Appointed by the Danish Producers' Association
- Ida Hartmann, Freelance Story Person, Illustrator & Comic Artist, Idahartmann.com
Appointed by the Danish Chamber of Commerce
- Farid Fellah, CEO, Rosan Bosch Studio
Appointed by the Organisation Danish Museums
- Berit Anne Larsen, Director of Learning and Interpretation, Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK)
Appointed by the Danish Entrepreneurs' Association
- Frederikke Antonie Schmidt, Founder & Creative director, roccamore
External representatives appointed by the Board of Directors
- Nanna Ulrich Gudum, Head of Design, LEGO Group (chairperson of the Board of Directors and the Board of Representatives)
![](https://transforms.designskolenkolding.dk/production/images/STUDIERETNINGER/ACCESSORY-DESIGN/FORMLAND-21.jpg?w=544&h=725&q=90&fm=webp&fit=crop&dm=1701247302&s=96de24c7919bcc5bc8d6c6d9076cb72f)
Competitions and exhibitions
“Kolding School of Design has managed to invigorate large design companies in the immediate area and has raised the interdisciplinary standard. The school has also helped to ensure the presence of a strong, high-quality, international design environment outside Copenhagen. It has made the Danish design DNA – based on values and aesthetics – relevant to the 21st century”, the Council said.
In 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020 Design School Kolding graduates received the Young Talent Award at the Danish Design Award.
In 2017 Design School Kolding was nominated for the prestigious Milano Design Award for the REDO Super Supermarket exhibition at Salone del Mobile, the world’s leading design fair.
Design School Kolding has two final projects represented in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
![](https://transforms.designskolenkolding.dk/production/images/NYHEDER/maria_viftrup_vinder.jpeg?w=544&h=725&q=90&fm=webp&fit=crop&dm=1713945295&s=addce906d830ba50e58a3afa9f222006)
Latest news from Kolding School of Design
![Use as a placeholder image.](https://transforms.designskolenkolding.dk/production/images/01-Interioer-Kantine-1500x1032.jpg?w=710&h=1024&q=90&fm=webp&fit=crop&dm=1717763926&s=c62272d4598f0c0572295279c026f075)