Who designs the everyday items in our lives: cell phones, athletic shoes, chairs, computers, cars, bikes, even wearable devices? Industrial and product designers! These creative minds are responsible for many of the most exciting products in the world today -- products that evoke emotion, transcend the sometimes mundane nature of their use, and also function well.

The best new designs incorporate not just beauty and utility but also a deep understanding of the individual user experience. They integrate sustainability by minimizing their ecological footprint and maximizing energy and resource efficiency. Understanding the complete product lifecycle is an important part of the contemporary design process. Students will consider the ecological impact of products, focusing on circular economies and the impact on planetary and human resources.

In this hands-on studio, you learn and apply the fundamentals of the industrial and product design process: defining needs, sketching ideas, making physical models, and creating working prototypes that communicate your concepts with power, grace, and confidence.

The course includes a field trip to cutting-edge San Francisco design firms, such as IDEO, Lunar, or fuseproject.

Industrial & Product Design is an all-day studio.

The Pre-College 2025 application opens in late September 2024 and closes mid June 2025.