Students on the bachelor's degree programme in Design and Product Management at Campus Kuchl had the unique opportunity to put their knowledge directly into practice as part of their studies: In teams, they developed the brand strategy and concrete implementation proposals for three promising Salzburg start-ups.
As part of the ‘Brand Development’ course, the international students on the Design & Product Management bachelor's programme were able to put their knowledge directly into practice. For three start-ups from the Salzburg start-up accelerator Co-Rocks run by Romy Sigl - herself a graduate of the Design & Product Management degree programme at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences - the students carried out comprehensive analyses of the brands, identified starting points for the further development of the brands and developed strategic concepts and design proposals.
Hands-on with real projects
The students immersed themselves in the respective business ideas, got to know the founders personally and thus gained valuable insights into the practice of founding a company. The students received expert guidance from lecturer Elisabeth Pichler-Lüdicke. For her, the project is a successful example of the practical relevance of the programme: ‘The students were able to apply the knowledge they had learned in this real-life scenario: From the project briefing by the client and the design of the customer relationship on the one hand, to in-depth analyses, strategy development and the development of concrete implementation proposals for the brands' most important contact points, they were able to contribute their extensive tools. The students provided great suggestions, contributed a lot of their design skills and developed concrete recommendations for the founders,’ explains the lecturer.
Brand identity for young start-ups
Specifically, the students worked with three very different start-ups. Two groups worked on Annabell Eder's start-up idea, a horse hoof therapy sock called ‘Pegasox’. Other groups worked with the startup ‘SharingUP GmbH’ led by Ulrich Pozar, whose goal is an environmentally conscious approach to (children's) clothing and therefore sells baby clothes for rent. Two groups of students also dedicated themselves to Sanja Jovanovic's start-up and developed concepts for her product ‘Silona’ iced tea - a special drink for women.
Startup programme initiator Romy Sigl on the joint project with the students: ‘The creativity of the students was overwhelming. They developed the startups‘ brand presence across the brands’ most important touchpoints - from the packaging to a trade fair stand to the website - in such a way that it perfectly reflects their brand identity and appeals to the respective target group in the best possible way.’
From theory to practice
The students also report a great learning experience. The project resembled a real professional situation, allowing the students to fully adapt to a realistic working environment. This was not just a theoretical training project - many of the ideas and concepts developed are actually being implemented.
