The central theme of this paper is the exploration of an innovative educational model that integrates industrial and editorial perspectives (e.g., collectible design) into design education, aiming to prepare students to tackle the challenges of the labor market strategically. The research question guiding this work is: how can students and companies from different production sectors be brought together to offer training that explores both industrial and editorial design?

To answer this question, the paper presents the case study of the Final Studio, where students developed two simultaneous projects: one industrial and one editorial, both focused on using ceramics as a unifying material. The Final Studio is the concluding laboratory of the undergraduate program in Product Design. Students must use all the skills acquired in previous years of study to develop a finished product, starting from an initial brief and exploring all stages of development. This approach represents a novelty within a technical-scientific university, as it not only introduced students to the editorial dimension of design for the first time but also required them to work on two different production sectors in parallel rather than separately.

The adopted methodology involved close collaboration with two partner companies: Alice Ceramica for the industrial project and Fondazione Officine Saffi for the editorial design project. Students explored the potential of ceramics through different techniques and production processes, creating physical models for both projects. This allowed them to understand how the same material can be treated radically differently depending on the production context.

The introduction of an editorial project in a technical-scientific university also allowed students to experiment with a professional direction often overlooked in other design courses. This approach enriched their education, helping them understand whether the editorial dimension could align with their skills and interests.

Through the Final Studio case study, the paper proposes a series of critical reflections on the potential and challenges of this educational model. The results demonstrate that integrating industrial and editorial projects expands students' technical and design skills and fosters the development of soft skills such as creativity, communication, and adaptability to different contexts. Additionally, managing two similar yet different projects in the same context encourages students to improve their time management skills.

In conclusion, the paper highlights how a comprehensive and multidisciplinary education can be enhanced through collaboration between universities and companies from different production sectors, preparing students to become versatile and competitive designers. The reflections emerging from the case study provide valuable insights for future educational experiments in design.

Keywords: Integrated product design, Ceramics, University-industry collaboration, Final Studio, Project-based learning, Hard-skills and soft-skills.