Strategic Design Management
Learn how to combine design methods and awareness with effective management strategies to create value and innovate an enterprise.
Barcelona
ENG
Master
Language
English
Start date
January 2027
Frequency
Evening
Fruition
On campus
Duration
11 Months
Course Coordination
Alessia Rullo
Price
Lead the way in terms of change, merging design, strategy and management to develop innovative and sustainable solutions that meet the challenges of the modern world.
The role of design within organisations has evolved significantly in recent years. No longer confined to the development of products or visual identities, design now operates as a strategic function that influences business models, customer experience ecosystems, innovation processes and organisational transformation. In this context, Strategic Design Management emerges as a critical discipline for companies seeking sustainable competitive advantage.
Organisations today face increasing complexity: multi-channel customer journeys, data-driven decision-making, rapid technological change and growing societal demands around sustainability, inclusion and ethics. Within this landscape, design cannot remain operational or isolated. It must be strategically positioned, systematically managed and capable of generating measurable impact.
The contemporary Strategic Design Manager is therefore not only responsible for coordinating creative teams, but also for aligning design decisions with business strategy, orchestrating end-to-end experiences, integrating data into evaluation processes and ensuring scalability across systems and infrastructures. This requires a hybrid profile capable of bridging creativity and management, vision and execution, experimentation and accountability.
The Master in Strategic Design Management responds to this need by reinforcing its core identity while strengthening the strategic, analytical and organisational dimensions of design management. It prepares professionals to understand design as a managerial discipline embedded within business transformation and innovation strategy.
Information to decide
A highly specialized master’s degree course in which you’ll acquire the necessary skills to manage innovation from the perspective of strategic design. You’ll develop analytical, methodological and creative skills to lead projects in complex and changing contexts.
Students benefit from constant support from the programme coordinator through personalised tutoring sessions that facilitate both academic and professional progress.
The programme takes a holistic approach, integrating key disciplines to provide in-depth experience in areas where design and strategy most strongly intersect: Design Research, Creativity, Service and Experience Design, and Design for Sustainability.
The course is structured to encourage multidisciplinary collaboration through joint activities with students from other international master's programmes and courses, generating synergies among future professionals in an enriching learning environment.
Throughout the programme, students participate in workshops, seminars, visits and conferences led by international specialists in design, innovation and strategic management. These experiences help expand professional networks and expose participants to different approaches and trends within the sector.
Study trips
To remain connected with the latest market trends and fully understand the diversity of European professional contexts, the programme includes a study trip to a key European city. This experience offers first-hand exposure to real creative ecosystems, allowing students to connect with professionals working in different sectors and explore new markets from a strategic perspective.
Master's Thesis Project
The programme culminates in the presentation of the Master's Thesis Project, the most effective way to apply everything learned throughout the course by developing a strategic proposal grounded in research, creativity and business vision. This project offers an excellent opportunity to showcase skills, knowledge and analytical capabilities before a jury of professionals, and also serves as a strong professional calling card.
The programme is aimed primarily at designers from different disciplines seeking to move into strategic roles within organisations. It is designed for professionals with backgrounds in product design, industrial design, UX/UI, service design, graphic design, interaction design or related creative fields who wish to expand their scope of influence beyond execution and creative development.
At the same time, the programme also welcomes professionals from business, marketing, innovation and product management backgrounds who aim to integrate design methodologies into their strategic practice.
Additionally, the programme is suitable for entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial profiles wishing to develop, test or scale their own initiatives. Whether launching a new venture or driving transformation within an existing organisation, these candidates are motivated to combine strategic thinking, design management and measurable impact.
Across all profiles, the programme seeks individuals with intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, a collaborative mindset and a strong motivation to position design as a strategic management discipline within complex organisational contexts.
Design has become a key driver of innovation, competitiveness and organisational transformation. The Master in Strategic Design Management prepares professionals to operate at the intersection of design, business and strategy, equipping them with the tools to integrate design into corporate decision-making and innovation processes.
Throughout the programme, students learn how to manage design as a strategic resource, aligning brand, customer experience and business objectives. The course combines theoretical frameworks, applied methodologies and real-world projects that allow participants to develop the skills required to lead cross-functional teams and complex design-driven initiatives.
A distinctive feature of the programme is its focus on measuring and communicating the impact of design. Students develop the ability to apply data literacy, performance metrics and experimentation processes to support strategic decisions.
Graduates are prepared to assume strategic roles such as Strategic Design Manager, Design Strategist, Innovation Lead or Design Director within organisations where design plays a central role in value creation.
Syllabus
The Master in Strategic Design Management is structured around six core modules that progressively build the strategic, managerial and analytical capabilities required to position design as a driver of business value and organisational transformation.
STRATEGIC DESIGN FOUNDATIONS MODULE
Conceptual and theoretical backbone of Strategic Design Management.
The module introduces human- and life-centred innovation principles and frames design as an integrative function connecting business, technology and user experience.
DESIGN STRATEGY AND BUSINESS ALIGNMENT MODULE
Positioning design within corporate and competitive strategy.
The module develops the ability to translate design proposals into strategic arguments that resonate with executive stakeholders, reinforcing design as a managerial and strategic function rather than a purely creative activity.
DATA, METRICS AND DESIGN PERFORMANCE MODULE
In contemporary organisations, strategic management requires measurable impact.
The objective of this module is to ensure that design decisions are informed, accountable and connected to tangible business outcomes.
INNOVATION AND EXPERIMENTATION MANAGEMENT MODULE
Structured approaches to managing innovation processes.
By integrating experimentation into strategic design management, participants learn to balance creativity with rigour and transform innovative ideas into viable and scalable solutions.
CX ORCHESTRATION AND DESIGN SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MODULE
The ability to coordinate complex experience ecosystems across multiple touchpoints.
The module emphasises governance, modularity and scalability, positioning the Strategic Design Manager as an orchestrator of experiences and systems within organisational frameworks.
LEADERSHIP, INFLUENCE AND ORGANISATIONAL MANAGEMENT MODULE
The final module develops the transversal leadership competencies required to operate effectively within complex organisations.
FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE: STRATEGIC INDUSTRY IMMERSION
The programme incorporates a structured Field Trip Experience designed as an immersive learning module directly connected to the academic objectives of Strategic Design Management.
The Field Trip Experience strengthens students’ understanding of how strategic design management operates in practice, enhances their international perspective and fosters direct engagement with industry leaders. It also provides networking opportunities and reinforces the programme’s commitment to bridging academic rigour with professional reality.
MFT – MASTER FINAL THESIS
The Master Final Project represents the culmination of the programme and demonstrates the student’s ability to apply Strategic Design Management in a coherent and measurable way. It requires the development of a strategic response to a complex design and business challenge situated within a real or realistic organisational context.
Faculty
Course Coordinator
Alessia Rullo
Phd in Interaction Design
Teacher
Olivier Mache
Strategic design director at Nacar Design
Teacher
Sol Fernández
Service Designer
Teacher
Mercedes Cáceres
Strategy and Innovation Consultant
Teacher
Rafael Pérez
Design and Innovation Management Specialist
Teacher
Christina Bifano
Designer, educator, researcher
Inside the labs
+2
Media Lab
+3
Hybrid Lab
+4
Design Labs
+2
+3
+2
Projects
Course partner
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