Consulting giant Deloitte now has an official home at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
The Deloitte Foundry at SCAD launched last week in Savannah, Georgia inside one of the campus’ historic buildings. The Foundry will be home to a new rapid implementation studio and the Frontier Studio for research on emerging and immersive technologies. This will ultimately be a meeting ground for corporate and academic talent.
Deloitte and SCAD have been long-time partners through the SCADpro, a collaborative design studio bringing together students and the corporate world.
“We knew that bringing our organizations even closer together could yield even more meaningful impact for years to come. Considering our client needs and Deloitte’s commitment to attracting and retaining diverse designers, engineers and technologists, we decided the time was right to expand our relationship with SCAD and strengthen the bonds between our two organizations,” Gretchen Brainard, principal at Deloitte, told Hypepotamus.
Paul Stonick, Vice President of SCADpro, said the program is designed to be a “stepping stone” for students looking to bring their creative minds into corporate settings. The goal is to help get more student ideas launched and into the market while helping top companies design what’s new and what’s next.
“We like to call [SCADpro] our in-house design, research, and innovation studio that creates business solutions for the world’s most influential companies,” Stonick told Hypepotamus. “Companies come to us for unconstrained thinking, Gen Z mindset, fresh creative ideas as well to be able to break through some of the stagnant ideas they have.”
“You can use design to solve anything”: About The Deloitte Foundry at SCAD
SCADpro is specifically working with Deloitte’s government and public services sectors, which is tackling multi-layer problems associated with housing, child support, and much more.
“You can use design to solve anything,” added Stonick.
The partnership between Deloitte and SCADpro dates back to 2019. Over the last few years, SCAD students have completed 22 different projects for the consulting firm and 30 students have been hired into various roles at the company. Those projects have “helped enhance resources and support for military families, effectively deliver services to children and families in need, expand affordable housing in communities across the country and improve long-term care for seniors,” added Brainard.
To date, 7,000 students have worked on SCADpro projects to help build up their resume and student portfolio.
Brands ranging from Adobe to YouTube have turned to SCADpro over the years to engage with top design talent at the university level. 45 of the companies listed on the Forbes 100 Most Valuable list have already partnered with SCADpro. Projects have ranged from reimagining the uniform fitting experience at Delta Air Lines to creating a Super Bowl graphic opener for Fox Sports. Stonick said SCADpro is different from other university programs or similar agency concepts because clients are part of the process from ideation to the final product.
“When you have [this type of] inclusivity and creativity, you have buy-in and trust,” he added.
—
Photos courtesy of SCAD
