This course will focus on experimentation and discovery through the exploration of creative problem solving techniques. Students will explore the dynamics between objects and the user’s senses, emotions, and expressed needs. Using drawing, sketch-modeling and basic shop skills, students will discover the wide choice of materials industrial designers use to further develop their projects. Concepts of recycling and reuse are introduced along with philosophical design approaches, and historical examples. Emphasis will be placed on the improvement of craft in the development of projects and on clarity and professionalism in practice.

This course will emphasize the cognitive and technical skills necessary to manipulate material for the accurate three-dimensional communication of design intent. Projects focus on understanding the relationship of materials, manufacturing processes, products and the user. Special emphasis is placed on using non-toxic materials.

This course will develop more advanced analog and digital visualization techniques, while expanding on graphic and three-dimensional components needed to create presentations and the workflows to achieve them. Students will learn various types of digital techniques using vector and raster-based software applications, and a variety of input and output devices for the creation of professional-level output.

Students will develop the skills needed to effectively develop and communicate design concepts graphically, digitally and three-dimensionally, consistent with professional industrial design practice standards. Emphasis will be placed on the development, integration and application of computer aided design skills throughout the assignments, utilizing the relationship of analog and digital mediums as a means of enriching the design process.

The course focuses on implementing advanced, newly developing ideas in industrial design. The specific sub-topic for this course will vary. As a result this course may be repeated. The subtopic is determined by the instructor. Potential topics may include the creation of exhibits, consumer products, sustainable design, analog and digital fabrication, furniture, interior landscapes, vehicle design, medical and healthcare design, inter-disciplinary design, etc.

This is the first part of a two-course series that provides opportunities for fine-tuning of design process and development of meaningful solutions across multiple scenarios. Projects and assignments will explore the application of design methods and skills. Projects will also address large-community and global problems requiring team-based, trans-disciplinary collaborations.

Design Laboratory I is part one of a studio sequence that provides a forum for discourse and experimentation in design. Critical analysis, contextual relevance and research methodologies are developed and used as a means to define the role of design and the designer in creating consequential solutions for the social, economical and environmental betterment of the global communities. Projects will extend these ideas into the practice of industrial design as a mode of understanding the relationships that exist between the user, the community and the designed artifacts. Opportunities for inter and trans-disciplinary collaborations will broaden the scope of the projects. We will design through a process of iteration and reiteration, empathic exploration, and the development of the physical artifacts. Categories of products may include: consumer goods, equipment, transportation, furniture, or packaging.

Industrial Design Independent Study provides students the means to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. With the assistance of their faculty advisers, students will propose a course of study. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. **NOTE: Student must have a minimum 3.0 GPA **