Maximum adrenaline rate. Anyone who has ever been a student knows that feeling on exam day. And the “5th year” of design training at Rubika, a large school based in Valenciennes, in the North, are no exception. Here, the exam consists of a project presentation in partnership with major brands such as Decathlon, Renault, Audi, Goodyear or even Seb.
Some study projects and prototypes are even stamped with the seal of confidentiality. “The great strength of our school is to offer quasi-professional working conditions and mobility internships all over the world”, explains Rubika. Goal ; innovation at all costs. Thus, among the 19 projects presented, a group of six students worked for five months on a bathroom for the elderly or disabled.
International awards
“In general, it is difficult to find aesthetic objects that are not medical equipment to equip this type of bathroom,” explains Marie, one of the students concerned. The group has imagined furniture on which we can lean: a ladder to spread the towels, for example. With the right advertising campaign. Who knows if tomorrow, the home improvement brand that oversees this project will not include it in its catalog?
Last year, four students won an international UX design award for designing a more user-friendly workspace for people with severe hearing loss by improving group conversations for them. “Many of our students also create their own design studio, once they have finished their studies”, assures Stéphane André, a former Navy member who became captain of the Rubika vessel.
Because the notoriety of this great school has been inscribed in time, by succeeding, in 2013, the merger of three renowned schools of the Chamber of Commerce of Valenciennes: the Higher Institute of Design, Supinfocom (devoted to animated cinema ) and Supinfogame (specialized in video games).
“Each year, 900,000 euros invested in equipment”
These three disciplines are now available in ten courses that welcome around a thousand students in a monumental building, built in 2015. “Each year, 800,000 to 900,000 euros are invested in equipment. About 1,000 hours of classes are taught per year. With the quality of recruitment, this is perhaps what makes the success of this school”, emphasizes Stéphane André.
Because on the animation side like video games, the students also pile up the rewards. For example, two short films, Overrun and Gunpowder have already won the “Best student project Award” at Siggraph, a prestigious American seminar. Another, spring attitudemade it to the finals of the Student Oscars.
This year, a video game LiveAdventure is nominated at the Independent Games Festival (IGF) to be held in San Francisco in March, and four other games are nominated at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, two leading international competitions.
Association status
In the huge corridors, the gray matter of future creators who will only be passing through Valenciennes meet. “In animation, for example, half of our students find work abroad, in big companies like Pixar or Dreamworks”, welcomes Stéphane André.
For its part, the school left, in October, the supervision of the CCI to take the status of association. “We ensure in the long term that all tuition fees are allocated to the development of the school, as is the case today, specifies Stéphane André. This should also make it possible to be eligible for funds from patronage, when common ambitions are identified. And this status must, finally, strengthen partnerships to guarantee our independence. »
An open day is organized within the school, on Saturday February 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.