Workplace 2030: RSA’s Students Design Awards

One of the sponsors of the RSA’s Students Design Awards 2013, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) initiated the brief of ‘Workplace 2030: Creating the workplace for future generations’.The aim of the awards is to inspire participating students to understand that the brief is not about futuristic design but about our futures. In 2030, students will be in their mid 30s and the sponsor aims to encourage them to think about design ideas that relate to their own experiences and where/how they want to work in the future.

Based on this brief, Yanki was commissioned to design a series of workshops across the UK for students from different design schools. The tour started from Edinburgh where the workshop was held at the RBS’s headquarters. Then it moved back to the RSA in London, ending in Birmingham for students in the midlands. Each workshop was kicked off by Yanki’s design methodology talk which included footage from Professor Jeremy Myerson’s interview on the history of workplace design. This set the backdrop for students to work in teams quickly and brain storming ideas with Russ Camplin, Design Manager from RBS, giving students instant feedback and guidance for the design brief.

Many thanks to Serva Davies and Hilary Chittenden, RSA Design Team for their invitation and collaboration.

Workplace 2030: RSA’s Students Design Awards 2013 Workshops, Edinburgh, London & Birmingham, UK