Meet Design for Play alumnus Signe Aaby Neustrup

Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Signe. I’m from Vanløse, a suburb of Copenhagen. I have a master's degree in Design for Play and a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design.

Where do you work at the moment? What is your role and what are your tasks?
I just worked as a maternity cover at a children’s toy and clothing company, filling the position as Toy Designer. The tasks varied from designing wood, silicone, interior and the doll universe products. I was hands on with creating products through research, 3D designs, illustrations, graphic work, customer contact and contact with suppliers and product developers. I was also responsible for keeping deadlines and the entire purchasing procedure in terms of safety, economy, and sustainability.

What role has the Design for Play master’s programme played in getting you where you are today?
On the master'd programme, I focused on designing physical products for play. I was an intern in LEGO’s Creative Play Lab, which brought me a lot of knowledge about products that I can apply in my career. I really enjoyed learning about play theory and especially Legaard’s Play Blueprint with Play Activities, Motive Orientation, and Playfulness.

Can you tell us about an important memory from Design School Kolding?
A nice memory was when my co-worker Cecilie and I worked in Design School Kolding’s Lab for Play and Design, and we created a game, which led to the creation of Professor Helle Marie Skovbjerg’s Play mood Euphoria. We divided people into two teams, drew a line on the floor and then took out balls of all sizes. Then we set a timer for 5 minutes and the teams had to get all the balls in the other team’s half. People did everything they could to throw the balls on the other side, and people were running around everywhere and things broke. It was really a Euphoric mood, and it was so much fun.

Do you have any advice to give to someone undertaking this educational path?
Say yes to all the opportunities given to you. You will get the most extraordinary experiences that you can have with you for the rest of your life. I was an intern with the LEGO Foundation in Columbia during the master’s programme, and that was a really special experience. To be in a country so far away from Denmark and see how they used play and how we could learn from them and how they could learn from us was truly amazing.