Designer in Residence Programme
Project Name
Designer in Residence Programme
Project Partners
The Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI), Local Enterprise Office Galway (LEO Galway), Galway Culture Company
Role of Galway Culture Company
Partner
Strategic Aim
This project falls under our second strategic aim;
Support and Develop Place based Cultural programming
Project Description
Galway Culture Company (GCC), The Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) and the Local Enterprise Office Galway (LEO Galway) proudly celebrated the collaboration of design and the convergence of business worlds through this innovative initiative, the Designer in Residence Programme 2024.
This initiative saw the pairing of five talented graduate designers, all hailing from the West of Ireland, with five forward-thinking companies. Their mission was to collaboratively tackle real-world, intricate challenges. Each graduate designer partnered with a senior member of their respective company, immersing themselves in the organisation’s mission, vision, and values. They drew inspiration from these core principles to discover new solutions that addressed the pressing challenges faced by these businesses.
Projects outcomes-what we expect from this project
The five talented designers and the organisations they were paired with were:
- Claudine Curran – MMC Eco Homes
- Diarmuid O’Connor – PorterShed
- Rory Maguire – Eyedea
- Niamh McArdle – Croi Heart and Stroke Charity
- Sam Ardiff – Galway Chamber of Commerce
The programme ended with final presentations in CREW, Galway – who hosted the final showcase and offered co-working support to the designers throughout the programme.
Before the final presentations a panel discussion was held with the companies, to find out their experience of the programme, the benefits to their company and their future projects.
Key takeaways from the panel discussion were that the companies were hugely impressed by the calibre of work output from the designers. They highlighted that the designers did not just offer solutions, but rather identified the problem the business was facing, and took a holistic approach to proposed outcomes. Few had experience working with designers before the programme, and the collective sentiment was such that they understand the power of working with a designer, and will continue to do so, with most planning to continue the projects beyond the programme’s end.
Read more about the designers’ projects here.
How this project is funded
Partnership project co-funded by The Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI), Local Enterprise Office Galway (LEO Galway), and Galway Culture Company, which is supported by the Government of Ireland under the National Development Plan through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
Duration
This project took place from November 2023 to April 2024.
Read about the selected designers here.
