For your final assignment you will design five (5) concepts:
- DESIGN A SET OF HEADPHONES FOR A SPECIFIC USER.
Pick a user. Design a set of headphones that would appeal to them. A seemingly simple design exercise, but actually extremely reliant on attention to small details. Looking for thorough exploration and understanding of form, proportion, and materials. Technical views are a must. Bringing the context of the user into the final drawings also a must.
- REDESIGN A BATHROOM PRODUCT.
How can the most discreet room in our homes be improved by design? Define or redesign a product that improves the morning routine. (Organization? Cleaning? Daily inspiration?) Looking for interaction and use explanation. Context of the bathroom a must.
- DESIGN A PRODUCT FOR THE BEDSIDE TABLE
Think about the bedside table and what objects are often found on it. Redesign or define a new product that focuses on bedside needs and/or the bedroom experience.
- DESIGN A PIECE OF FURNITURE FOR COLLABORATION
How can furniture influence how people work/create together? Define a piece of furniture that might help foster better opportunities for multiple people to collaborate, share ideas, and interact. Understanding of basic construction and visualization of people interacting with the piece (and each other) are crucial.
- DESIGN AN OBJECT TO IMPROVE THE AIRPORT EXPERIENCE.
There’s a lot of opportunity for design in the airport: the pain of the security process, the confusion of getting information, the lack of privacy, the crappy furniture, the lack of power outlets, the boredom, and the emotions of leaving & coming. Use a mind map to explore these opportunities, working to define an interesting area to focus upon. Experience is key here.
As you can see, the concepts range from concrete to open-ended—make sure you allow time to focus on details for the concrete and allow time to focus on exploration of ideas on the open-ended.
Final Deliverables:
- 1 page (per concept) of concept development documentation (Scan your development work and create an aesthetically pleasing page of thumbnails, development drawings & concept options that expresses your sketch process) Examples (sans typography):
- 2+ pages (per concept) of final concept boards that fully explain design intent, rendered where appropriate. Examples (sans typography):
These are to be all digital files—Photoshop not required but suggested—all together in one PDF file.
Timing:
INITIAL CONCEPT WORK: STARTING NOW!
Initial thumbnails, mindmaps, notes, etc. for all 5 products.
BRAINSTORM & BUILD: Monday, April 18th
The home work over the weekend is to start thumbnailing and exploring on paper. You’ll share these ideas in small groups.
STUDIO VISIT at GRAVITYTANK: Wednesday April 20th
MID-POINT CRITIQUE: Monday, April 25th
At a minimum: 5 pages of ideation per concept (~50+ thumbnails), initial shaping work for each concept, and one concept fully rendered & composed. We will discuss the process sketches to help guide your work—I’m looking for prolific ideation and a chosen concept direction that you’ve begun to shape. We will critique the “finalized” concept to make sure you are on the right path.
IN-CLASS WORKSESSION: Wednesday, April 27th
CRITIQUE WEEK: No class May 2nd or 4th
CRIT #1: Monday May 9th (All files emailed to me prior to noon on Monday.)
All students should come ready to present, however we will only get through half of the class.
CRIT #2: Wednesday May 11th
At 6pm—when class starts—if your work is not finished, you will receive an incomplete for the semester.
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What to present at the final crit:
MINIMUM of 4 pages per concept: one page of process (scanned and composed from the best), and 3 final concept boards (rendered composition, technical view, experience view) with appropriate call-outs and documentation to fully communicate design intent.
Printed for pin-up as well as PDF of final designs—to be emailed to be BEFORE class time. Any assignment received after class begins will automatically be considered incomplete and will not be critiqued that day.
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Goals:
IDEATION: Prolific ideation and smart concepts
SHAPING: Development of a designed object through sketching. Basics of drawing: perspective, proportion, line quality, etc. Development of compelling form. Basic mechanical & manufacturing understanding. Development of the concept beyond the initial idea.
COMMUNICATION: Presentation techniques, context, and story. A complete expression of design intent. Imagine these drawings were handed to a manufacturer without you present to explain it.
STYLE: Reveal your style, make these YOUR drawings. OWN your style.
USEFULNESS: In the end these can (and should) be portfolio-quality pages—a consistent set of drawings that embody good ideas, employ good technique, and have a “final” polish on them that you could put in your design portfolio and show a potential employer.
Oh! And the best final presentations will be posted on the blog, for the world (and the SAIC community especially) to see. Show your friends, classmates, and future people who take this class how awesome you are.
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