A computer-implemented method of designing a rotor for a synchronous reluctance machine, comprising: providing a basic geometry of a cross section of the rotor, the basic geometry comprising: - four pole sectors, each pole sector comprising a plurality of insulating barriers, each insulating barrier extending between two pitch points, - a plurality of q-axes, each q-axis defining a direction of maximum reluctance of the corresponding pole sector, - a perimeter defining the outer contour of the cross section, - a plurality of reference points located on the perimeter symmetrically with regard to the q-axes, the angular intervals between the reference points defining reference angles (9, 10) which between two neighbouring q-axes have an equal value of α m = γ /( k -1), where γ is an angle between two pitch points that are furthest apart between two neighbouring q-axes and k is the number of pitch points between two neighbouring q-axes, wherein the angular positions of each pitch point and the reference point closest to that pitch point have a deviation having a value Δτ less than 2.5 degrees, the method characterized by providing a simulation model of the rotor, the simulation model comprising a plurality of design parameters, one of the design parameters being q-axis pitch angle defined by an angular distance δ between two neighbouring pitch points on opposite sides of a q-axis, which returns a predetermined performance measure, executing a simulation with at least two different δ values on the basis of the simulation model and determining the resulting effect on the performance measure, determining the q-axis pitch angle value on the basis of the simulation results, and creating a rotor disc for the rotor by cutting magnetically permeable material in accordance with the basic geometry and the determined q-axis pitch angle value. providing a basic geometry of a cross section of the rotor, the basic geometry comprising: - four pole sectors, each pole sector comprising a plurality of insulating barriers, each insulating barrier extending between two pitch points, - a plurality of q-axes, each q-axis defining a direction of maximum reluctance of the corresponding pole sector, - a perimeter defining the outer contour of the cross section, - a plurality of reference points located on the perimeter symmetrically with regard to the q-axes, the angular intervals between the reference points defining reference angles (9, 10) which between two neighbouring q-axes have an equal value of α m = γ /( k -1), where γ is an angle between two pitch points that are furthest apart between two neighbouring q-axes and k is the number of pitch points between two neighbouring q-axes, wherein the angular positions of each pitch point and the reference point closest to that pitch point have a deviation having a value Δτ less than 2.5 degrees, - four pole sectors, each pole sector comprising a plurality of insulating barriers, each insulating barrier extending between two pitch points, - a plurality of q-axes, each q-axis defining a direction of maximum reluctance of the corresponding pole sector, - a perimeter defining the outer contour of the cross section, - a plurality of reference points located on the perimeter symmetrically with regard to the q-axes, the angular intervals between the reference points defining reference angles (9, 10) which between two neighbouring q-axes have an equal value of α m = γ /( k -1), where γ is an angle between two pitch points that are furthest apart between two neighbouring q-axes and k is the number of pitch points between two neighbouring q-axes, wherein the angular positions of each pitch point and the reference point closest to that pitch point have a deviation having a value Δτ less than 2.5 degrees, the method characterized by providing a simulation model of the rotor, the simulation model comprising a plurality of design parameters, one of the design parameters being q-axis pitch angle defined by an angular distance δ between two neighbouring pitch points on opposite sides of a q-axis, which returns a predetermined performance measure, executing a simulation with at least two different δ values on the basis of the simulation model and determining the resulting effect on the performance measure, determining the q-axis pitch angle value on the basis of the simulation results, and creating a rotor disc for the rotor by cutting magnetically permeable material in accordance with the basic geometry and the determined q-axis pitch angle value.