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Studying Product Design in Germany at FH Aachen

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Updated on: Sept 2025

Study Product Design in Germany at FH Aachen

Hi everyone, I’m Jia Pei. I’ve just wrapped up my second semester in Product Design at FH Aachen, and honestly, it’s been one of the most exciting and hands-on semesters so far. Every module pushed me to think differently, experiment more, and connect design concepts to real-life applications. Here’s a glimpse of what I’ve been working on:

Modelling Technique

One of our biggest assignments was to design a Digital Assistance for Professionals. The fun part? We had complete freedom to decide which profession and what problems our device would solve. From there, we created a clay model, developed a CAD model with renderings, built a wooden mock-up, and prepared a poster and stand for the final presentation. On top of that, we also designed the UI for the app and the display of the product, it felt like working on a real-world project.

Sketching and Rendering

This module was all about strengthening the basics. Sketching and rendering both on paper and digitally. It’s so satisfying to see how much my sketches have improved since the first semester!

Rhino CAD

Here, our lecturer guided us through tutorials, and then we had to create our own version of a product. A cool example was designing a bike. We first learned the basics, then applied what we had picked up in Technical Drawing last semester to make our own unique designs.

Foundation in Design (Grundlagen Entwurflehre)

This class was where I got to experiment the most with materials. Over the semester, we had five assignments. After short lectures, we brainstormed ideas, discussed them with our lecturer, and kept refining based on feedback. I worked with cement, plaster, ceramic, paper, wood, and even 3D printing. One of my proudest projects was creating a deep plate using slip-casting. From brainstorming, 3D printing, making the plaster mold, to pouring ceramic and letting it dry. It was messy but so rewarding!

Foundation in Projects (Grundlagen Projekte)

These projects gave us insight into different design fields:

  • Product Deep Dive: We dismantled a product and studied its structure, giving us a better look into industrial design.
  • Mood Boards: We explored spatial design by creating mood boards with materials that aligned with a chosen brand’s identity.

Theory-Based Modules

Of course, not everything was hands-on. We also had theory classes:

  • Material & Manufacturing Techniques: Learning about different production processes.
  • History of Art (Kunstgeschichte) & Reference Sciences (Bezugswissenschaft): Writing protocols and engaging with the theory side of design.

Looking back, this semester was a mix of creativity, experimentation, and learning to balance technical skills with storytelling in design. Each project pushed me to think deeper and work with my hands in ways I never imagined before. I’m excited (and a little nervous) for what’s next, but one thing’s for sure, Product Design at FH Aachen is shaping the way I see and create things every day.

Written by Jia Pei

Jia Pei just wrapped up her 2nd semester in Product Design at FH Aachen. It was a super hands-on semester, from designing a digital assistant device (clay model, CAD, wooden mock-up + UI) to sketching, rendering, CAD bike design, and experimenting with materials like plaster, ceramic, and wood (she even made her own deep plate!). Alongside that came projects like dismantling products, building mood boards, and theory classes on manufacturing, art history, and design sciences. A semester full of creativity, problem-solving, and turning ideas into real prototypes!

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