Already from the 1600s on, the atelier was a place of creating all kind of pieces of fine or decorative art, most of the time supervised by the ‘master’ who taught the apprentices and assistants. This way of working in educating visual or fine arts was often enforced by local guild regulations who taught the essence of these crafts. This system was gradually replaced as the once powerful guilds declined, and the academy became a favoured method of training. Although the methods varied, most ateliers or academies trained their students in the skills and techniques of creating some form of art. Not much has changed there, except for the fact that emphasis nowadays is more placed on individual creativity, because students will then exhibit a wide range of personal styles, an increasing amount of creative experimentation and thus diversity. And that makes design a lot more interesting!