Product Design Curriculum

We live immersed in a world created and defined by products, systems, and experiences that product designers create. Students learn a process consisting of physical and digital skills that evolve from discovery through development to the delivery of meaningful design solutions. Product Design is broad and encompasses design aspects related to all the other art and design majors. The program aims to prepare students for future design practice through a broad-based, hands-on experience that blends traditional art and craft with industry-related skills, technology, design knowledge, and practices. The curriculum allows students to select elective courses that align with their needs, career interests, abilities, or skill sets. Students emerge from the program empowered with the design and business skills that enable them to work in any design field. Alums of the program work for companies and consulting firms such as Apple, Raytheon, SpaceX, Crate & Barrel, Target, Disney, Coach, Guess, Vans, Herman Miller, IBM, Mattel, Nike, Adidas, Sony Pictures, Nissan, and more.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students engage in the study and practice of design as a creative, iterative process that involves curiosity, research, insight, creativity and critical thinking, ideation, sketching, prototype making, and marketing. Students learn hands-on-making skills in hard and soft materials, craft-based processes, and 2D and 3D analog and digital skills design methods.

Graduates of the BFA in Product learn how to:

• Design Process: Use the Product Design and Development Process as a means to manage the development of an idea from concept through to production.
• Design Research: Employ research and analysis methodologies as it pertains to the product design process, meaning, and user experience.
• Design Thinking: Apply creative process techniques in synthesizing information, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
• Design Communication: Demonstrate skills in representing ideas and design solutions in 2D hand drawings and 3D digital imagery, displaying an acute awareness of technical fluency, visual storytelling, and craftsmanship.
• Design Prototyping: Use of basic fabrication to build prototype models for hard goods and soft goods and packaging.
• Design Engineering: Demonstrate, and recognize basic engineering, mechanical, and technical principles.
• Design & Materials: Demonstrate, apply, explain, and recognize the basic family of materials used in soft goods and hard goods, including sustainable materials and manufacturing processes.