RCA Service Design

'This website celebrates the work of 75 students and 43 projects that have been produced during the largest global pandemic for a century. These students have been spread across the world and have communicated with us through screens for most of their time at the RCA.

Yet, the projects that are shown here are some of the finest projects we've seen on this pioneering, world leading, service design course. Tackling issues large and small, solving the problems of now and envisioning our future, they give us new ideas and hope that we can create a more resilient, robust and fair future.

This year I asked the students to show what they stand for and they have, magnificently. With our amazing industry partners who provide so much support for the projects, the students have observed, interacted and found deep insights in so many vital and important topics and gone on to develop creative responses that lead us forward.

These projects don't just visualise a desirable future, students have gone out and prototyped, tested and proven that future. I believe, despite the amazing challenges they have faced, that the 2021 cohort have set a new standard for service design. Take some time to see how they are facing forward to the opportunities ahead.'

Clive Grinyer

Head of Service Design

what's on

SEE ALL EVENTS

Friday 25th June

Facing Forward Opening Seminar

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chair of Ogilvy and behavioural science expert will talk with the RCA Service Design graduates on the new ideas they will be presenting in RCA2021 across 7 themes of Responsible Data, Building Resilience, Design for Equity, Sustainable Culture, New Business, Cultural Systems and Reimagining Agency.

Wednesday 30th June

Responsible Data

What if designers could imagine more responsible uses of data and contribute to building technologies benefiting the wider society? After a panel talk with Cennydd Bowles, designer and author, and Peter Svarre, digital strategist, RCA Service Design students will share and discuss the learnings of their final year projects.

Wednesday 30th June

Building Resilience

Service Design bundled its creativity, optimism and perseverance to reimagine the current reality by growing a new resilient world. In a panel discussion with entrepreneur, author and director of Replenish Earth, Dr. Tia Kansara, we will explore the reality around building resilience while sharing students' perspectives and experiences of their final projects.

upcoming events

Check below the upcoming event of the Service Design Festival 2020.

June 24, 2021 5:00 PM

Zoom meeting with students and tutors - RCA service design - The Festival of better ideas

Industry Night

Overview of the projects of the Facing Forward show and meet the students of the Class of 2021

June 25, 2021 1:00 PM

Facing Forward Opening Seminar

June 30, 2021 10:00 AM

Responsible Data

This year’s online show was complemented with a rich schedule of events from the 16th to the 30th of July.

We've hosted discursive seminars on where we are now and where we are going, with speakers such as Lou Downe and Julian Thompson.
It's been a feast of new ideas and possibilities and a chance to say you witnessed the launch of the resilient, creative, courageous Class of 2020.

view past EVENTS

Students

The Class of 2021 have been the worst impacted by the pandemic lock down's having spent only a small portion of their time on campus. Yet during these times, the students have created some of the best projects we have seen. Their resilience and creativity continues - find out more about each of our amazing cohort and give them some time to click on their links and talk to them about their work.

Chi Hu

chi.hu@network.rca.ac.uk

(+86)18955367617

Portfolio

Yinong Xin

yinong.xin@network.rca.ac.uk

(+44)(0)7919811261

Portfolio

Yizhou Yang

yizhou.yang@network.rca.ac.uk

(+44)7579873068

Portfolio

go to students

Projects

At the heart of the Service Design course is engagement with real problems in the world. Working with amazing industry partners, the student work has covered a broad range of projects. This year we have arranged the work around a series of themes that showcase the impact and ethos of service design. These include resilience, sustainability, equity, economics and culture - facing forward to light the way to new ideas.

Thank you to all the partners, from UNDP to Jaguar Land Rover, who have worked with the students over the last six months.We’d like to thank our collaborators: North West Hospital NHS Trust, Modal, Fuzzy, BCG, EcoGiff, Fair by Design and Aalto University.

PAST Shows

This website is not just a platform for the 2021 Students but it is an archive of our previous shows including the January 2020 and 2021 Work in Progress Shows and last years graduation show.

It is rapidly becoming a mirror of the different times we have moved through: into and gradually out of pandemic; through social changes around gender; Black Lives Matter; Extinction Rebellion and the concerns around mental health at home and work. It stands as a record of the many impactful and far reaching service design projects of students past and present.

Welcome to the RCA Service Design website

wIP SHOW

2021

final show

2020