Yuki Kanda MA

Yuki Kanda is an alumnus from the MDes Service Design, Social Innovation and Design Leadership course. He now works as a freelancer specialising in Service Design and helping clients ranging from large corporations to start-ups.

What appealed to you about Ravensbourne and your chosen degree course?

What appealed to me about my degree course was the practical nature of the programme which was structured with lectures from industry leaders and project-based learning. A small group learning style also appealed to me, which meant students would be taken of care properly.

Could you tell us about the benefits that you experienced from studying with us?

The course required both academic and practical learning, which I think was really beneficial in terms of gaining further knowledge. The learning cycle had deepened my understanding in the subject area and helped me build own perspective.

What were the highlights from your time at Ravensbourne?

Working with professionals from industries, especially Simon Gough who was a tutor of Service Design at the time, provided me with invaluable experience and gave me perspectives I never had. These perspectives are still with me now, and I can now apply them to working in a real business setting.

Meeting and working classmates on the course who are active in each field was also a highlight for me, and I still keep connected with them.

How has your degree from Ravensbourne helped you achieve your professional goals?

In terms of career development, it really helped me to make the career change that I longed for. My previous career was in IT and business, and it was difficult for me to get a role in the creative industries. After graduating from the course, I could successfully get into the industry - I was able to enhance my career by combining previous experience and practical knowledge acquired on the course.

Tell us a little about what you've been doing since graduating – where are you working and what does a typical day look like for you?

After graduating from Ravensbourne, I joined a global design consultancy, and then worked with brand consultancy, WPP group. After the experience there, I am now a freelancer specialising in Service Design, helping various clients ranging from large corporations to start-ups. I am now also planning to set up own design consultancy.

What advice would you give to prospective students?

Acquiring the degree itself is definitely valuable, but I think the real value lies in developing your own learning cycle. For me, this cycle continues and I believe it will put me ahead of the rest in the industry.

The tutors and staffs are so dedicated and you benefit from many opportunities if you are an active learner. The more you ask, the more learning opportunities the programme gives you.