Peter J Zerillo

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.

What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? Sophomore Seminar offers strategies for students to explore, reflect upon, and connect common themes and interests in the development of an emerging creative practice that will serve as the basis of their ongoing studies at SAIC and beyond. Students will examine historical and contemporary influences and contextualize their work in relation to the diverse art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary each semester. Presentations by visiting artists and guest speakers will provide the opportunity for students to hear unique perspectives on sustaining a creative practice. One-on-one meetings with faculty will provide students with individualized mentorship throughout the semester. During interdisciplinary critiques, students will explore a variety of formats and tools to analyze work and provide peer feedback. The class mid-term project asks students to imagine a plan for their creative life and devise a self-directed course of study for their time at school. The course concludes with an assignment asking students to develop and document a project or body of work demonstrating how the interplay of ideas, technical skills, and formal concerns evolve through iteration, experimentation and revision.

Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.

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.

This studio course is designed for design-focused students in their final year at SAIC who are ready to develop an independent, self-directed design project. It is ideal for those who have cultivated their own design pathway, integrating studies across the four design departments¿Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO); Fashion Design; Visual Communication Design; and Designed Objects¿along with studio art courses at SAIC. Whether pursuing a passion project, preparing a competition entry, revisiting an unrealized concept, or exploring a new design territory, students will engage in critical research, material exploration, and iterative making. The course emphasizes conceptual development, project planning, and execution, with outcomes culminating in a publication, exhibition, or online presentation.
Students will engage with a range of readings, case studies, and guest lectures that explore the future of design across disciplines. Topics will include independent design practice, sustainability, emerging technologies, speculative design, and strategies for professional longevity. Course materials will highlight designers and thinkers who navigate hybrid practices, create impact-driven work, or push the boundaries of existing fields. By examining these frameworks, students will develop a long-view approach to their own careers, identifying strategies for sustaining creative work and positioning themselves within the broader design world.
Students will develop a self-directed design project, guided by structured exercises in writing a design brief, envisioning outcomes, resource gathering, and iterative prototyping, culminating in a final public presentation.

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.