Successful Cooperation Between Socks Manufacturer "Ključ" and IUS

As part of the VA416 Design Studio 2 course at the Department of Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design (VACD) in cooperation with the local socks manufacturer "Ključ", a competition was organized for the fourth year students. The aim of the project was to connect the industry with education and a creative approach to problem solving.

VACD provides quality education, research supervision, and career counseling for undergraduate and graduate students. The VACD program also offers experiential, object- and skill-based learning through fieldtrips, studio practice, curatorial training and internships.

The theme of the competition organized in cooperation with the company “Ključ” was not unified, so students had the creative freedom to express their ideals, desires, and the way they see the world and themselves in the creative space. After two weeks of work on the project, the students presented their ideas in front of the general manager of the socks factory "Ključ", Mr. Hanafi Selek and a professor of Design Studio 2, Assistant Professor Emir Hambo. After a discussion and analysis of design and approach, the design of student Sumeja Fazlić was declared as the best work.

Factory “Ključ”, founded in 1896, is a well-known socks manufacturer. Despite many obstructions over the years, factory “Ključ” has had an impressive development trend that is visible in the increase in production capacity, work performance, and increasing domestic and regional market share.

Thanks to this project, students had the opportunity to get to know the industry and prepare for all the challenges that await them after graduation. VACD continues to work on building bridges between industry and education, thus providing students with adequate knowledge and preparation for life after university. For this reason, VACD invites all big and small businesses to contact them if they would like to leave their creative "problems" to our students.