A hand-to-heart reality check for your post-graduation plans, with insights, tools, and real money talk – Let’s Talk Business is a course for designers and covers three focus areas: 
1. In a Career Options Reality Check, we will look into a wide range of career choices for designers, both independently and in employment, from freelancing to small studio or big agency employment, product idea to startup, design to advertising. From independent practice to artistic studio, from hands-on creative roles to strategy and management. And how these choices typically inform your role, your creative freedom, and your financial independence.

2. In Strengths & Struggles, we will discuss positioning, finding the confidence to talk about your work, and how to find out what the heck you actually want. And we will climb the cringe mountain of introducing yourself as a designer :).

3. In How to make money, we will look into how day rates are defined, projects are budgeted, and what designers need to know about contracts and budgeting in agencies. Plus a brief foray into the importance of contracts.

4. What makes a good application, and the communication around it. There will be opportunities for Portfolio Reviews
in the group and 121.

Whilst the course includes a host of practical tips and tools, these conversations will be affecting your ideas and emotions – regular check-ins and opportunities for one-to-one mentoring leave room for exploring them.

Course leader Vera-Maria Glahn will inform the seminar with reference points from her own experience, ranging from studio founder to marketing director, from consultant to employer, and examples of designers, artists, studios and creative businesses worldwide.

Workshop Language
German or English, depending on the group.

What students need to bring
- Brains, hearts and gut feeling
- Their portfolio – work in progress is fine!
- Notepads, pen
- Mobile device for participatory surveys

Maximalzahl Teilnehmende: 20