Creative career trajectories. Meet a KADK graduate. From furniture to ostomy bags
KADK graduates get ideas, test new concepts and reinvent methods and processes. They create unique value, whether they start their own business, or work in the private sector or for the state and local municipalities. Meet industrial designer, Jakob Bendix, who works for Coloplast. Read about his job and how he got it.
I tend to say… that I have sold my soul to the pharmaceutical industry and that it is one of the most meaningful things I have ever done.
My job involves so many different tasks.
When we make a new product, I am involved early on in the process, and I more or less see it through until it reaches the production stage. When it’s time to market the product, I am also involved, because I am acquainted with every detail of the design’s genesis, so I can tell the full story.
When we make a new product… we have to make a lot of choices, and I need to be able to make a case for all the choices to all the stakeholders. For example, we created a range of ostomy bags, where we tried to take the history of the illness out of the product, so it would naturally complement clothing. This gives the user a better self-image.
I have no average working days
One day I’m interviewing end users or nurses. The next day I could be giving a talk about our previous project or working on the next project and designing it in 3D.
I work with an incredible variety of disciplines
When you work with so many different people on a project, it is really important to explain clearly what the design is all about and why it is worth the effort. Innovation often requires a lot of extra work before it succeeds. If business partners do not love the project, they do not put their all into it, and it becomes burdensome. That does not contribute to the creation of an innovative product. So everyone needs to understand in what way it will benefit the user, when they are making an extra effort.
When I graduated … I was self-employed for about six years. I designed the likes of barbecues and garden equipment for COOP. But then came the financial crisis, and something new needed to happen. Through a former fellow student, I got a job in Coloplast, and I have loved it ever since.
Funnily enough, it isn’t very difficult to switch from garden furniture to ostomy bags… the design process is the same. The big upheaval was leaving behind my own company to take up the job at Coloplast, where there is a work force of 10,000. The deadline pressure is much different and very complex.
I use everyday tools and experiences from school
Having mastered the design process at school means that I am not afraid of dealing with chaos. You must not say out loud to the project manager, “We are in a state of chaos.” You just have to trust your professionalism and be confident that you will achieve your goal.
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At KADK the business community is a close business partner. The School has a long tradition of partnerships with companies and institutions that benefit from the expertise of our students and graduates. There are countless opportunities for working together with a student from KADK.
