T he Dean of Central Saint Martins (CSM), Unive rsity of the Arts, London, Jeremy Till, visited the University of Navarra at . School of Architecture University of Navarra at official opening of the academic year. He gave the inaugural lecture , "Trends", where he encouraged debate on the design and projected some of the work of his students.

The professor, who heads one of the world's top art schools and design , has been awarded the prestigious RIBA Presidents Award for Outstanding Research three times in a row, making him the only academic to do so.

Last Friday, September 23, Jeremy Till attended the presentation of the first projects of the 47 students of Degree at design of the School.

There is a question that seems simple and that is important in the topic we are dealing with: What is the design?

Simple! It's not a simple question... At a very basic level, design is taking something and transforming it into something else, something better. Designing is necessarily a transformative act.

Why is it important to train good designers?

Well, bad designers transform objects into something bad. It is true that designing is not about turning objects into something beautiful, but about understanding and transforming the senses. Students have to be aware of the world and feel it. I like beautiful things, but I think it is more important that they meet the needs of society.

In terms of these social needs, Architecture and design are two similar disciplines, but what makes them different?

It is complex. You can design a chair higher, more leave, more comfortable, less comfortable. There are many chairs in the world, but they basically serve a function. A building is much more complicated. In it, the interesting thing is the relationship of its elements, which you can't control, but you can find.

In architecture schools and design there are creative students looking for new and original ways of expression, what can they contribute to society?

It is very important to listen to them. In a school like this one, or in other schools at design, fantastic ideas come up every day. The problem is when they stay there and their discussion doesn't go beyond its walls. I am an optimist. I think people have very good ideas and it is interesting that they share them. They should not impose them, but share them to make the world a better place.

To that end, how can we think creatively on a day-to-day basis?

People have to believe that thinking creatively can make life better. Sometimes they don't trust that they are capable. That's why I'm interested to see how design financial aid helps us express ourselves and gives material form to ideas. We can all design in some way.

At the University of Navarra we have committed to design with a new Degree. One of its major references is the Central Saint Martins school, of which it is Dean. What are its challenges?

At Central Saint Martins the goal is for students to be as good as they can be. A good design school should not have a style. A good design school needs to be the expression of everyone who works in it. Teachers should provide students with the space, confidence and skills they need to develop their talents.