Introduction to Designed Objects |
1001 (001) |
Cassandra Scanlon |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified.
Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final).
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
|
Class Number
1379
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1231
|
Introduction to Designed Objects |
1001 (002) |
Sara Prado |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified.
Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final).
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
|
Class Number
1387
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1255
|
Sketching for Designed Objects |
2005 (001) |
Zachary Manuel |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester
In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques.
Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
|
Class Number
1380
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1241
|
Sketching for Designed Objects |
2005 (002) |
Hector Silva |
Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
Description
This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester
In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques.
Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
|
Class Number
1393
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1407
|
Designing Interaction |
2019 (001) |
George Guffey |
Thurs
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
Description
This core skills studio teaches how to generate impactful visual materials to effectively communicate interactions with objects, digital interfaces and within virtual spaces.
Students will learn professional communication tools for prototyping screen-based interfaces, vector illustration, typographic and visual composition, and data visualization.
As well as aiding design development, the tools covered will enable the successful communication of storyboarded scenarios, design research, and finished proposals for physical and screen-based presentation.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
|
Class Number
2157
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
Sullivan Center 1241
|
Designed Objects Studio One |
2020 (001) |
Eric Allan Hotchkiss |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.
Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer.
In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
|
Class Number
1381
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1255
|
Designed Objects Studio One |
2020 (002) |
Tim Parsons |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.
Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer.
In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
|
Class Number
1397
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
Designed Objects Studio Two |
2030 (001) |
Annalee Koehn |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
We will work with the processes by which product designers develop compelling objects that communicate ideas, values, functions and purpose. Projects are designed to study the language of form through an analysis of user interaction, the implications of material choice, finishes, and craftsmanship on the success of a product concept, and how these choices support and promote function, desirability and perceived value. There is also an emphasis on expanding student material exploration and making techniques for optimal results, and the value of iterative prototyping in a successful design process.
The course will address universal product design issues and methods, starting with defining and understanding the project, considering form and function, appropriate material selection, construction techniques, finishes, iteration, and well-crafted final products. We will cover concepts such as semiotics, ergonomics, families of objects, multi-functional products, and emphasize clear communication of finished design ideas through schematics, and graphic representation using descriptive photography.
Relevant contemporary design examples are provided as reference for each project, and students will spend additional time researching contemporary designers such as Front Design, Raw Edges, Nendo and Ron Arad. Students will be introduced to high-end professional design sources in a business setting through a field trip to the Merchandise Mart.
The course is built around 3 main projects, each with instructional presentations, Design research assignments, ideation and sketching, group discussions, and iterative prototyping, resulting in the creation of a final product and printed graphic document, all presented and discussed in a group critique.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
Prerequisites
Pre Req: DES OB 2020
|
Class Number
1382
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
Sustainability Studio |
2035 (001) |
Peter J Zerillo |
Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM
In Person
|
Description
This course provides an introduction to sustainable design, covering topics such as raw materials, energy, food, water, global and local production, global supply chain, green chemistry, and circular economies. Students will learn about the three pillars of sustainability and the fundamental concepts and principles of sustainability. The course will cover the importance of renewable resources and closed-loop systems to reduce waste in sustainable design. Students will explore renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies. The importance of food and water in sustainable design, global and local production systems, the precautionary principle, and the ethical sourcing of materials will also be covered. The course will examine green chemistry as a means of reducing the environmental impact of chemical processes. Finally, students will learn about circular economies and the importance of designing products and processes that promote the reuse and recycling of materials. By the end of the course, students will be able to apply their knowledge of sustainable design principles and practices to their projects in and out of school.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
|
Class Number
2158
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design, Sustainable Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1241
|
Furniture 1: Chair Studio |
2118 (001) |
Erik Newman |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
This furniture studio will critically engage the chair as an archetype. Chairs have long been a fascination of designers as they require a developed understanding of structure, material, and form. Importantly, chairs represent the cultural mores of the time in which they are produced and are inextricably linked to larger systems of power, technology, and economy. This course will explore the chair as a fluid, dynamic furniture category that is in a reciprocal relationship with culture, technology, and politics and will emphasize a hands-on approach to design and production.
Readings from art and design historians and critics including Galen Cranz, David Getsy, Richard Sennett, Glenn Adamson, and Alice Rawsthorn will be integral to an expansive conversation about the chair. Class readings and discussions will also help contextualize different approaches to construction and fabrication at different scales of production. A wide range of both contemporary and historical design precedents will be explored ranging from traditional Shaker Furniture to Wendell Castle, Faye Toogood, Max Lamb, Egg Collective, Jasper Morrison, and Scott Burton.
By the end of this course, students should expect to have completed technical drawings and a series of detailed scale models.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
|
Class Number
1398
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design, Furniture Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
|
Digital Modeling: Rhino |
2124 (001) |
James TerMeer |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
This course is designed to be a fast-paced first step into the field of 3D CAD modeling, an arena where designers give shape to our daily experience of the world. If this is your first exposure to virtual 3D form development, you will find a flexible interface that facilitates a rapid learning curve from simple to complex. For those with prior CAD experience desiring a more intuitive, less restrictive creative experience, this course will provide the means to turn what you see in your mind and your sketches into exciting visual and precise physically accurate representations of your vision. Throughout the semester we will discuss historical and current events in product, fashion and architectural design. Typically, these shared conversations lead to discoveries that participants dig into and apply to assignments. A list of influential artists, designers and architects is provided along with suggested books and online references that enrich and add diversity and range to our discourse. Initially, the class works through a series of exercises and tutorials designed to bring familiarity and confidence to their experience with Rhino. Students will investigate methods for surfacing, modifying, rendering, and presenting ideas and concepts they create. As each tool and process becomes more familiar, new methods and strategies are introduced, and students are taught how to apply them to create accurate representative models of objects they design. In addition to gaining hands-on skills, we will explore form creation and the physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural factors that play into the development of a successful new product.
|
Class Number
1384
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
Digital Modeling: Solidworks |
2126 (001) |
Angie Lullie |
Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
Description
This course introduces students to SolidWorks, a powerful parametric software package used by product designers to model, indicate specifications, and visualize their design intent. Students will learn the software in the context of design by using it as a tool to develop form and scale, convey design intent with 3D renders, create specification drawings for manufacturing, and interface with 3d printers, CNC machines, and laser cutters for quick iterative prototyping.
This course will focus on a series of tutorials followed by hands-on design projects that will provide intensive training in 3D modeling, 3D printing, and photo-realistic 3D rendering.This will allow the students to make judgements on which 3D tools to use at what stage to develop the most efficient models. The tools will be explained through examples and demonstrations, which will allow the students to practice the tools during class.
Students are expected to complete 4 projects. The projects will include learning 2D sketch tools and creating relations through existing logos, modeling existing products with multiple components, developing an original design based on an existing brand or artist, and collaborating within a group on a system of objects.
|
Class Number
1394
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
|
Designing Distant Studio |
3013 (001) |
Tim Parsons |
Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
All Online
|
Description
Systemic change requires influencing decision makers - be they members of the public, CEOs or politicians. By engaging in the creative act of world-building, and embodying the results through made artifacts, spaces, or digital media, artists and designers are able to make work that acts as platforms for fostering debate and, ultimately, change. This course goes beyond design¿s conventional end-user focused problem-solving approach, focusing instead on how to use art and design to develop impactful stories. It Introduces the fields of speculative and critical design, and design fiction, and illustrates how tools such as humor and satire can be used effectively. Along with regular readings and discussions, students will develop a major design project that articulates their vision of a ¿post-pandemic future'.
|
Class Number
1391
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Product Design, Sustainable Design
Location
Online
|
Designed Objects Studio Three |
3022 (001) |
Jess Giffin |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
What does it mean to design for other people? The third course in the Des Ob studio sequence considers how designers are able to understand others and then design for them. We will investigate the things that people do, the objects that they use, how they feel and what they might need, want or desire in order to understand and then design meaningful objects. Students have the opportunity to work with design research, advance their design skills and complete more involved projects. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
The class introduces relevant research and visualization tools used to gather research insights and generate design ideas. Sketches, mock-ups and models are used to test discuss, and refine research insights, design ideas and propose final concepts.
Students can expect to complete one to two projects over the semester and present their progress throughout the term.
Prerequisites
Pre-req: DES OB 2030 Designed Objects Studio Two
|
Class Number
1383
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1258
|
Furniture 2: Prototyping for Furniture |
3155 (001) |
Lee Weitzman |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
This digital-analog studio affords modeling and prototyping for furniture and other objects at environmental scale. Students construct prototype objects for living while learning a diverse range of technical and process options for making at scale in materials including wood, metals, plastics, fabrics and foams. Focus on fluid improvisation in prototyping designs both by hand and using CNC and other integrated fabrications technologies.
The course explores the systems work of Enzo Mari and Gerrit Rietveld to understand simple construction and scaffold mechanisms for creating quick prototypes. We watch an array of craft and wood engineering videos to understand manufacturing and fabrication techniques, and how prototyping takes place in furniture businesses.
There are three major assignments, each yielding a unique piece of furniture. Naturally, the scope and scale of the projects increase as the semester moves forward. Additionally the course includes two day-long charettes to deliver specific skills and two field trips, to a furniture manufacturer and to a furniture show room.
|
Class Number
1399
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Furniture Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
|
Design for Nonhuman Kinds |
3931 (001) |
Peter J Zerillo |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
Design for Nonhuman Kinds is a course series that asks students to think outside the human experience by decentering human perception and subjectivity. As we begin to recognize the limitations of anthropocentric making, this interdisciplinary series encourages design inclusivity and speculative thinking. Students will be required to expand their consideration of the `user¿ to include nonhuman subjects such as plants and animals. Design for Nonhuman Kinds: Tools for Empathy challenges students to consider the differing perspectives of nonhuman beings and how to build an understanding of the world outside of their human senses. The natural world¿s sensorium is much wider than our limited human capacities. We often need to build tools throughout our process to help us translate experiences that we simply cannot receive. Students will research nonhuman users and build tools and methods in the effort to gain a closer sensory understanding of a nonhuman subject. The goal is to understand user values, needs, desires, and motivations. How can we see, smell, feel, hear, like...? Understanding leads to empathy. User empathy is at the core of good design.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
|
Class Number
1400
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design, Art/Design and Politics, Sustainable Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
Furniture 3: Advanced Furniture (F) |
4025 (001) |
Erik Newman |
Fri
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
|
Class Number
1396
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Furniture Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
|
Emerging Worlds Studio: (Mis)behavioral Things |
4030 (001) |
Gionata Gatto |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
This class proposes to learn by looking at objects as ¿things¿, that is, entities provided with power and affordances capable of influencing human behaviors and practices. In this view of objects as dynamic rather than passive agents, students are asked to design a technological device that misbehaves, thus betraying common expectations linked to its deployment. In doing so, together with the object, each student will re-design the ecological and socio-cultural network in which the object lives and operates. Using methods spanning from speculative to participatory design, the objective of the course is to engage with critical narratives that move beyond traditional problem-solving lenses, and towards the uncanny, ambiguous, adversarial. The resulting projects will be presented as an exhibit of ¿thick scenarios¿, involving interactive objects, graphic representations and videos.
Prerequisites
Any 4 Designed Objects classes, grad student or department consent
|
Class Number
1395
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design, Collaboration
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.
|
Class Number
2159
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Collaboration
Location
Sullivan Center 1258, Homan 1200
|
Whatnot Studio |
4800 (001) |
James TerMeer, William Walton |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
Description
The Whatnot Studio is a progressive educational platform in the Designed Objects department at SAIC that is focused on creative inquiry and iteration. This year-long course enables students to hone their voice as individual designers while working as a team to execute a thematic collection of highly refined and relevant work for public exhibition. The Whatnot Studio has exhibited work at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy and at Wanted Design in New York City. Select mid- and upper level undergraduate and graduate students are admitted to this course via portfolio review.
Readings, recordings, screenings, and field trips vary annually depending on the course theme.
Students should expect to produce one exhibition quality object and should also expect to work as part of a team to develop exhibition design and promotional materials.
Please apply through slideroom: https://saicscholarships.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/77943
|
Class Number
1392
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1230
|