WWU IDSA

ReMade returns for 2011 - Junior Class Project

2011-05-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Our junior class of Industrial Design students has spent the last two weeks designing and constructing 13 different products out of found and discarded materials.The ReMade project was founded by WWU Industrial Design Program Director Arunas Oslapas over a decade ago. ReMade is an annual design challenge combining Sustainability and entrepreneurship. The goal is to transform items of industrial waste into viable commercial products.

A limited run of 15 are created, branded, and then sold. They will be sold at Ideal - Carefully Curated Goods located at 1227 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, Washington, Friday June 3rd, as a part of the monthly Bellingham Art Walk. The public is invited to a meet-and-greet reception with all designers and their products from 6-9 p.m. Student projects include a magazine holder from carpet tiles, a basket from bicycle spokes and rims, and a bowl from counter top laminate.

Tim Hulford, April 18th

2011-04-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

Tim Hulford, WWU ID graduate of 2004 and Lead Industrial Designer at Intel's PCSD Group, was nice enough to stop by and share with the WWU IDSA Student Chapter yesterday. Tim shared his work experiences ranging from his time at GE, Carbon Design Group, and current position at Intel. A big thanks to Tim for taking the time to share his work and expertise.

IDSANW Portfolio Review

2011-02-02T23:28:00.001-08:00

Want some professional feedback about your student work? Then get that portfolio together and come to the portfolio review this Sunday, where you’ll find industry professionals waiting to critique your work and answer questions. Hosted by IDSA Northwest…

February 6th, 1:30-4PM, Ballard Library. 5614 22nd Ave NW Seattle

Drinks to follow: 5pm – 8pm, Kings Hardware, 5225 Ballard Ave NW

Greg Janky & Treasure Hinds, Anvil Studios, Februrary 3rd

2011-02-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

Designers Greg Janky and Treasure Hinds of Anvil Studios will be joining us 6PM, Thursday February 3rd in ET 321. They will be talking about their experiences as a Seattle based industrial design partnership focused on creating contemporary, elegant and user-centric product designs. As accomplished design professionals they have received multiple design and utility patents along with numerous design awards (including IDEA, IDMagazine and Good Design) and have been published in Wired, Business Week and IDSA Innovations.

Sallyann Corn and Joe Kent, Fruit Super Design, Jan. 20th

2011-01-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

Sallyann Corn and Joe Kent, of Fruit Super Design have been working together to create objects of considered design for people and places since 2008. With a portfolio spanning the design of furniture, product display, personal accessories and more, this team plays to their unique individual strengths when approaching a diverse range of challenges. Join us January 20th as they share their work and experience with us.

Kyle Thomas & Darrin Seeds, Gerber Blades, Jan 13th

2011-01-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Western ID student Kyle Thomas and Gerber Senior Industrial Designer Darrin Seeds will be presenting Thursday, January the 13th from 6:30 to 8PM in the Sophomore Studio (ETEC 347). They will be presenting their work from Gerber and on how a WWU ID education translates into the corporate and professional design world.

JR ID, “Eightx8” December 8th

2010-12-06T14:09:00.001-08:00

Join us December 8th from 4-5pm in the Academic West building as the WWU Junior ID class presents the results of their fall quarter study on modular housing solutions. If you are unable to attend; a detailed display of the work will be showcased on the 300 level of the ETECH building next quarter. Hope to see you all there!

Mark Selander, “Drawing Ellipses for Fun and Profit” Nov 18th

2010-11-12T14:53:00.001-08:00

WWU IDSA welcomes Mark Selander, designer and illustrator, will join us 7PM Thursday November 18th in ET 321. Mark will be speaking on his career path stemming from his ID education at Western. See below for more info on Mark or you can check out his Ignite presentation here.

Mark Selander graduated from Western Washington University's ID program in 1998. After leaving Bellingham he immediately found work digging ditches for a summer before landing his first professional design position creating props and backgrounds for Will Vinton Animation Studios in Portland OR. He then moved to Seattle to work for Microsoft developing games for the original XBOX and XBOX 360 before heading out on his own as an independent designer and illustrator. His current focus is creating compelling experiences for a wide range of entertainment, retail, and consumer products brands - and finding time to do a little manual labor on the side.

Johanna Schoemaker, October 13th

2010-10-15T16:20:00.001-07:00

Johanna Schoemaker, Industrial Designer at Artefact, was gracious enough to come hang out with the senior class and share her award winning BraunPrize lighting piece completed as a part of her design thesis at the University of Wuppertal. A huge thanks to Johanna for sharing her work and experience, you can check out her OLED lighting piece and the rest of her portfolio here

Featured ID Graduate: Tim Hulford

2010-09-22T15:41:00.001-07:00

This summer I had the pleasure of working with Tim Hulford, a WWU ID 2004 Grad and currently an Industrial Designer for Intel in Portland, OR. He was generous enough to throw a nice interview to the WWU IDSA Blog. Enjoy his thoughts and advice on what WWU ID portfolios lack and his experience working at Carbon Design Group.

3 Suggestions for surviving, succeeding, and making the most out of your sophomore year:

1. Get a handle on why you’re doing this.
For the designer, design is personal. If you are a ditch-digger, you dig a ditch and move on, but the work you do as a designer sticks to you…it stays with you and adds to who you are. In your career, you’ll have many chances to decide for yourself what kind of designer you want to become, but that has to be connected to something deeper and more personal for it work for you. Now is a very good time to start thinking about what that deeper thing is.

2. Master the basics.
The more I work, the more I see how much of what a designer does is about communication. Communication is the function of a good sketch or a good rendering. A 3d model is communication. Assuming the idea is sound, a successful product is what happens when everyone understands each other: learn the skills you need to communicate your ideas effectively.

3. A good sketch is not the same as a good idea.
It really bugs me when I hear professionals praise good sketches of bad ideas. It sends the wrong message, and I think people who create pretty sketches of dumb things are dangerous. As an Industrial designer, your decisions will likely be implemented hundreds of thousands of times through the medium of a mass-manufactured product. It will touch many, many lives. It stands to reason that the message from any thoughtful designer should be: What you do matters most.

Is there any class, experience, or project that you look back and you particularly appreciate?
The sustainable project, probably. It’s the process. I believe that project brings us right back to why we want to be designers in the first place: the act of making something from nothing just feels inexplicably right. This project is special because the whole mysterious and ugly mass-manufacturing aspect intertwined with industrial design is tossed onto the back-burner of the brain and the designer is instead thinking in a direct and analog way. It feels great to discover a material, to work with it and invent something with it. In the end, you have a full-fledged product, not a model or a prototype. You invent the material, the manufacturing process and the end use. I think this more satisfying way of designing is burned into our DNA. It is part of being human that people lose touch with – maybe the second after they walk into an IKEA or a supermarket.

How was the transition from Senior year to entering the professional environment at Carbon Design Group?
It was challenging, to be sure. I started out as a contractor on a 3-month trial basis. I was one of four designers, and the first Junior ever to be hired at the firm. On top of that, Carbon is a unilateral structure: everyone speaks up, everyone listens. In more hierarchal organizations, a Junior designer often gets the job of implementing creative direction passed down from above, but at Carbon, I was expected to push and contribute on every level. It was very difficult to learn how to let go with my ideas – to have opinions and jump into the Thunderdome with the other designers who had (literally) twenty times more experience than me. I had to adjust to the break-neck pace of a consultancy – to learn to pick up the speed quite a bit and work more efficiently.

After a few months, I got my legs under me and began to have more of a positive effect on projects. My work was staying on the wall, and was it starting to get noticed by our clients. When one of them told my boss he’d better hire me before they did, I got a job offer that day. It felt like I had proven myself at last…though the truth is, it took more than a year to really feel comfortable.

Tell me about your experience working at Intel, what keeps the creative juices flowing?
I find Intel, in comparison to Carbon, to be a place where the designer role is greatly self-determined. At Carbon, for example, there is always the client, always the brief and always a set amount of time and resources available to complete the project. Once the project has begun, you are caught in its current, and you do your best to keep your head above the water, to make it special and deliver the results that will delight your client.

The dream of most consultancies, though, is to be with the client throughout all of the stages of product development, starting with the moment the idea is formed and ending when the product reaches the shelves. This is because, in reality, most consultancies come in to the game too late, and leave too early to feel that they’ve done everything they could. It’s a shame…the input of designers can be very useful in the defining a product idea, and also for guiding it through production.

In comparison, as an in-house designer at Intel, I am involved in every aspect of a prospective project, every part of the process. Some questions we ask ourselves here are things like “what will personal computing look like in five years? In ten years?” The canvas is much broader, the resources much greater and the process of designing much deeper than the typical consultancy experience. It’s this challenge that gets me most excited about my job.

What do you think WWU ID students are lacking most post-graduation?
Well, to be honest I haven’t seen everyone’s portfolio – every year I see a small cross-section of grad’s work from various schools...

If I compare what I’ve seen, the work from WWU is solid – the best work is quite competitive with what I see from other schools. I’ve attended a few portfolio reviews and almost always find the WWU portfolios to be among the best prepared, the best told out of all of them. I think this has something to do with the Sophomore Portfolio review – maybe this is where the importance of a great portfolio is engrained early.
That said, a WWUID degree does come with its own brand of idiosyncracies. I will say that each year the aluminum project (a WWU constant) is often difficult to comprehend in many portfolios. This hands-on, craftsmanship-driven process runs the risk of directing its audience toward formal aspects rather than toward an overall solution (why would a product designer choose to fashion a shoe from a block of metal, I wonder?). Over and over, these products come across as one-offs and art pieces, and for the industry professionals I know, who spend a lot of time worrying about creating repeatable, manufacturable products, this ever-present staple of the WWU portfolio is all too frequently a big miss.

One other factor which shows up in a lot of WWU work stems from the fact that WWU campus is blessed to be located in Bellingham where the waters run clear, where a functioning bicycle can be bought for 20 bucks, and where a polar fleece tuxedo is suitable attire for almost any occasion. This rustic, out of the way environment brings with it a special curse for the designer who should always be partially educated by the process of being close to where a lot of good design is happening. In Bellingham, there isn’t nearly enough good design happening to feed 12 hungry design students. You can sometimes see it in the work, or in the students themselves, the ones who have not sought out exposure to culture and good design where they can get it, and have not attained the edge, talent or enthusiasm that being immersed in cultural and design-rich environment can help develop in them.

What keeps you sane & inspired out of design?
Well, it’s a funny thing…I’m sure it’s because I’m having a kid soon, but I’ve sort of started seeing myself (and everyone else) as a kid too. We are kids who are grown-up versions of ourselves, who have adopted sophisticated substitutions for attaining the sort of life-affirming pleasure a simple bowl of ice cream used to offer us.

When I look at children and the way they cry, for example – so completely balls-to-bones about it - I realize that there is something very dangerous in not having an adult version of this. I feel that it’s too bad if growing up means taking the long way around life - if it is to live relatively or abstractly.
As a designer, I have a lot of ways of staying sane, of abstractly getting things out. I play music, I write a bit, I bike and swim and hang out with friends. It’s always a surprise to me how all of this feeds right back into design and visa versa. It’s like they are all the same thing, or substitutions for each other, but all of them have the common effect of drawing out deeper, inherently childlike feelings of discovery, infatuation, accomplishment and belonging. It all connects, so while design is my biggest bowl of professional ice cream, enjoying an actual bowl of ice cream once in a while makes me a much, much better designer.

Any particular artist, architect, designer(s) you are fond of and look to for inspiration?
Lately I’m on a Henning Koppel kick. He was a Danish master sculptor and silversmith who designed (throughout the 30’s-60’s) some of the most remarkable products (mostly candlesticks, flatware and serving sets) all of which carry a timeless perfection to them. Seniors facing their aluminum project should check out his work, I think it really shows off the very best of how that material was meant to convey form.

Where do you see yourself, life-wise & design-wise in the near-future?
This year has been a new beginning for me in many ways…I mean, aside from the sleep-destroying awesomeness of starting a family, I’m also experiencing the effects of starting a whole new chapter in my career. My interests have always driven my pursuit of life and design, I can’t imagine devoting myself to something I don’t care about…I’ve always been interested in how computers have such a powerful effect on people, and this is a huge part of why I design for Intel: there is a real opportunity here to influence an industry that is so dramatically changing the world.

I’ve found it’s easy to allow yourself to get led about by the nose when you are a designer. It takes a remarkable amount of energy to elevate a design project from a mentality of “how do we get people to buy it?” to a mentality of “how do we make things better?” For the former, all you need is a strong nose to be led by: the pressures of the market will easily provide enough constraints to keep your creative mind occupied and fill your career with unfulfilling achievements. I’m exhausted by designers who wax on forever about how essential it is to be able to cheaply make things, about how this constantly marginalizes their work and that it is a force they must consistently give in to. To make things better, you need real passion and a real internal compass. You need to pay attention, you need to fight, and you need to learn. For your career, this is process makes you most aware of where you’ve been and where you are going. For me, it is important to align my career with opportunities do to real good for people, to always create something special, something the world needs just a bit (I’m always keeping my eye open for the opportunity to design something the world needs a lot). If my life and my career go anywhere, I hope it will be toward a greater ability to do this.

If you weren't an industrial designer, what do you think you'd be doing professionally?
I’d be a barista. The world needs good coffee almost as much as it needs good design.

What type of shoes are you wearing right now?
A pair of Light blue Addidas SL72’s…originally designed for the 1972 Olympics.

Top 3 Movies of all-time:
1. Purple Rain
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Winter Light by Ingmar Bergman

3 Desert Island Albums:
1. Cliff Martinez: Solaris Soundtrack
2. The Books: Lost and Safe
3. Billie Holiday: Lady in Satin

A big thanks to Tim for sharing, here’s a small sample of his work including his 2004 Senior Project, be sure to check out more blog interviews along the way this year. Also if you're a WWU Grad and would like to contribute or share, please e-mail wwuidsa@gmail.com asap!

SixthSense

2010-08-31T15:33:00.001-07:00

Last winter the Junior Industrial Design class and Prof. Jason Morris explored wearable design solutions for Pranav Mistry’s physical gestural interfacing technology, SixthSense. Each student chose a specific user and designed accordingly using the internal components of Pranav’s current working prototype. Check out the videos on the Western ID youtube page. ( Video Credit / Dieter Amick & Jason Morris )

Hey Check Out My Website! Kind of...

2010-08-20T12:23:00.001-07:00

Creating a portfolio website from the ground up is not easy; in fact it’s actually really difficult. That’s why over the last 4 years or so most web-savvy creatives have familiarized themselves with the mega popular portfolio site coroflot; a simple and accessible way to upload images from your book and have them immediately plopped into community of over 75,000 portfolios without the headaches of host POP5 servers, ZHTML, AOL5.0, LavaScript, and JQwerty Coding.

Unfortunately when your among 75,000 portfolios adding a personal touch or making your portfolio stand out can be tough. The good news is that others are beginning to recognize the online portfolio needs of creatives and we’re now seeing a nice collection of free sites become available... oh and they don’t suck.

Top 4 Online Portfolio Tools

Coroflot – Simple, easy, and extremely popular. Great activity and traffic statistics allowing you to see if people are actually looking at your stuff. Great way to get exposure with an estimated 5,766,124 page views per month from students and professionals in the US. Example / Jonah Griffith's Coroflot

Behance – A fairly new site similar to coroflot but with a far superior visual layout, more customization tools, and even a plugin for your linkedin page (if you’re into that type of stuff anyways). Example / http://www.behance.net/bencollette

Carbonmade – Great simple layout that essentially provides a webpage for your to send out without all social networking nuts and bolts of sites like Coroflot and Behance. Very similar to CargoCollective without the tweaking options. Example / http://jogalvin.carbonmade.com/

CargoCollective – If you want to have a more personal touch and not be associated with a mega social portfolio site this is the way to go. A variety of effective layouts and an incredibly simple and clean portfolio. For some extra cash you can also get your own domain name and tweak your site even more. Example / http://www.hypetype.co.uk/

Call for WWU ID Student Work

2010-07-21T16:14:00.001-07:00

We are currently looking for past WWU ID student projects within the last 4 years for the new gallery and website, check it out if you haven’t already. If you would like to submit some of your work please e-mail your file to wwuidsa@gmail.com in jpeg format in 1024x683 pixel format with a title/date/description of the work.

WWU 2010 Junior & Senior Shows

2010-06-28T13:23:00.001-07:00

In case you missed them, the WWU Industrial Design 2010 Junior & Senior shows were held recently at Artefact & Mithun Architects. To catch a glimpse of the work and events, check out the WWU IDSA flickr gallery here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43678372@N08/sets/72157624343303808/

2010 Mt. Baker Plywood Furniture Design Competition

2010-06-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

Make sure to check out the winners of this year’s Mt. Baker Plywood Furniture Design Competition project on Prof. Jason Morris’s design blog here : http://idsandbox.blogspot.com/2010/06/mt-baker-plywood-furniture-design.html. This years sophomores were challenged to design unique storage solutions specifically for another person or organization for their current needs.
Photo & Design Credit / Noah Jack, of Corvalis, OR. for Pitter Patter, an umbrella drying stand for the Whatcom Children's Museum.

Featured ID Graduate: Jennifer Ketler

2010-06-16T21:16:00.001-07:00

Jennifer Ketler, WWU ID 07 Grad & Product Developer with Dakine, was gracious enough to send a summer time blog interview. Check it out for some great insight into her experience with the soft-goods industry and some great advice of balancing school and life. Enjoy!

“…Making sure you’re focused on your projects but ‘work smarter not harder’… It’s easy to be consumed by your work and competitiveness that the sophomore year brings but you really need to make time to go outside to play…”

Suggestions for surviving, succeeding, and making the most out of your sophomore year:
I think it would have to be all about balance. Making sure you’re focused on your projects but “work smarter not harder”, I remember Arunas always saying that. It’s easy to be consumed by your work and competitiveness that the sophomore year brings but you really need to make time to go outside to play, hang out with friends, laugh, and enjoy life! You’ll find that getting out of the Etec building can be so refreshing and energizing.

Looking back at your experience at WWU ID program, what did you find that you appreciated most?
I appreciated the competitiveness during sophomore year because it brought all of our work up to another level, a level I personally never thought that I could reach. Junior and Senior years were a great time building relationships and working together.

How was the transition from Senior year to entering the professional environment as well as the professional portfolio and interview process?
For me, it was very easy. I was blessed with an opportunity to intern with Roxy for 3 months right after school which lead straight into a 12 month freelance contract. From there on out, I kept meeting the right people at the right time and have been fortunately to work on a few freelance projects with Ahnu and Garmont shoes and now full time at Dakine.

What keeps you sane & inspired out of design?
I love to get outside and play! Snowboarding and mountain biking are my favorite ways to escape. Being outside in God’s creation is so inspiring and rejuvenating. I also have an amazing husband, Ben, and wonderful group of friends that make me laugh and remind me that there is more to life than just design.

Tell me about your experience so far working at Dakine, what specific design area your focus is, the good and the difficult?
I am currently the Product Developer for the Girls pack and bag line where I bridge the gap between our factories in China and our team here in Hood River, Oregon. I create all of the spec packages for each product along with CAD drawings and print and material swatches. It’s technically not a design position but I still assist in product and print design.

What do you think WWU ID students are lacking most when entering the workforce after graduation?
Overall, I think WWU ID program produces well rounded students. One thing I found was the reality of what it really costs, money wise, to make products. Which is something that wasn’t talked much about at school. No matter how cool or fancy your product is, if it’s too expensive, it’s got to change. I’ve had some great ideas that had to be shaved down to almost nothing because it was too expensive to make. It can be heart breaking, because seriously, you are fighting over pennies, but it can also be a fun challenge.

Is there any class, experience, or project that you look back at WWU ID and was most memorable?
I loved the re-made project! I was able to take my bags, which I made out of reclaimed car vinyl scraps and sell that at art fairs and local boutiques for the last 4 years. I also had a love/hate relationship with all-nighters. They can be so fun with everyone working hard and rocking out to music but they sure take a toll on your sleeping patterns.

Where do you see yourself, life-wise & design-wise in the near-future?
I would eventually like to work for a group like Aid to Artisans. I want to use my design skills to help better 3^rd world countries.

What type of shoes are you wearing right now?
DC’s skate shoes, purple paisley with sparkly thread.

Jennifer’s Top 3 Movies of all-time:
1. Baz Luhrmann’s, Moulin Rouge
2. Wall-E
3. Mel Brooks’, Men in Tights

Here is a sample of Jennifer’s work including her ReMade Bags, 2007 Senior Project “Flora”, and Roxy Snowboard Boot.

Jennifer Ketler is currently a Product Developer with Dakine where she specializes in the girls pack and bag lines. Upon graduating from WWU ID in 2007 she interned with Roxy in Salt Lake City, freelanced with Ahnu and Garmont women’s shoe concepts, and soon joined Dakine in May 2009. She currently resides in Hood River, OR with her husband Ben. A big thanks to Jennifer for the interview!

2010 WWU Senior ID Show, “Vessels”

2010-05-11T17:25:00.001-07:00

The Senior Industrial Design class of 2010 proudly presents, “Vessels”
A Libatious Design Exhibition. Presented June 3rd at 6PM by Western Washington University at Mithun Architects

Sophomore Review Discussion May 17th

2010-05-11T16:47:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday May 17th at 5:30pm, the Junior and Senior class will be bringing in old material as well sharing their advice and experiences for the upcoming 2010 Sophomore Review. We hope to get your creativity stirring before you start prepping your presentation and creating your visuals for your practice sessions. See you there!

New WWU ID Website

2010-05-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already noticed, the Western Washington University Industrial Design program has a new official website! In January 2010, the WWU IDSA student chapter hired Kim Gladow, WWU New Media Senior, to take on the task of designing a new website. Check it out if you haven't already and expect more updates to come in the future.

Featured ID Graduate: Adam Weisgerber

2010-04-14T17:18:00.001-07:00

I decided to grab Adam Weisgerber, WWU ID Grad 2008 & Designer at Product Creation Studio, for a blog interview. Adam was the 2006 IDSA Junior of the Year for WWU and also took a year off to intern at GE from 06-07; check out some great insight on proving yourself as a working professional, what to focus in preparation for the professional world, as well as some memorable stories from the ID CAD Skills course. Enjoy!

“..Looking like a razor-sharp designer is vital. You can control how others perceive your work by presenting it in professional way that emphasizes your strengths and contains only the most relevant content…”

3 Suggestions for surviving, succeeding, and making the most out of your sophomore year:

1. Learn the technical skills required for ID. Don’t worry so much
about the originality of a concept. Instead, focus on the execution of the project. Learn to master sketching, rendering, model-making, and verbal and visual presentation skills. Learning these skills as a Sophomore will make it easier in Junior and Senior year to produce really outstanding creative work.

2. Challenge and be challenged by your classmates. Thrive in a
competitive studio environment. An individual student may succeed more by helping the whole class succeed as a whole.

3. Work harder than you’ve ever work before. Seriously, there’s probably no better time than as a Sophomore to push yourself harder than ever before. It will be worth it. The work ethic gained will help get you through the remaining years.

Looking back at your experience at WWU ID program, what did you find that you appreciated most?
The competition. I’ve seen work coming from other ID schools that don’t require a review process for admitting students into their program; it isn’t good.

How has the transition from Senior year to entering the professional environment?
My experience of transitioning from a student to a professional is probably a bit different than most students because I had already spent a year designing home appliances at GE between my Junior and Senior year. By the time I entered the workforce again as a practicing Industrial Designer, I thought to myself, “Finally, I can get back to designing REAL stuff!” Although the responsibility of designing real products is challenging, it’s also a lot more exciting than designing conceptual stuff. It’s nice knowing that my efforts will make a positive difference for millions of people who use the products I helped design. On the flip side, the pressure to get it right is immense. It forces me to think more critically about each design decision.

What do you wish you focused more on while in school?
I suspect that a lot of truly innovative products got to market not by
great design, but by great salesmanship. Within a product development team, there must be a design leader who can sell its stakeholders on a strong product vision. Typically, the key stakeholders are business and marketing-oriented professionals. For this reason, I think it would have been wise to take more business and marketing classes during school. A business-savvy designer is more persuasive (and powerful) than one who isn’t.

What keeps you sane & inspired out of design?
My wife, family, and friends. It’s a good idea to forget about design for a while and just have fun. I’ve found that some of my best product insights are from the personal experience of just being with people; doing things unrelated to design. I really enjoy reading non-fiction books on topics like science, philosophy, history, and, of course, art and design. I like visiting art galleries and museums. I’m inspired by nature, architecture, art, technology, clothing, communication, organization, music, mathematics, discovery, reason, and emotion.

Tell me about your experience so far working at Product Creation Studio, the good and bad?
Working at Product Creation Studio is different from my previous
experience of working at General Electric Appliances in a number of
ways. PCS is a team of less than 20 talented product developers. GE
employs more than 300,000 people. PCS develops a wide range of
products in the consumer, industrial, and medical categories. At GE, I
focused on large home appliances for consumers. PCS works on a tight timeline with limited project budget on products that either start
with a vague product idea, picks up where a company left off, or with
a finished product that needs updating. GE rarely has the opportunity
to design an appliance from ground up, although they still do a lot of
blue-sky ideation for projects in the far future.

One of the most significant differences at PCS is my closer relationship with the engineers. Because we all work as a collaborative team within the same room, I’ve been able to get really
quick engineering feedback on a design’s manufacturability, structural
integrity, regulatory compliance, power and PCB requirements, material and finish options, logistical concerns, functional ideas, assembly solutions, and much more. This is one of the best experiences I’ve had at PCS. I’ve definitely gotten better at anticipating how engineering constraints will get in the way of a product’s design. Our ID team does a good job of balancing design’s needs with engineering’s needs. However, I’d like to improve our relationship with the clients’ marketing departments we deal with (or sometimes don’t deal with). While designing appliances at GE, I had the opportunity to work directly with their marketing leaders, which allowed better communication of design objectives to key decision-makers. At PCS, our chance to align design objectives with marketing objectives varies. Depending on the conflict, it can hurt minor product details or ruin the entire design process.

What do you think WWU ID students are lacking most when entering the workforce after graduation?
I actually think WWU ID produces some pretty well-rounded design graduates. But, one thing that might students is better school recognition. At least outside of Washington State, I’m guessing most
employers don’t know about WWU ID. This can be improved by entering worldwide design competitions (and winning them), finding ambitious internships, contributing to online design sites like Core77 and improving the school’s marketing collateral

For juniors and seniors, can you share your advice and experience with organizing your portfolio and interview process?
In my experience, getting a job required possession of all the classical ID skills: great sketching, great conceptual thinking, great model-making, great software skills, great verbal skills, great visual presentation skills, and great professionalism. Looking like a razor-sharp designer is vital. You can control how others perceive your work by presenting it in professional way that emphasizes your strengths and contains only the most relevant content. Don’t muddy your portfolio up with unnecessary project pictures and distracting graphics.

Finally, get a website to showcase your work. If you’re emailing a potential employer, it is more convenient for them to click on the link to a website than to download attached files in an email. If the employer likes your stuff, they’ll ask you in for an interview. The key to a good interview is confidence. (Confidence demonstrates competence). The employer has already seen some of your work, so the important thing is to match your good work with great personality. Lead the interviewers through your work in a logical manner that tells a story of how you approached a problem and how that lead to a solution. Don’t forget to smile and be yourself; if you got invited or an interview, the employer might just be checking if that they’ll want to work with you everyday (make sure you’ll want to work for them everyday, too).

Is there any class, experience, or project that you look back at WWU ID and was very memorable?
ID CAD Skills. I don’t know if it’s still called the same thing now, but it was the class where we learned Rhino, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I remember it well because I had to take the class twice. The first time I took it, my model was too complex to render in a timely fashion for the final presentation. The second time I took the class, I promised myself to make a simpler model that would be easier to render. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help myself from designing a more complex model than the first time. The model was so complex it wouldn’t render at all. It literally crashed the computer almost every time. I almost didn’t pass the class the second time! I learned two really valuable things through this experience. One is that my attention to detail doesn’t always pay off in the end (I’ve learned how to get better results with way less work). The second lesson learned is that it’s always wise to plan for a worst-case scenario that would prevent project completion.

Where do you see yourself, life-wise & design-wise in the near-future?
I’ve been lucky to work under the management of some great designers. I’d like to eventually give back to the guidance I’ve received by managing a group of designers myself. After I’ve reached a certain
level of experience, I’d love to share my knowledge with others to help them achieve success too. Design is a never-ending pursuit. I look forward to gaining more wisdom and intuition for great design. Life-wise, I have similar goals of continuing to learn and sharing my experience with others. My wife and I are planning on having a couple kids in the future. I expect it to be a life-changing event that will help me see things in a different way. I’ve always benefited from trying out new experiences that intimidated me.

What type of shoes are you wearing right now?
I’m actually just wearing a pair of white slippers.

Favorite movie(s)?
I’m a sucker for most sci-fi films (The Matrix, Minority Report, Dark
City, The Island, Iron Man, District 9, Twelve Monkeys, The Fifth Element, The Thirteenth Floor, eXistenZ, The Time Machine, Gattaca,
Independence Day, Avatar, Contact, etc…)

But, here are some others I really like: Life of Brian, 12 Angry Men
(1957), Momento, The Truman Show, The Big Lebowski, Se7en, Ghostbusters (I guess this might be considered a sci-fi), The Fugitive, Gladiator, Batman Begins, Requiem for a Dream, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Mission Impossible, all the Bourne films, and pretty much any James Bond film.

Top 3 Desert Island Disc Albums?
1.    Daft Punk, Alive 2007
2.    Gustav Holst, The Planets (any recording)
3.    Goldfrapp, Supernature

Thanks to Adam for the awesome interview! Pictured below is a sample of Adams design work including single double wall oven design during his internship at GE (2007), a massager made from recycled materials for the junior ReMade project (2005), and a visual child monitor design for his senior project (2008).

Arunas Oslapas, “ReMade Lithuania” April 15th

2010-04-13T11:06:00.001-07:00

Join us this Thursday at 5:30pm in ET 347 to catch Prof. Arunas Oslapas recent teaching experience in Lithuania. He will be covering travel experiences, design in Europe, as well samples of the ReMade project completed by his students in Lithuania.

Darrin Seeds, Gerber Blades March 31st

2010-04-13T01:12:00.001-07:00

Darrin Seeds, Sr. Industrial Designer at Gerber and WWU ID Grad 2005, is currently working with the Junior class this quarter designing multi-tools. In case you missed it, he was kind enough to share a fantastic presentation with the WWU IDSA student chapter on March 31st. Darrin shared his design process, a handful of prototypes, and his experience designing in London with adventurer / survival specialist badass Bear Grylls. Make sure to check out the Junior’s multi-tools and the rest of their student work at the IDSANW Junior show later this spring.

Alex Diener, “Get A Design Gig” March 11th

2010-03-06T12:16:00.001-08:00

The final WWU IDSA guest lecture of the quarter will be going down this coming Thursday at 6:30pm (SMATE 120) as Alex Diener, WWU 2000 ID Alum + Creative Director of Pensar Development, will discuss ways new grads can market their skills in this tough job market.

Alex will be covering the basics of finding opportunities, presenting portfolios online and in person, and avoiding common pitfalls young graduates make when jumping into the professional world. Take a break from studying and bring a pen to take notes, a great opportunity to learn how to approach design internships and jobs.

Model Making 101: The Handbook.

2010-02-25T05:12:00.001-08:00

"If a sketch is worth a thousand words than a model is worth a
thousand sketches" - Arunas Oslapas

Currently the Sophomore ID class is knee deep in the search for the ideal techniques for crafting beautiful models. I decided to grab ID Senior Phelan Miller to lend a helping hand through the blogosphere by giving the some tips, tricks, and tools you will need to save you time and give you that perfect finish on your model ~ Enjoy

Introduction

In this modern age of CAD and Maxwell renderings we as industrial
designers often ignore the power of physical models. Whether it is a
rapid-prototyped or made out of bond paper, both have their place in
the design process. In the last few weeks the sophomore class has been introduced to the exciting world of model making conquering tough projects like scissor handles and the infamous spork.

The following is an introduction to model making from a senior’s perspective. NOTE: Be safe! Nothing ruins a model, day, or body part quite like power tools. The faculty, junior, and senior class are more than willing to help anyone who is unsure of how to use tools properly so just ask for help if you need it.

1. The World is Your Potato!
You can find materials everywhere; anything sitting around your house,
on the side of the road, or even in the store is fair game to be
turned into an awesome model. Last quarter I purchased a Jonas
Brothers charm bracelet because the beads were the perfect size for my model. Although a bit of my soul died while purchasing the bracelet it was all worthwhile in the end. My only suggestion here is to hide the original use of said scrounged materials; I doubt my model would have benefited if it still had Joe, Nick, and Kevin still printed on every bead.

2. Adhesives
Superglue: Buy a bunch; you are going to need it. I get both thin and
gel versions for versatility. Also, activator helps the glue dry
super-fast but it smells like death and it can’t be good for skin.
Make sure you use gloves and a respirator if you are using the
activator.

Epoxy: I love epoxy, it is great for bonding almost anything together.
Remember to scratch up any smooth surfaces like metal with sandpaper before using it though. I usually purchase a 5 min and a 60 sec tube to cover my bases. The 5 min. version always feels like it takes 20 min and the 60 sec really is 60 seconds.

3. Sanding
Sandpaper is your best friend! Just keep in mind it is one of those
friends that you hate hanging out with because it always takes longer
than expected. You probably spend just as much time sanding your first few models as you did designing them. I suggest you cut to the chase and go buy a good amount, at least 3 sheets of 4 grit ranges from 100 to 1000. (220 is my favorite in case you were wondering.)

Remember: Start low and work your way up. It might seem smart to try and just go straight into finishing your model but trust me, work your way to a higher grit slowly and your wrist will thank you in the end. Try and sand with one grit until the only scratches visible are the
size that are being made by the paper you are using, only then are you
ready to move onto a finer grit. Also, try not to hold sand paper in
your hand. Wrap, spray adhesive, or staple it onto a hunk of wood or
dowel to give yourself a nice sanding block. It will keep your model
from developing grooves that are eerily similar to the shape of your
knuckles.

4. Filler
Filler is one of the most misused materials ID students use in the
shop. Most people slather as much on as possible to cover up any
imperfections not realizing how much more work they are giving
themselves. Filler comes in many forms but the basics include spackle, Bondo, and spotfiller. I would advise picking yourself your own small supply of each.

Spackle: Spackle is great for filling in small holes or cracks in a
model. It works wonders on polyurethane foam which is generally porous and does not accept spray-paint well. Apply by smearing it on LIGHTLY,it needs to air dry so the thicker you put it on the longer you are going to be waiting for it to dry. My rule of thumb is to completely
cover the model and then use my hand to smear off any excess, it keeps drying time down and requires less sanding later on. You can always put on another coat afterword.
Warning: Don’t use heat guns to try spackle! It is a fire hazard and
the spackle never quite sands as well as the air-dried version.

Bondo: Bondo is in my opinion the best invention since duct tape. It
will glue to hunks of foam together, make beautiful fillets, and
bridge large gaps. The only drawbacks are the fact that it is
extremely flammable, the vapors are very bad (ALWAYS wear a
respirator,) it is bad for your skin (get some latex gloves) and it is
hard to sand (don't put so much on!) My advice is to give it a shot,
experience is going to help you manipulate the goop into the shapes
you want. Remember to read the directions, and put it in the flammable cabinet when you are done.

BONUS: Justin Lund taught me a cool Bondo trick that I will share with you. If you keep watch on how fast your Bondo is setting up you can actually use a xacto knife to cut off any excess when it reaches a
fudge-like consistency. This will save you a bunch of sanding time.
Spotfiller: Once you have mastered spackle and Bondo you can move onto spotfiller. Spotfiller is used for the smallest of imperfections that
only show up after your first coat of primer. It comes in small tubes
and is generally rather inexpensive. Just squeeze a little out onto a
spot that needs to be filled and smooth over. After it dries it is
really easy to sand to a perfect finish. Remember: don't get it very
thick or it will never dry and ALWAYS wear gloves and a respirator.

5. Painting
Spray-paint Technique: Practice makes perfect. Try starting the can
pointed away from the model and then make a pass. This will keep paint from piling up where you start. Also, do light coats, it is much more time efficient and pretty than soaking you model in a thick coat of paint. If you get drips try and take the time to sand them off after
they are dry.

Primer: In my opinion the thicker the better. My primer of choice is
filler primer found in the automotive section. It is expensive but it
fills in any small spots that you might have missed with the sand
paper. After a coat or two sand lightly with 300-600 grit and then
give it another coat. This process can go on for a while depending on
how perfect you want the model to be.

Color: If you are adding color to a model try and avoid spraying color
over dark primer. Because filler primer is gray I usually spray the
model white with any white paint I have sitting around. After the
model is white your color paint will go a lot further. Matt vs. Gloss: Unless you are creating a final, looks-like model I suggest using matt paint. Matt will do its best to hide any funky areas in your model while the gloss will do the exact opposite. If you are dedicated to using gloss paint make sure you model is in tip-top shape before you final coat.

In closing, these are some very basic model making techniques that are intended to help you increase quality and productivity. My experience in the shop has taught me that rushing through a model and becoming frustrated will only hurt you and/or what you are making. Try and give yourself a few extra hours to get you project done and don’t forget to clean up after yourself.

-Phelan Miller

IDSANW Portfolio Review

2010-02-18T00:50:00.001-08:00

February 6th 2010 Ballard, WA - IDSANW hosted the 2nd annual student portfolio review with 14 local design professionals sharing personal feedback on students portfolios. Students received great advice on layouts, verbal presentation, and overall content. A great opportunity especially for Juniors or Seniors prepping for jobs and internships.

Special thanks to IDSANW’s Bernadette Havok for organizing and hosting the event. Check out some images courtesy of Eli Hooper on the WWU ID Flickr page.

Featured ID Student: Junior Ian Mayhew

2010-02-14T01:49:00.001-08:00

WWU ID Junior and concept illustrator extraordinaire Ian Mayhew was kind enough to throw down an interview for the WWU IDSA Student Chapter Blog; enjoy a more recent perspective on the sophomore review, how junior ID II has been treating him as of yet, and some of his most recent design work.

"...be yourself, but be just as aware of what’s happening around you. Analyze the choices that others are making, and pay attention to everyone else’s critiques..."

3 Suggestions for surviving, succeeding, and making the most out of your sophomore year:

1. Survival: I’m not the best person to ask this of. I eat donuts for breakfast or lunch most of the week, I sleep little, and I somehow almost never get sick or gain weight. Mentally, though, I’m as vulnerable as anyone else. You have to do what you can to stay focused, and above all, positive. Plan ahead, work hard, and factor in plenty of time for Murphy’s Law. I think stress can do you in faster than a lack of sleep.

2. Success: Keep an open mind and take criticism seriously, even if you don’t like what you hear (in fact, especially if you don’t like it: if it stings, you know it’s working). On top of that, be yourself, but be just as aware of what’s happening around you. Analyze the choices that others are making, and pay attention to everyone else’s critiques. Then pay attention to how others respond to their critiques.

3. Sketch: This one should be a given, but I feel like any ID student can afford to draw more. There’s always something to learn or discover on your own just by putting a pencil to paper. Corny and magical, I know, but you really don’t need an instructor to get better at drawing—just extra effort and free time. And for crying out loud, draw for fun. Draw with friends (even if they stink). Get comfortable with cranking out several pages in one sitting. Just saying: you better draw and you better like it!
What would you be if you weren't an Industrial Designer?
Can’t say I call myself an industrial designer… yet… or anything in particular for that matter. I’d love to slip into entertainment design, concept and eventually art direction fields. I feel like I could be a student for the rest of my life. I think that’s as close to an answer as I can get at the moment…

How has Junior year been so far? What are some good tips for future Juniors?
It’s been great. It’s nice to be the middle child.
Concern yourself with the group dynamics of your class. Who are the people you work well with? Do you approach design in similar ways to other people, and if not, what can you learn from them?
If you weren’t very competitive as a sophomore (like me), it’s a good time to start. Get a little more aggressive, and play off of your strengths.

(Photo Right: Ian’s award winning homemade District 9 halloween costume 2009 )
What keeps you sane & inspired out of design? (Hobbies / Activities / Experiments)
It’s impossible to get away from design once you know it’s there. When I play video games to chill out I still find myself considering all the details that went into it. I’ll let every monster maim/kill/eat me just to see what the designers came up with. People are creative, and experiencing those other avenues of creativity are great sources of distraction and inspiration for me. Sometimes I feel like I’m overflowing, and I have to irrigate all those daydreams and experiments into personal projects just to stay sane. I’m a tragic mess, and I’m fine with it.

How was the response at the IDSANW portfolio review aspects of your portfolio in terms of your more concept/illustration style?
They liked it when I could sell it with a story. Some of my work wasn’t totally ID-appropriate, but they liked how I could involve graphic design/illustration/story boarding approaches in my designs. It’s a way to differentiate myself, but I just have to make sure to communicate it well as an appropriate means of problem solving.

The most memorable experience WWU ID-related so far?
Definitely the day of the sophomore review… It seemed to be going pretty well for everyone who went before me, and I couldn’t say if that made me more comfortable or more nervous… Mostly what I remember is zooming around asking people how they’re feeling, munching on the refreshments set up by the juniors, and watching the Big Lebowski in the studio. I can’t recall much of my review, actually. Those 15 minutes were gone in a flash. But I do know that it felt good to talk about all the work that I was proud of, and be able to say afterwards, “Hey, that wasn’t so bad”.

What made you decide to go for Industrial Design at WWU specifically?
Jason’s presentation in ETEC110 had me hooked right off the bat. Loud electronic music + sweet sketches and renderings = my kind of professor. I came to WWU as a graphic designer, but I had always felt too constrained by choosing any one “art” program. Comparatively, that slide show definitely opened a lot of doors for me.

How has Prof. Morris’s Junior ID II Class been?
It’s been a pretty exciting past couple of weeks. Our project is very techy this quarter and it’s an exciting change that’s managed to squeeze a lot of sketches out of our sleep-deprived brains. We’ve zeroed-in on our concepts and it’s about time to get into the nitty-gritty ergonomic and engineering stuff. It’s been fun the whole way.

Any plans for the summer?
An internship would be great. I hope for a little money, but plan to work either way. It’s a given that I’ll be drawing and painting a lot in my spare time.

What type of shoes are you wearing right now?
Reebok Classic Nylon running shoes. Otherwise I’m normally wearing the cheapest pair of Converse money can buy.

Favorite movie(s)?
The Blues Brothers , Laputa: Castle in the Sky, LotR Trilogy, Fifth Element, over-the-top-over-budget stuff in general.

Favorite books(s)?
His Dark Materials Trilogy, Heart of Darkness, coffee table-quality art books

Favorite meal/food/restaurant?
Tandoori Chicken, Sushi, Gyros
Thanks to Ian for sharing, enjoy some of his recent work pictured below: The first project is a modular room divider made from anodized aluminum from fall quarter and the second is a sample of Ian’s digital painting skills, look for another blog interview soon!

Dave Hull & Jonah Griffith, Feb 25th

2010-02-10T22:43:00.001-08:00

Feb 25th 5PM - WWU ID Graduates Dave Hull and Jonah Griffith, designers at housewares company Chef’n in Seattle, will be traveling up on February 25th to share with the WWU IDSA student chapter about their work at Chef’n as well as a little about themselves. Also look for them to pop into Arunas’z afternoon perspective and rendering II class to give some feedback on your sketching skills. Hope to see you there!

Winter Quarter Update

2010-02-07T22:33:00.001-08:00

We’re almost halfway through winter quarter, a few updates of what has been going on amongst classes and the IDSA student chapter:
A new WWU ID display was recently installed in the hallway featuring Sr, Jr, & Sophomore work in the last 3 years, we hope to update the display with more pieces before the end of the year as well as the updated picasa studio gallery featuring students hard at work from this quarter. Also make sure to check out the post on Prof. Jason Morris’s new documentary on Walter Dorwin Teague that is currently in pre-production, information on the project as well as how to help and support the project is also available.

Lance Barr, Nintendo February 4th

2010-01-28T23:26:00.001-08:00

Thursday, February 4th at 6:30pm, WWU IDSA welcomes Nintendo of America’s Director of Product Design, Lance Barr. In the second of our guest lecture series for winter quarter, Lance will share his life experiences, advice, and design wisdom. We will start promptly at 6:30 so please come early, space will be limited.

Lance Bar is currently the Product Design Director for Nintendo of America. After studying industrial design at Western Washington University and the University of Washington, Barr consulted with different Northwest companies, including Cybot, an educational robot kit manufacturer, and later joined Nintendo in 1983. Mr. Barr has worked in the field of industrial design more than 27 years, acquiring more than 20 US and international patents, concentrating on video game and consumer electronics design, including the original NES and Super NES, several video game controllers including the NES Hands Free controller.

Hope to see you all there!

Featured ID Student: Senior Beth Blair

2010-01-28T23:20:00.001-08:00

Senior Industrial Design student Beth Blair was gracious enough to send me a new blog interview. Check out some great advice on taking risks, working alongside your classmates, as well as some insight from her summer internship at Intel.

“…We’re all here to learn, and that doesn’t happen without some trial and error. It’s been said many times before, but it’s true: If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough”

3 Suggestions for Succeeding in Sophomore Industrial Design Courses:
1. Engage in good old constructive competitiveness with your classmates. By this, I mean that you should work alongside your peers. No one really knows what they’re doing their sophomore year (or any other year, for that matter!) but working alongside others in your class will enable you to more quickly improve your skills and sharpen your creative instincts. Work until you think yours is some of the best in the class; if it’s not, then you’re not done! (You can catch up on sleep in the summer!)
2. Keep an eye on what’s going on in the world around you. As designers we should know about current trends, whether its music, art, architecture, literature, furniture, technology, etc. Also, we all have unique areas of interest and unique hobbies, and those are what inspire us to do great things. It’s hard to come up with innovate solutions to design challenges if you don’t take some time to “step out” of the studio and see what’s going on in the world.
3. Don’t be afraid to take chances. You’ll benefit more from venturing into unknown territory than you will if you stick to what you already know. And besides, this is school. We’re all here to learn, and that doesn’t happen without some trial and error. It’s been said many times before, but it’s true: If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough!!!
So WWU ID, what is great about it, what could be improved, what will you miss?
Good question; hard to answer in brief. As a ‘non-traditional” student, I did a lot of research before deciding on the ID program at Western. Ultimately, I chose Western because of the balance between art and engineering, the competitiveness of the program, and because of its proximity to Seattle/Portland/Vancouver. Now that I’m almost done with the program, I am also able to appreciate the “unadvertised” benefits of belonging to a program like what we have here. The small class size and the quality of students and instructors enable it to behave more as a small community of crazy, sleep deprived, creatively motivated individuals who all share a common interest and drive. THAT, I think, is the most unique and special aspect of this program in particular, and one that I will probably miss the most.

You worked as an Intern outside of Portland at Intel this last summer, how was your first experience as an intern in the Industrial Design professional ?
Well, it was amazing. A little strange at first (my boss was gone for the first four of my 12-week internship) but absolutely invaluable from a learning perspective. At Intel I was able to work independently on a project, from start to finish. This gave me the chance to put my educational training to the test in a mini “real world” scenario. And guess what? IT WORKS!!! Some things that I might suggest to others getting ready for similar internships: keep your ego at home, ask questions when you don’t know something, be brave and take risks, remember that you’re a student and not a seasoned pro, have fun and make friends. Even in the grey, geometrical cube that was my world for three months this summer I was able to produce some of my best work and have a very fun and fulfilling experience.

What keeps you sane outside of school? Hobbies? Experiments?
I WISH I could claim sanity outside of school. Hmm… I did try skydiving this summer – a very intense experience that I can’t regard as a hobby since I’ve only done it once. I guess I really enjoy music (especially live), art shows/museums, my old scooter, photography, food, and skiing when there’s actually some snow on the ground…

Is there a specific design project you faced that was especially rewarding?
I really appreciated Jason Morris’ approach to a project we did last year called “Form Function.” Without informing us of the final deliverable, Morris had us create paper models based on the basic principles of form. We then refined these models iteratively until we had only a few “best” models. It wasn’t until this point in the process that Morris provided us with a choice of functions for these forms. We finished by selecting one form and a function, making a scale model, and creating a contextual environment for the model that highlighted its place in a “real world” scenario. “Form Function” was a great way to depart from the normal design process and yielded some really interesting results. (Not to mention a few interesting context photos – thank you very much Sarah Blott!)

Any random piece of design you're diggin’ right now?
Design Movement: Non Intentional Design / Design Hacking is a sort of unplanned design phenomena that one of my classmates turned me onto recently (thanks Justin!) Hard to explain briefly, but here’s a link to an interesting site highlighting its merits: http://scottburnham.com/. And here’s a great article: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21120742/Design-Society-Hacking-Design.
Design Companies: Nendo produces some interesting stuff; very inspiring: http://www.nendo.jp/en/
And the people at Castor look like they’d be really fun to work with: http://www.castordesign.ca
Design Book: I read a lot of books, but here’s one I just finished that provided a lot of inspiration for a current project: “I Miss My Pencil” (by Martin Bone and Kara Johnson) And here’s some info about it: http://www.ideo.com/news/i-miss-my-pencil

Top 3 All-Time Movies?
Ditto. Although I was fond of “9 to 5” (with Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lilly Tomlin) and John Hughes’ films when I was younger. (I think I just seriously dated myself!!)

Here is Beth’s 2nd Place Plywood Project from Spring 2008, a clean and stylish bench with magazine storage area. The second image is Beth’s ReMade project from Fall 2008, dining place mats made from recycled materials. Look out for another interview post soon.

2010 WWU IDSA Spring Trip

2010-01-15T12:57:00.001-08:00

It’s Official! The annual WWU IDSA trip will be traveling to Denver to attend the IDSA Western District Conference. Clear your calendars for April 22nd-25th, you may have to miss a class or two so make sure to talk to your professor the first day of class in spring quarter. Things to look forward to are guest speakers, workshops, portfolio reviews, senior student merit award winner presentations from the Western District ID schools, checking out Denver. For a little preview, here’s Core77’s wrap-up from the 2008 Conference in Portland. To sign up and receive updates / info, sign up on the list in the Sophomore Studio or e-mail wwuidsa@gmail.com

ID Portfolio Review: Saturday February 6th 2pm

2010-01-05T10:06:00.001-08:00

The annual IDSA NW portfolio review will be going down on Saturday, February 6th 2-6pm at the Ballard Library, 3614 22nd Ave NW Seattle. Drinks to follow at Old Peculiar 1722 NW Market St. Seattle from 6-9pm. This is a great opportunity to get feedback from real design professionals before applying for internships or jobs.

Paul Kearsley, Freelance Designer January 14th

2010-01-03T22:18:00.001-08:00

The first IDSA guest lecture series of 2010 will be landing on Thursday, January 14th, at 6:30pm. Paul Kearlsey, WWU ID graduate of 2007, will be speaking on green design and also sharing a sample of his portfolio. This is a great opportunity especially for students interested or active in the sustainable design minor. Hope to see you all there!

Featured ID Student: Senior Sarah Blott

2009-12-20T23:46:00.001-08:00

Sarah Blott, who is currently interning at GE and will be returning with the senior class next year, was gracious enough to send a very merry christmas blog interview my way. Enjoy some great advice on what it is like designing for a huge giant like GE as well as her top three most creepiest christmas songs.

“…but knowing how to apply them (skill sets) in design takes experience followed by a certain period of humility. The more that novice designers like us realize how little we know, the faster our minds will accept and utilize new ideas.”

3 Suggestions for surviving, succeeding, and making the most out of your sophomore year:
1. Dump your significant other and learn to love the sweet feeling of sleep deprivation.
2. Acknowledge ignorance. It's easy to build manual skills like sketching and modeling, but knowing how to apply them in design takes experience followed by a certain period of humility. The more that novice designers like us realize how little we know, the faster our minds will accept and utilize new ideas.
3. Play pranks on fellow classmates. It's hilarious and helps decompress everyone. If you need ideas, just ask Phelan. I believe Ben can attest to the fact that anyone who falls asleep on the studio couch is fair game.

What would you be if you weren't an Industrial Designer?
I would probably give bumming a shot. Yeah, I would definitely be a traveling bum.

How has the transition from being a Junior at WWU and then entering the professional environment for the GE Internship? What skills/things do you wish you had more polished prior to going in?
Mostly, I had to get used to hearing "no" a lot. There are so many factors and constraints that keep you from doing what you want, many of which are completely unrelated to design or engineering. But this has forced me to learn how to quickly create many variations on a design to cater to specific constraints, but still keep its integrity.
Overall I think our program has prepared me pretty well for this internship. I know my boss appreciates the education we get in design process, research, and engineering. These are things that probably aren't as emphasized at art schools.
Initially I was worried about not knowing Solidworks since that's the standard at GE, but there was plenty of time to learn.

What keeps you sane & inspired out of design?
Well the last two years in school there wasn't anything outside of design. It was the sanity, because time for any other activity seemed ridiculous. Though I do admit that venturing outside the studio for a creative trip to Cap's probably kept some of us from imploding..
But these days, with a normal schedule and hardly any time in a shop, I've been exploring new creative hobbies like sewing and becoming at least a mediocre photographer.

Name one WWU ID project that you look back and attribute to be the most memorable?
Haha, here we go... I would say the most memorable was the project we did sophomore year where we had to design trowel handles out of urethane foam. We spent so much time thinking about the ergonomics, followed by hours and hours of careful sanding and priming. But when it came time for the critique, we had really just inadvertently created 24 bright blue phalluses connected to a little shovel.

Tell me about your "general experience" so far interning at GE, the good and the bad.
Well the good thing is that I'm guaranteed to go to sleep every night, which hasn't happened in about 3 years.. The general experience is a very corporate one, which has its ups and downs. There are tons of resources available to the designers and they get a range of boring to awesome work, just like anywhere. However, they are sometimes at the mercy of other departments within GE and must constantly be fighting for the legitimacy of good design and the importance of investing in it. The good thing about such a long internship is that the other interns and I have the same responsibilities of a Junior level designer. So I am learning a ton, not only in skills and knowledge, but also what to look for in a future career.

What the heck is Louisville, Kentucky like? (For those of us who haven't been)
Louisville, or Loo-ville as the natives say, is actually a whole lot more fun and interesting than I thought it was going to be (ie. less Redneck). It's a pretty big city with a lot of diversity and various cultural influences that keep it interesting. I've especially had fun sampling all the great local eateries and breweries. I'm also looking forward to the Kentucky Derby. Apparently the whole city goes into party/festival mode for a week, and it's all for a 2 minute race.

What most are you looking forward to coming back to WWU ID next fall?
I can't wait to get back to doing student work, where I will have complete control of the project and the direction it goes. It is total fantasy and unlike designing in the real world, but it will be nice to get one more opportunity to have that freedom.

Top 3 Christmas Albums/Songs?
The classics are all good. Instead, I'm going to give you my top 3 worst/creepiest Christmas songs.
1. Santa.com Also known as "I'm Gonna Email Santa!"
2. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
3. Santa Baby

Here is sample from Sarah’s junior portfolio from the Form/Function project from last year, "Mango Lounge", a comfy single person chair.

Layouts, Graphic Design, and Portfolio Tips

2009-12-18T14:51:00.001-08:00

A few Juniors and Seniors were lending helping hands towards the end of the quarter with layouts and graphic design and I thought it may be worth sharing some of the essential ideas, tips, and advice for presenting your work concerning ID.

Graphic design is not easy but a few bits of knowledge are crucial when it comes to presenting your work. Here are a few tips and resources to consider when laying out your work from the industrial design student’s perspective. Also check out this link from Smashing Magazine, some very nice layouts inspiration. ( Photo Credit / Freelance Folder )

We’re Not Graphic Designers
Unless you’re double majoring, (w/ the possible exception of Ian) you’re not an graphic designer, at least not yet. With that being said, as industrial design students, we may know similar tools ( Adobe Creative Suite) but we use them for completely different purposes. Approach layouts to being completely neutral and clean so the focus is on the content. Use it to complement your industrial design work as much as possible, not to distract from it.

Less is More
White Space: A heavy amount of space around photos and text will go a long ways, the last thing you want to do is clutter your work with unnecessary elements or graphics. Let your renderings, sketches, text, and research breath with plenty of white space, it will assure your viewer is focused on the industrial design work. A great test is to look at your work from a long distance from the screen/page.

The Grid
Make sure everything is aligned and sized proportionally: use margin guides, lock them in, and keep things as consistent and cohesive as possible. Here is an example of how necessary they can be (and typically are) in a layout scenario. Present the work graphically in a way that allows the eye to travel in a deliberate matter that makes sense. What elements are most important? What are you trying to emphasize? Consider these type of things and set up your margins and guides accordingly prior to inserting images.

Text / Typeface/ Font
Keep your text small and minimal, 12 pt. font is huge for blocks of text, keep your body text at 10pt and your headers around 11-12pt. Remember the focus is on the work, not the text or graphic design. Chances are whoever your presenting the work won’t even read the text, they may glance at it quickly, but they shouldn’t have to.The imagery, process, and renderings should be self explanatory. For ID layouts stick to using sans-serif typefaces like Helvetica, Century Gothic, Myriad Pro, Franklin Gothic, Tahoma, or Futura. These typefaces will give you very clean and neutral results.

Help
Don’t be afraid to ask students around you to ask for help, a handful of seniors and juniors have either taken a graphic design course or have some related experience that they are willing to share. Ideas, feedback, critiques, and refinement should always go into a graphic layout just like Industrial Design projects. Also, if you haven’t already, make sure to sit down and learn InDesign especially if you’re doing a spread of more than 1 or 2 pages, it will save you hours.

Also stop by the library (the place full of free, easily accessible, and powerful books) and read up on graphic design, specifically layout design and look at examples for inspiration, or hop on amazon and purchase a few books. – Happy Holidays!

12.04.09 - “Production”

2009-12-06T18:37:00.001-08:00

A huge thanks to all who came out and supported the WWU IDSA Student Chapter Friday at Mindport. “Production” was a huge success and the turn out exceeded all expectations. Check out photos from the event at our flickr page WWUIDSA. A special thanks to Sheri Wright from 4th Corner Frames, AnMorgan and Tallie from Mindport, and all of you who stopped by, submitted photos, and helped out.

3 Things to Do Over Winter Break

2009-12-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

1. Veg. Out - There is a reason why they call it a break: don't think about school/design. At least for a while. If you start thinking about the review, classes, jobs, etc..stop, eat 4 high caloric cookies from grandma + an egg nog latte, throw in Muppets Christmas Carol, and sleep for 12 hours. You'll feel better about yourself.

2. Santa - You might as well take advantage of the opportunity and ask Santa for some useful things this year. Get some tools, sanding paper ( makes great stocking stuffers), a few hot sketching books (see below) or a maybe stop procrastinating on buying the complete set of grey markers and finish it already. See the complete gift list below.

3. Do Something - You can only watch Home Alone so many times, so maybe after you’ve caught up on sleep and you've gained 7 lbs off cookies and winter ales; consider making some of your time useful. Watch some documentaries or some TED videos ( my favorite documentaries = Helvetica, Planet Earth, Manufactured Landscapes, Man on Wire, Hoop Dreams, Objectified, Supersize Me, The Pixar Story) or maybe invest some time polishing your resume and portfolio. Check out Smashing Magazine for some graphic design related tips and advice.

ID Books & Gift Ideas:
Sketching: Drawing Techniques for Product Designers
Design Sketching
Cosmic Motors
Process: 50 Product Designs from Concept to Manufacture
Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencils
http://www.core77.com/resources/

Featured ID Student: Graduate Jon Takao

2009-11-24T02:50:00.001-08:00

My man Jon Takao, WWU ID Graduate class of 2009, recently began interning at Specialized in Morgan Hill, CA. I caught up with him and he was able to share valuable advice and experience on balancing school and ID, portfolio advice for Juniors and Seniors, and how designing at Specialized has been thus far.

"...ID skill sets like chef’s knives. He (Bill Ford) wanted a lot of knives and he wanted them all sharp. After that I viewed school as a place to sharpen my knife set, now I’m trying to use them"

Read the rest here.

NW IDSA Social

2009-11-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

IDSA NW presents the annual Winter Social, a great time to have a drink, meet some great people, and wind down the quarter. The event is set for Thursday, December 3rd from 7-11 at BoConcepts at 901 Western Ave. in Seattle. Student Admission: $5 (register online) \ $10 (at the door)

"Production" 12.04.09 @ 7pm

2009-11-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

A friendly reminder , "Production" will be displayed downtown at Mindport Exhibits 210 W Holly St, begining November 23rd. We will be silent auctioning off all of the 25 custom framed prints on Friday 12.04.09 at 7pm, along with having food, snacks, some student work on display, and a heck of a lot of fun. Any questions please feel free to e-mail wwuidsa@gmail.com

Featured ID Student: Senior Justin Lund

2009-11-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

I caught up with Senior ID student Justin Lund and he was willing to share his wisdom on surviving Sophomore year and life outside of design. "Whatever benign object you are assigned, figure out how to make it amazingly innovative. Push yourself. Make rocket shoes, or Inspector Gadget shoes, or shoes for amputees, or whatever. It is a skill to think outside of the box.”
Read the rest here.

WWU IDSA 10.27.09 Review

2009-10-28T02:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who came out to the second official IDSA meeting, Phelan Miller presented his summer ID internship at Kalediscope Design Studios and emphasized the necessity of sketching in the real world, dynamics of a studio environment, and a taste of what Chicago summers have to offer. We hope to have another internship presentation from one of the seniors in the near future. Remember to get your IDSA Dues and Photography Submissions in soon!

First IDSA Meeting of 09-10

2009-10-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all of those who turned out yesterday for the first WWU IDSA Student Chapter meeting. It was a great time getting to know some of the new sophomores, not to mention the incredible results of the 3 minute team no-peeky sketch-a-lamp competition. In case you were unable to make it, but still want to be a part of IDSA and be eligible to attend events, meetings, and spring trip; sign up on the contact list posted in the Sophomore room, ETECH347 and turn in your check for 15$ dues made out to WWU IDSA

IDFridays - "The Pixar Story"

2009-10-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

A new semi-frequent event we will be trying to organize atleast once or twice a quarter will be IDFRIDAYS. The first IDFRIDAY will be happening next Thursday, October 22nd @ 6:30. We will be watching a fabulous and inspiring documentary, "The Pixar Story." Bring snacks and forget about your homework for a couple of hours. Check out the trailer here,

Pixar Story Trailer