My academic and professional journey towards becoming a Food Experience Designer reflects my continuous development in attitude, skills, and knowledge, shaped by a strong passion and a multidisciplinary perspective. During my bachelor’s in food Innovation at HAS University of Applied Sciences, with a specialization in Packaging and Design, I developed a foundation in materials, aesthetics, and sustainability within the food sector. This created a professional mindset and motivated me to expand my design capabilities beyond food.

An internship with Unilever’s Packaging Capability Team introduced me to sustainable material strategies and future-oriented food packaging within a diverse, international design team. This experience sparked my interest in the combination of food, design, and technology and inspired me to pursue a master’s in industrial design at the Technical University of Eindhoven.

Starting the master Industrial Design, I initially intended to explore non-food topics, but quickly recognized the value of my background as a tool for innovation. Rediscovering food through design projects renewed my motivation, turning my background knowledge and experience from a limitation into a strength and lens for creativity.

In my first design project (M1.1) in the Crafting Wearable Senses squad, I applied speculative and material-driven design approaches to household food waste (e.g., potato skins, banana peels), transforming it into wearable materials. This project deepened my understanding of user experience, experimentation and sustainable design. At the same time, the course Designing User Interfaces & Technology introduced me to HCI and soft electronics. I developed a remote-tracking food container system for buffet restaurants, integrating interaction design and workflow optimization which marked the start of my interest in technology-enabled food experiences.

This developed interest out of the past course in materials evolved further during the Unexpected Material Engagements (UME) course, where I explored non-virgin and living materials using biomimicry and sustainable design. This strengthened my prototyping and material-combination skills while deepening my ecological and ethical design perspective.

Driven by entrepreneurial curiosity, I translated earlier business experience into academic practice through courses like Design Entrepreneurship and Value-Based Leadership in Business Innovation. These courses taught me to create value propositions and assess innovation through impact and meaning while crucial for positioning design in real-world markets.

Next to all the courses I was curious in applying my knowlegde in real-life cases which led met to an external project, I used design thinking in a social context through an extracurricular project at Stadsmakers Eindhoven, where I organized potluck dining events to connect locals and international residents. This reaffirmed food’s role in social cohesion and design’s power in community-building.

All learning from the past courses, projects and experiences combined supported my growing interest in high-end gastronomy which led to a collaboration with the two-star Michelin restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel. There, I conducted user research with chefs, managed stakeholder interactions and developed a self-designed method for analysing workflows and culinary identity. Operating in such a demanding context refined my skills in communication, organization, and creative problem-solving, while reinforcing my ambition to innovate within fine dining.

To further broaden my skills in service design, co-creation, and material experimentation, I participated in an exchange program during my M2.1 at Aalto University in Finland. There, I deepened my understanding of strategic and service design, product development and living materials. Attending the Service Design Global Conference in 2024 provided professional insights and highlighted service design’s relevance to food systems and beyond.

Through these diverse experiences, my professional identity as a Food Experience Designer has taken shape. By combining knowledge in food and packaging with emerging competencies in materiality, interaction design, and co-creation, I aim to design multi-sensory experiences that are both innovative and emotionally engaging. My work is guided by a strong ethic, a willingness to push boundaries, and a detail-oriented mindset. This approach continues to shape my design direction and will remain central to my Final Master Project and future career.

Kamilla with Saucy Slide