The Faculty of Art, Design, and Audiovisual Communication (FADCOM) at ESPOL developed an academic initiative that connected third-year design students with representatives from invited companies and organizations to address real-world problems through design. The process began with a challenge posed by each participating organization. Based on these needs, the students analyzed the problems and developed proposals for internal or external communication campaigns, applying the tools and knowledge gained through their design training.
The challenges addressed were related to various areas of organizational management, including human resources, internal and external communication, sales logistics, technical services, and business management. In this way, the exercise demonstrated that design can play a role at different levels within an organization and generate value beyond the fields traditionally associated with marketing and advertising.
As part of the process, students worked in groups and presented their proposals to representatives of the participating organizations. This interaction allowed them to apply what they had learned in the classroom to scenarios that replicate the conditions of a professional assignment, where understanding a problem, identifying opportunities, and proposing relevant solutions are fundamental parts of the design process.
The presentations of the final results took place over four days, from August 17 to 20, in the FADCOM Session Hall and Experimental Room Z001, with the participation of representatives from the companies and organizations involved in the academic exercise. The experience strengthened the link between university education and the professional world by allowing students to tackle concrete challenges and understand the strategic role that design can play in organizational communication and management.
Beyond simply creating graphic pieces, the initiative presented design as a discipline capable of analyzing problems, understanding needs, and developing communication solutions with specific objectives, thereby bringing future professionals closer to the real demands of professional practice.
© Photography & Text: José Luis Castro
