| Sketching for Designed Objects |
2005 (002) |
Hector Silva |
Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Course Description
Students will learn to craft design concept sketches that clearly communicate ideas to others. The course focuses on using freehand sketching and rendering to visualize design objects, clarify form and function, and explore ideas quickly. Through exercises in thumbnail sketching, shading, and form development, students build confidence in drawing as a tool for thinking and communication. The course also introduces orthographic projection for precise technical drawings and two-point perspective for understanding objects in space.
Who is this course for?
Effective sketching is a foundational skill that designers use throughout their careers. Alongside 3D Modeling and Designing Interaction, this course is part of the core skills group in Designed Objects and is intended to support students as they move through the three-course Core Studio sequence.
This course is an excellent first Designed Objects class and an accessible entry point into design at SAIC. There are no prerequisites, and students at all levels are welcome.
When should this class be taken?
This course is recommended in the freshman or sophomore year and works especially well as a student¿s first Designed Objects course.
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Class Number
1462
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Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1255
|
| Designing Interaction |
2019 (001) |
George Guffey |
Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Almost all designed objects and systems involve interaction¿how people understand, navigate, and respond to things over time. This core skills studio, part of the Designed Objects core sequence, introduces tools and methods for designing and communicating interactive experiences across physical objects, screen-based interfaces, and virtual environments.
Students learn professional visual communication and prototyping tools used to articulate interaction, including interface prototyping, vector illustration, typography, visual composition, and basic data visualization. While the course uses screen-based tools and interface prototyping software, it is not focused on web design. These tools support design development and the communication of storyboarded scenarios, user research insights, system flows, and proposals for physical and digital experiences.
The course introduces industry-standard platforms such as Figma and Adobe Express, alongside core interaction design methods including flow diagrams, wireframes, scenario mapping, and introductory user testing. Emphasis is placed on using these tools as thinking instruments for understanding behavior, feedback, and use over time.
Part of the Designed Objects core skills group and required for the core sequence, this course has no prerequisites and is recommended early in the program.
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Class Number
1468
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
|
| Designed Objects Core Studio 1: Designing for Others |
2020 (001) |
Cassandra Scanlon |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Designed Objects Core Studio 1 introduces students to design as an intentional practice oriented toward people beyond themselves. The studio centers on the shift from self-directed making to designing with responsibility toward users, contexts, and real-world constraints.
Work in this studio is primarily analog and hands-on. Students develop ideas through observation, sketching, physical mockups, and full-scale prototyping. The studio introduces a builder mindset, framing making and fabrication as ways of generating insight rather than simply executing ideas. Digital tools are introduced selectively to support thinking and making rather than to define the work. Students learn two-dimensional CAD workflows using vector tools to develop patterns, layouts, and templates for 3D mockups and prototypes, exploring form and proportion.
Emphasis is placed on translating insight into form and testing ideas through iteration. Prototypes are used to ask questions, reveal assumptions, and gather feedback. Critique is introduced as a collaborative process focused on clarity of intent and use.
By the end of the studio, students understand that design always addresses an ¿other,¿ and that building¿whether with cardboard, foam, or digital files¿is a primary way designers think, test, and learn.
This studio is for students beginning their product design studies, including those new to design, fabrication, or digital tools. It is best taken early in the Designed Objects curriculum alongside core skills courses such as Sketching, Digital Modeling, and Designing Interaction.
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Class Number
1455
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
| Designed Objects Core Studio 1: Designing for Others |
2020 (002) |
Annalee Koehn |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Designed Objects Core Studio 1 introduces students to design as an intentional practice oriented toward people beyond themselves. The studio centers on the shift from self-directed making to designing with responsibility toward users, contexts, and real-world constraints.
Work in this studio is primarily analog and hands-on. Students develop ideas through observation, sketching, physical mockups, and full-scale prototyping. The studio introduces a builder mindset, framing making and fabrication as ways of generating insight rather than simply executing ideas. Digital tools are introduced selectively to support thinking and making rather than to define the work. Students learn two-dimensional CAD workflows using vector tools to develop patterns, layouts, and templates for 3D mockups and prototypes, exploring form and proportion.
Emphasis is placed on translating insight into form and testing ideas through iteration. Prototypes are used to ask questions, reveal assumptions, and gather feedback. Critique is introduced as a collaborative process focused on clarity of intent and use.
By the end of the studio, students understand that design always addresses an ¿other,¿ and that building¿whether with cardboard, foam, or digital files¿is a primary way designers think, test, and learn.
This studio is for students beginning their product design studies, including those new to design, fabrication, or digital tools. It is best taken early in the Designed Objects curriculum alongside core skills courses such as Sketching, Digital Modeling, and Designing Interaction.
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Class Number
1465
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1231
|
| Designed Objects Core Studio 1: Designing for Others |
2020 (003) |
Jess Giffin |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Designed Objects Core Studio 1 introduces students to design as an intentional practice oriented toward people beyond themselves. The studio centers on the shift from self-directed making to designing with responsibility toward users, contexts, and real-world constraints.
Work in this studio is primarily analog and hands-on. Students develop ideas through observation, sketching, physical mockups, and full-scale prototyping. The studio introduces a builder mindset, framing making and fabrication as ways of generating insight rather than simply executing ideas. Digital tools are introduced selectively to support thinking and making rather than to define the work. Students learn two-dimensional CAD workflows using vector tools to develop patterns, layouts, and templates for 3D mockups and prototypes, exploring form and proportion.
Emphasis is placed on translating insight into form and testing ideas through iteration. Prototypes are used to ask questions, reveal assumptions, and gather feedback. Critique is introduced as a collaborative process focused on clarity of intent and use.
By the end of the studio, students understand that design always addresses an ¿other,¿ and that building¿whether with cardboard, foam, or digital files¿is a primary way designers think, test, and learn.
This studio is for students beginning their product design studies, including those new to design, fabrication, or digital tools. It is best taken early in the Designed Objects curriculum alongside core skills courses such as Sketching, Digital Modeling, and Designing Interaction.
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Class Number
2246
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1407
|
| Designed Objects Core Studio 2: Material, Form, and Interaction |
2030 (001) |
Antonio Belton |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Core Studio 2 focuses on how material, form, and interaction shape experience over time. Building on the foundations of designing for others, this studio deepens students¿ engagement with making, refinement, and use.
Students work extensively with physical materials, exploring construction, surface, finish, and detail as communicative elements. Here, students deepen their builder practice by working through material constraints, assemblies, and refinement, learning how construction decisions shape experience. Digital tools are more fully integrated into the workflow, with 3D modeling used to develop form, assemblies, and tolerances, and 2D CAD supporting patternmaking, layouts, and fabrication planning. Sketching remains central as a means of refining proportion and communicating intent.
Interaction is introduced as a temporal and physical experience, encompassing affordance, sequence, and feedback. Prototyping emphasizes iteration and refinement, with students moving between digital models and physical builds to test how objects are handled, activated, and interpreted.
This studio reinforces building as a disciplined design practice, where material decisions, craft, and structure communicate meaning as clearly as form or function.
Who this course is for
This studio is for students who have completed Core Studio 1 and are ready to deepen their engagement with materials, construction, and use. It is well suited to students who want to strengthen their ability to design objects that are experienced through touch, handling, and interaction over time.
When to take it
Core Studio 2 is typically taken after Core Studio 1. The studio is designed to run alongside the core skills courses¿Designing Interaction, Sketching, and 3D Modeling¿reinforcing the integration of material exploration, digital workflows, visualization, and prototyping. Students are strongly encouraged to have taken, or to be concurrently enrolled in, a digital modeling core skills course, as 3D modeling is used regularly throughout the studio.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
Prerequisites
Pre: DES OB 1006 or 2020
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Class Number
1456
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1230
|
| Digital Modeling: Rhino |
2124 (001) |
James TerMeer |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces Rhino as a form-driven, exploratory 3D modeling tool used widely in product, furniture, and spatial design. Modeling is approached as a way of thinking through form, proportion, and iteration within a broader production-focused design process.
Students learn core Rhino workflows including curve construction, solid and basic surface modeling, transformations, and file preparation for visualization and fabrication. The course also introduces foundational digital workflows such as preparing models for 3D printing, creating 2D drawings for laser cutting, and producing rendered images in KeyShot to communicate design intent.
Through a series of design projects, students use Rhino to explore object form, refine ideas through iteration, and translate digital models into physical and visual outputs. Emphasis is placed on clarity of form, thoughtful revision, and understanding how digital modeling supports the development and communication of design proposals.
When and why to take this course:
Students are encouraged to take this course as early as possible, ideally before or alongside Designed Objects Studio 2. Rhino is used throughout the curriculum and supports iterative form development in studio work. Rhino and SolidWorks are both primary 3D modeling tools used in professional design practice. Students are encouraged to take both courses over time; however, completing either Rhino or SolidWorks provides a strong foundation in digital formmaking. Skills developed in either platform translate across tools and support broader design workflows.
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Class Number
1458
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
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| Digital Modeling: Solidworks |
2126 (001) |
Angie Lullie |
Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces SolidWorks as a parametric, constraint-based 3D modeling tool widely used in product development and manufacturing-oriented design. Emphasis is placed on using modeling to define design intent, dimensional relationships, and functional requirements, supporting clarity, precision, and repeatability in complex objects and systems. SolidWorks is widely regarded as a standard professional 3D modeling tool in industrial design, supporting workflows common in corporate, consulting, and manufacturing-focused practice.
Students learn core SolidWorks workflows including sketch-based feature modeling, parametric constraints, part and assembly creation, and basic documentation practices. The course focuses on how dimensions, constraints, and features work together to support functional performance, mechanical relationships, and downstream production needs.
Through approximately three design projects, students develop objects with multiple components, test relationships between parts, and communicate designs through structured models and drawings. Projects emphasize precision, decision-making, and the translation of design concepts into clearly defined systems rather than open-ended formal exploration.
When to take this course:
Students are strongly encouraged to take this course as early as possible. 3D CAD is used regularly beginning in Designed Objects Studio 2 (DO2) and across many topical studio electives. Early exposure allows students to integrate modeling directly into studio work. SolidWorks is especially useful for students interested in later-stage design development and production-oriented electives.
Who this course is for:
This course is ideal for students interested in mechanical systems, assemblies, and production-ready design. Alongside Sketching for Designed Objects and Designing Interaction, this course is part of the Designed Objects core skills group supporting the Core Studio sequence. Completion of either SolidWorks or Rhino fulfills the core 3D modeling expectation for the Designed Objects program. Designers in professional practice often specialize in one primary modeling platform while developing transferable modeling concepts that apply across tools.
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Class Number
1463
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
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| Ceramics for Designed Objects |
3020 (001) |
Mie Kongo |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course takes students on a journey through the changing landscape of ceramic art, design, and production. Recent advances in rapid prototyping technologies provide designers and artists with more direct means for transforming concepts into physical form. In this course, students explore various ways to apply advanced technologies to ceramic design and production. Students will acquire basic skills in clay modeling methods, plaster mold making, slip casting, 3D Scanning, digital modeling, and digital output methods including 3D Printing and Laser Cutting. Basic knowledge for Rhino and/or other 3D modeling software is required. The technologies and methods for ceramic production have been developing over the course of thousands of years, often linked to specific material/cultural histories. Digital tools afford makers the ability to create, manipulate, distort, and ideate without the constraints of the ceramic process. Through slide lecture, readings, group discussions, demonstrations, and self directed projects, we will consider ceramic production methods of the past and how they influence contemporary art and design practices. In this course we will ask the questions: What are the benefits and the challenges of using ceramic materials? How can we use digital tools to assist in the ideation, prototyping, and the production of ceramic objects? How can we use ceramic materials to assist in the ideation, prototyping, and production of digital objects? What is the interplay between the digital object and the ceramic object?
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Class Number
1472
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Imaging, Product Design, Sustainable Design
Location
280 Building Rm M152
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| Designed Objects Core Studio 3: Objects with Behavior |
3022 (001) |
Ben Stagl |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Core Studio 3 introduces students to designing objects and systems that behave¿objects that sense, respond, and interact over time. The studio marks a transition from designing isolated artifacts to designing systems whose form, logic, and interaction are inseparable.
Students are introduced to fundamental concepts of interaction and systems thinking, including inputs and outputs, states, timing, feedback, and legibility. Using simple electronics, sensors, and actuators, students prototype behaviors and explore how objects communicate what they do through form, response, and feedback. Coding is approached conceptually and pragmatically, with emphasis on understanding and shaping behavior rather than technical mastery. AI and traditional coding tools are used to support iteration, translation, and debugging while students retain authorship over design intent.
3D modeling is used to design structures, enclosures, and assemblies that integrate physical form with electronic components. Prototyping combines rough physical builds with basic interaction logic to test usability and clarity. Visualization tools are introduced to diagram systems, map interactions, and make invisible processes understandable.
By the end of the studio, students understand building as an integrative practice¿one that brings together materials, structure, and behavior to create coherent interactive objects.
Who this course is for
This studio is for students who are comfortable designing physical objects and are ready to explore how objects can act, respond, and interact. It is intended for students interested in interactive products, responsive environments, and hybrid physical¿digital systems, regardless of prior coding experience.
When to take it
Core Studio 3 is typically taken after completing Core Studios 1 and 2, once students have foundational experience with materials, prototyping, and digital workflows. The studio is designed to run alongside the core skills courses¿Designing Interaction, Sketching, and 3D Modeling¿reinforcing the integration of material exploration, digital workflows, visualization, and prototyping. It is intended to be taken after or alongside the Designing Interaction core skills course. The studio also pairs well with technical or future-focused electives.
Prerequisites
Pre-req: DES OB 2030 Designed Objects Studio Two
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Class Number
1457
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1241
|
| CNC Fabrication Techniques |
3060 (001) |
|
Sat
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
In Person
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|
Description
Digital output has revolutionized the way we conceive of making. This course explores ways of integrating the CNC (Computer Numeric Control) milling machine into art/design fabrication processes. Enabled by 3D modeling the class explores how and when to utilize the CNC machine in addition to more traditional approaches to making. This class consists of demonstration, discussion, and open shop time to develop CNC based projects. We discuss CNC technology and tooling, materials, as well as the aesthetic of CNC output. This project-based course develops CNC proficiency, and will enable students' ability to design for digital output. Due to the learning curve necessary to effectively utilize the CNC, this course (or AIADO 5004 ) will serve as a prerequisite to access the CNC. Rhino is our primary interface for CNC output and RhinoCam is utilized for tool-path generation. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
Current industrial applications of CNC production will be discussed as well as other resources that can be utilized in conjunction with the CNC mill.
The beginning exercises introduce students to the various milling types. Later projects allow the exploration of form development through prototyping. A final project incorporates the CNC mill into student's working practice.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: DES OB 2124 or DES OB 2126 or AIA 3917
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Class Number
1471
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
|
| Minifacture: Designer-driven Production and Distribution |
3062 (001) |
Peter J Zerillo |
Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
In Person
|
|
Description
Recent advancements in digital fabrication, crowdfunding, and direct-to-consumer sales have enabled independent designers to bring their own products to market, challenging traditional designer-manufacturer relationships. This seminar explores emerging models of small-scale production and distribution, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to develop their own independent design practices. Through case studies, guest speakers, and field trips to local factories and fabrication workshops, students will gain firsthand experience with real-world manufacturing processes. Observing material production techniques will inform design exercises, where students develop original product concepts tailored to specific fabrication methods. After each field visit, students will present their ideas through detailed hand sketches. Guest designers and trips to local studios will provide insight into working with manufacturers, navigating funding sources, and executing marketing and distribution strategies. Instruction will also cover technical drawing, specification packages, and online presence as key tools for independent production. By the end of the course, students will have a foundational understanding of how to design, manufacture, and launch their own products, positioning themselves as independent design entrepreneurs.
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Class Number
1470
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
| Fundamentals of Furniture Making and Design |
3155 (001) |
Erik Newman |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Furniture shapes how we sit, gather, work, and inhabit space. This studio introduces furniture as both a design category and a fabrication discipline, grounding students in form, proportion, structural logic, material behavior, and full-scale making.
Working primarily in wood, with selective use of light metals, students develop fluency in essential shop processes including joinery, machine operation, lathe turning, and iterative full-scale prototyping. Emphasis is placed on human scale and performance: how the body informs dimension, how materials carry load, and how construction decisions shape both function and meaning.
Projects progress from focused material and joinery studies to resolved furniture pieces. Making is treated as a mode of thinking, with mockups and prototypes used to test, refine, and evaluate ideas through direct engagement with materials.
A primary objective of the course is to build sustained confidence working in the Sullivan Fabrication Center, integrating shop practice into the design process and establishing fabrication as a core component of work at SAIC.
This course is for students seeking foundational experience in furniture design and full-scale fabrication, including Designed Objects students preparing for advanced studios such as Chair Studio and Advanced Furniture, as well as students from Sculpture, Fiber, Fashion, Architecture, and related disciplines. It is typically taken in the second year as a gateway to advanced furniture coursework and pairs well with CNC, with no prior furniture experience required.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
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Class Number
1467
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Furniture Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
|
| Furniture 3: Advanced Furniture (F) |
4025 (001) |
Casey C. Lurie |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Within a structured studio environment, advanced-level students develop, refine, and execute an individual furniture concept. Students progress from the conceptual design stage, through design development to the actualization of a work that can be tested for public review. Students are challenged to develop concise and persuasive arguments regarding the motivation, development, execution, and dissemination of their design project. Through the articulation and advocacy of their design work, students define their role as a dynamic catalyst operating within real-world social-, political-, monetary-, and cultural-economies. This is an advanced level studio course and as such will remain very open, each student taking the lead in the formulation of an appropriate strategy for realizing their own work. The instructor will work closely with each student on a one-on-one basis to help them identify and learn the design and making techniques required for their project. Our approach relies heavily on development through the immediacy of sketching, hands-on iteration, experimentation, and trial and error. This course traces the development of a single piece of furniture through the following steps, each an integral part of the process: ideation, drawing, model-making, prototyping, and final fabrication.
Prerequisites
Pre-req: DES OB 3155 Furniture 2: Prototyping for Furniture
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Class Number
1464
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Furniture Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
|
| Emerging Worlds Studio |
4030 (001) |
Gionata Gatto |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
The goal of this class is to design services, tools, and objects that will shape a new reality of human experience. The class will explore how long-term trends in urban migration, automation, AI, big data, climate change, food, and mixed experience will transform our day-to-day lives. Through research and experimentation, students will investigate the realities and possibilities of these conditions and consider how they will change what we eat, how we work and relax, what we wear, how we gather, and how we travel. As a living laboratory, students will use a variety of media, including digital fabrication, virtual reality, and physical storytelling, to create new design tools, scenarios, worlds, services, objects, and experiences. To accomplish this, students will research the historical, political, technological, ecological, and cultural trends of a particular topic.
Prerequisites
Any 4 Designed Objects classes, grad student or department consent
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Class Number
2247
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Collaboration, Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1258
|
| Social Engagement Studio |
4101 (001) |
Eric Allan Hotchkiss |
Wed, Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
SAIC Design @ Homan Square combines professional practice design experience with community activism. Operating out of SAIC's facility in the Nichols tower at Homan Square, the course engages students in a focused dialogue on social project implementation in Chicago and provides the tools and frameworks to realize those projects. Functioning as a pro bono 'design consultancy' where the residents, small businesses and community groups of North Lawndale act as 'clients', each job is treated as a discrete project involving research, knowledge-sharing and design action. The projects will cover a two-semester cycle, with each semester being offered as an independent class. This course, running in the Spring semester, will emphasize the last three stages of the design thinking process; ideation, prototyping, and testing. course class will focus on proposing and implementing solutions that address the contextual research carried out in the first semester. These solutions will be presented to, and critiqued by, the 'clients' who are the main stakeholders, North Lawndale community leaders, as well as SAIC faculty. Recognizing that making is a research process that reveals new problems, the reflexive activity of proposing, making, presenting and critiquing solutions generates new knowledge as well as physical outcomes. It is this collective 'new intelligence' that is the primary goal of the course.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
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Class Number
1469
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Collaboration, Community & Social Engagement, Economic Inequality & Class
Location
Homan 1200, Sullivan Center 1258
|
| Whatnot Studio |
4800 (001) |
Gionata Gatto |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Whatnot Studio is a year-long advanced studio in which students design, produce, and publicly present a collection for Whatnot, the school¿s in-house product brand. The course is structured around a complete design cycle, moving from concept development through small-batch production to a fully realized retail and exhibition environment.
Working from an annual theme, students develop individual products that contribute to a cohesive collection. Emphasis is placed on translating ideas into producible designs, with attention to material decisions, fabrication methods, and the constraints of small-batch manufacturing. Unlike most undergraduate studios, the course extends through production, requiring students to fabricate a pilot run of their work rather than a single prototype.
In parallel, students collaborate to define the identity of the collection and design a branded retail installation to showcase the work. This includes spatial design, display systems, and communication strategies that position the collection for a public audience. The studio culminates in a major external presentation, with the collection exhibited at a leading design fair or trade show.
Throughout the year, students develop an individual design voice while working collectively to produce a unified, high-quality outcome. The course emphasizes design as both authorship and collaboration, and as a process that extends beyond form-making to include production, context, and audience.
Enrollment is by portfolio review and is open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Portfolio review details will be announced. For more information, contact Jim TerMeer (jterme@saic.edu) or Gionata Gatto (ggatt@saic.edu). This course is best taken in the final year of study, once students have developed confidence in their design process and are ready to carry a project through to production and public presentation.
|
Class Number
1461
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1230
|
| Studio 1: Reset |
5150 (001) |
Gionata Gatto |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This studio challenges students to reconsider standard models of design practice and process, and explore new modes of object making. The studio is conceived from the standpoint that the methods of the past are not necessarily appropriate for the future and that designers have a role to play in redefining their tools, as well as the outcomes of their work. It considers designers as autonomous agents able to lead by example and position themselves within the realms of cultural production, entrepreneurship and corporate business.
Throughout the semester, students will be exposed to the ideas, methods, and work from a variety of the most relevant designers and design thinkers practicing today. Particular focus will be towards practices of agency, autonomy and authorship.
Students are introduced to a range of design approaches which are dissected, critiqued and retaught. A series of exercises and projects encourage them to embark upon a rapid process of action and reflection across multiple contexts, promoting risk-taking and discovery.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course.
|
Class Number
2047
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1258
|
| Prototyping Methods Lab |
5162 (001) |
|
Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Designed Objects Prototyping Methods Lab (DOPML) is a technical practice class that uses a very narrow definition of ?prototype?. The class will not seek to explore and categorize an expansive collection of prototyping approaches. Rather, DOPML will support the making of prototypes and the development of skill with sensing and actuation within student practices. The class will initiate and / or support micro controller based prototyping using the Arduino hardware and software environment with the goal of greatly increasing the set media, processes, actions, events, data and information that can be used as ?material? for object design.
The term ?object? can refer to a discrete physical thing in the world or some distinct component within an abstract system. In both scenarios it?s becoming increasingly common for an object to act as an interface between two states - commonly a control interface where input actions or data are connected to output actions or information. To experiment with this kind of interactivity, electronic prototyping offers a rich and ever-expanding collection of accessible tools and processes for designers to explore component systems (sensors and actuators) within creative practice. Throughout the semester, we will review and discuss the work of a number of artists, designers, and technologists that challenge traditional notions of 'making' in an age of significant and pervasive technological change.
The primary component of this course will be to learn to use the Arduino hardware / software environment and develop basic data manipulation facility to develop prototypes that define and collect input (of all sorts) and create and control output (of all sorts). Increasing in complexity, this effort will be informed by a series of small projects designed to learn fundamentals. At mid-semester, students will required to propose a project of significant merit that will be developed throughout the remainder of the term.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course.
|
Class Number
2248
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1258
|
| Material Intelligence Lab |
5164 (001) |
Peter J Zerillo |
Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Materials are the very substance of objects. This course will explore the nature of materials, their properties, exploration of new emerging material technologies and their application to the design and manufacture of products/objects. Concepts surrounding the environmental impact of material and process selection will be explored. Whether a low-volume object or a mass-produced product, the understanding gained should allow students to predict constraints, react to issues, and responsibly select the material and manufacturing processes that best suit their needs. Through research synthesis, students will also imagine possible futures enabled by emerging of material technologies.
The course will focus on the nature of materials and their chemical and physical properties. Current and future manufacturing methods will be studied as well as frameworks for employing responsible design including Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economies, and ethical manufacturing. Readings will vary but will draw from historical, contemporary, and technical reference sources. Geographic and cultural contexts will be explored to best understand the many impacts of material use and selection. Students are encouraged to investigate topics and seek out information relevant to their current projects and design practice. Course discussions will be informed by weekly topical lectures.
Assignments include a forensic analysis of manufactured objects, visual information presentations of independent investigations, and an individual material or process centric speculative design project.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course.
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Class Number
2048
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1227
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| Grad Projects:Designed Objects |
6009 (001) |
Eric Allan Hotchkiss |
TBD - TBD
In Person
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Description
Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.
Prerequisites
Open to MFA, MFAW and MAVCS students only
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Class Number
1199
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Credits
3 - 6
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
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| Thesis Studio 1: Initiate |
6150 (001) |
Eric Allan Hotchkiss |
Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
In this two-day a week thesis studio students frame their position and voice as designers by defining, advancing, critically examining and verifying a self-selected thesis project. Students combine studio investigation with primary and secondary research techniques to uncover, test and solidify new design ideas, processes, materials, technologies and behavioral insights. Through seminars and in class workshops this body of investigation is formed into a highly directed thesis proposal. Students are tasked with building relationships with external research partners and mentors to define parameters for decision making and verify the efficacy of their projects. The semester concludes with a peer and faculty review at which students must defend the formulation, investigation and synthesis of their thesis proposals.
Readings and references will be shared individually with students as relevant to their individual thesis topics.
Students will primarily focus on the development of their thesis project. This will be augmented with shorter assignments aimed at fostering the skills needed to successfully complete a year-long, exhibition ready project.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course.
|
Class Number
2050
|
Credits
6
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1228
|
| Thesis Studio 1: Initiate |
6150 (001) |
Eric Allan Hotchkiss |
Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
In this two-day a week thesis studio students frame their position and voice as designers by defining, advancing, critically examining and verifying a self-selected thesis project. Students combine studio investigation with primary and secondary research techniques to uncover, test and solidify new design ideas, processes, materials, technologies and behavioral insights. Through seminars and in class workshops this body of investigation is formed into a highly directed thesis proposal. Students are tasked with building relationships with external research partners and mentors to define parameters for decision making and verify the efficacy of their projects. The semester concludes with a peer and faculty review at which students must defend the formulation, investigation and synthesis of their thesis proposals.
Readings and references will be shared individually with students as relevant to their individual thesis topics.
Students will primarily focus on the development of their thesis project. This will be augmented with shorter assignments aimed at fostering the skills needed to successfully complete a year-long, exhibition ready project.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course.
|
Class Number
2050
|
Credits
6
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1228
|
| Material Futures Studio Seminar |
6152 (001) |
Jessica Charlesworth |
Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
The subject of this studio seminar is Futuring, more specifically, how the field of futuring relates to imagining humane, sustainable, and desirable futures from the vantage points of designers, producers and users. In addition to learning about the practice, purpose and application of futuring, students will gain knowledge of related fields such as trend analysis, extrapolation and forecasting. We will explore the new roles, contexts and approaches for design in relation to the impacts, implications and future possibilities of existing and emerging technologies and pioneering science. The seminar aims to move beyond the problem-solving paradigm to position the designer as a researcher with a distinct point-of-view who uses design to speculate, understand and engage with the world. Lectures and workshops by visiting experts on current and future advances in materials, technology, production, energy, and behavior will provide insight, knowledge and inspiration for the students? independent research. Each student will develop and deliver a complete future report that anticipates and interprets the impact and potential of next generation materials, methods, processes, services and supply chains.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course.
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Class Number
2049
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1227
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