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Deep or Wide : Between Education and the Design Profession

I tend to argue with myself. It usually ends peaceably unless it’s out loud on public transportation. As these last days of summer fade into the school year, I find I am at odds with myself once again.

Educators serve two masters: to the student and the profession. With limited time and budget, teachers struggle with the choice: teach the person, or train employees. In schools of industrial design, this issue is particularly relevant. The field has become so broad that schools struggle to provide enough depth. The technical burden of the software alone could fill a four-year course of study. Factors like technology and globalization are changing the role of designer at a break neck pace. Where design historically concerned itself with manufactured things, today’s designers are routinely employed to also develop strategies, interactions, and experiences. Are design programs teaching enough of the skills that designers really need, or are we simply training the designers of tomorrow in the techniques of today? Read More …

Practice Noticing Stuff and Telling Stories

To be a better design researcher, hone your ability to observe the world around you. Keep a regular log that you add to at least weekly (daily would be ideal). Document the strange, the curious, the weird, the awesome and the funny. Learn to keep a close eye on the artifacts, signs, designs, behaviors, products and experiences that you encounter in your everyday life.

Put your observations on the Internet. Maybe no one will see them, but the discipline of taking your observations out of your own head and publishing them in a sharable form will force you into telling a story. As much as design research is about observing others, there’s something very personal about how and what we see, and developing that voice will serve you well. Collect stories and retell them in your own way, emphasizing the perspective you want others to take away. Read More …

Portfolio Preparation Tips and Suggestions

These days you need to go beyond the ordinary to make your portfolio stand out. Here is an overview of what to do and how to excel.

A strong portfolio opens doors, a weak portfolio closes them. Your portfolio is often the only thing a person sees before deciding whether or not to contact you, and in many cases you may not be present to explain it (particularly on-line portfolios). There are fundamental qualities that all outstanding portfolios share, and a variety of principals and techniques that can help take your portfolio from average to excellent. If at all possible, your portfolio should be appropriate to the situation and reviewer, and all portfolios should show creativity, skills, range, thought, and ambition. It is the overall combination of these, plus that “special something,” that makes one designer stand above the others. Read More …

A Brief Guide To Design Education

For potential design students, selecting the right program is no easy task. There are many factors that will guide your choice of school, not all as obvious as location, size and cost. What you might not find in a guidebook are a description of the department’s focus, record on placing graduates and faculty details. Much of this can only be learned from school visits and conversations with faculty and current and former students. Most important is to understand your own interests, as much as possible, so that as you learn about each department you will know whether it’s the right place for you. Your design education is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you want to get the most out of it, so selecting the right program is crucial to your success. Read More …

Making Your Own Dinnerware

Can’t find the right set of dishes or that perfect gift?  Make your own! Even a beginner will have success with this ceramic craft project.

YOU WILL NEED:

· Ceramics in green ware

· Glazes (We used Gare in Vanilla Spice, Willow & Gare Bumpy Doodles in White)

· Cleaning tools

· Water

· Brushes

· Pencil

HOW TO DO IT:

1. Clean plate by removing any seams caused by the mold.

2. Lightly wash with a soft sponge.

3. Fire plate.

4. Apply Vanilla Spice glaze using 3 to 4 coats. Allow drying time in between coats. Follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: When applying glaze keep the brush strokes in the same direction, do not crosshatch.

5. Let the last coat dry thoroughly.

6. Trace or draw on pattern.

7. Following manufactures instructions, use the white Bumpy Doodle bottle and outline the pattern. Allow to dry.

Note: Do not let the tip of the bottle touch the piece.

8. Using a small brush, apply one coat of willow to the inside the Bumpy Doodle out line. Allow to dry.

9. Apply a second coat to one side of each leaf. The second coat of Willow will slightly darken that section of the leaf.

10. Fire.

Decorating With Soft Rose

Here’s something to pick you up out of the end-of-winter blues: soft rose.

This shade — paler than a true pink, but with enough red to stand out against an eggshell or off-white — has the delicacy and gentility that we find in any of the pinks, but it isn’t just for frills and bows. In fact, soft rose can often be best used by pairing it with heavier, more masculine furnishings, as we see here. Read More …

From Small to Spacious

Decorating and furnishing a small apartment or studio can be challenging, but when done correctly your small spaces will look and feel more spacious..Try these suggestions for creating space.

Furnishings

When selecting furniture for your small space choose smaller pieces that have a more open design

Arrangements and Traffic Flow

When arranging your furniture be aware of traffic patterns, all traffic should flow uninterrupted through your room. In a living room start with the sofa or love seat. When arranging your furniture start with the largest piece on the largest wall and facing your focal point. Then create a conversation area. Place a side chair on each side of the Love seat and place your coffee table where it can be reached from all three sitting places.

Accessories and Patterns

In small spaces be careful not to over use accessories. Remember, less is more if you want to create that open feeling. Mirrors and shiny reflective accessories help create the illusion of more space.  Larger patterns should be limited to pillows and smaller accessories rather than a large sofa or love seat.

Color

When choosing color schemes, select soft and monochromatic colors. Use the same or similar colors for your large pieces of furniture and your walls and keep your ceiling lighter than the rest of the room.

Lighting

Use a soft even light and eliminate shadows which tend to slice a room up into smaller spaces. Incandescent lighting will also soften a room. Avoid ceiling lighting this will visually lower your ceiling.

Tips

Keep your apartment simple and clean. If you don’t need it throw it out! Clutter free - Stress-free!

How To Use Mirrors To Open Up Smaller Spaces

Mirrors are great for creating an illusion of space and are an affordable and easy way to open up a room or hallway.

• Place mirrors on the sides in narrow hallways to make them less claustrophobic.
  
• If you have a wall just in front of the entrance then placing a mirror here opens this up.
  
• A mirror can be a great feature as well so consider investing in a really classy mirror and frame that stands out and complements the rest of the home décor.
• Use mirrors in bathrooms, you can be liberal here especially if the room is small.
  
• Make sure you place mirrors in usable heights. It can be quite frustrating and cumbersome if you are forced to bend or jump just to use a mirror