Dan Baczynski, 2015 alumni, designer in London

Dan Baczynski in London on 26 January 2024

L'École de design Nantes Atlantique went to London to meet its graduates and immerse in their daily lives, to better understand their strategic role within their company, in an international context. Stéphanie Martin-Petit, Careers Manager, met Dan Baczynski. A 2015 graduate of the school, Dan studied space design at the school, followed by a master's level degree in the Digital design Lab. He is now a senior systems designer at Landor, specialists in world-renowned brands.

How do you think the design professions have evolved in recent years?

There is an evolution of design towards systems thinking. The design council, around twenty years ago, democratized the double diamond diagram (discover, define, develop & deliver) in United Kingdom.

But a new survey has just been carried out and they realized that more and more designers are interested in environmental, social, political & technological issues and are taking things into account as a whole.

This report is called Beyond Net Zero, A systemic design approach. The results show that some designers are starting to implement systems thinking. It’s a big revolution, moving from user centric to something more system oriented.

How is your design profession strategic?

My role as a systems designer is strategic because I will look further than just the customer experience. I will see how the company is structured, what its ecosystem is like in order to identify the main leverage points. This allows me to not only have the user's point of view but also the internal point of view of the brand and identify the changes to be made in terms of business so that it can be reflected in the customer experience.

I use the research conducted in parallel by the brand strategy team, but I have to conduct my own research to propose a project and a digital strategy with a long-term vision.

Photo de Dan Baczynski

What has the school brought you?

The school provided me with the technical foundations, of course, during my bachelor's degree; and with hindsight, I understood that during my master's, with the autonomy we were given, the school encouraged us to articulate our thoughts and become the designers we aspired to be. Above all, the school allowed me to progress within a setting with good profiles, motivated individuals, and good friends.

Any advice for future designers?

You have to do what you love, both within and outside of work. You have to trust yourself and discover what you like. We have to be naturally curious, exploring what really interests us in order to evolve within the profession.