Hello
I am someone trying to break into Product Design and doing some soul searching in terms of the best avenue to pursue:
User Experience/Mobile or Industrial Design or some combination.
My background is Industrial Engineering and spent a few years on the manufacturing floor of Tesla in Fremont, CA optimizing assembly lines. But my true passion (since I graduated) has been design.
My goal is to get a masters in an integrated product design program or an ID program in which I can have an outlet for more technically inspired projects. I have a special appreciation for well designed products that have an integrity in design for manufacturability.
I recently left my job to have more time to focus on making this switch and to work on my portfolio. Right now I am preparing for GREs and trying to get some projects started. I got around to it late but I am thinking of a good way to utilize this summer by perhaps taking a studio type of design class to help me churn out more projects for my portfolio.
I am wondering if these programs would be work cost and time wise for me and based on my situation.
What is your opinion on the following opportunities? (please feel free to make suggestions beyond these).
FYI I am located in the SF Bay Area
Thanks!
- RISD - Intro to Industrial Design + Sketching/Rendering for Industrial Design
Cost: $5000 ($2500 each)
July-August
http://ce.risd.edu/pages/summer-studies-art-design-courses
-
Parsons - Product Design
Description: Students research utilitarian products, examine their uses, study the marketplace, and explore the three-dimensional design process. Working in groups as well as individually, students study the human body and its proportions, draw on research and technical drawings, and tap into their imaginations to create models, present each stage of their design process, and construct functioning design objects. (4 credits)
Cost: $3364
End of May - July
http://ceregistration.newschool.edu/register/parsons14/?_ga=1.101249025.1659656094.1399934873 -
Academy of Art - Design Drawing 1 or Model Making 2
Cost: $2400/class
These are pretty vocational looking classes and seem like I could learn the skills in my own time. Not sure how it would directly benefit my portfolio
- California College of Art - Design Drawing or Urban Mobility 1
Cost: $4998
These prices seem too high for the class.
https://www.cca.edu/academics/summer/courses/industrial-design
- Art Center Night - Various Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Product Design Offerings
I just found out about ACN and they seem to have a pletohora of classes available at night. Many of them meet once a week and extend from now until August. They dont seem as boot camp type and seem geared towards working professionals. I am in a time crunch so maybe something more intensive would suit me. The range of their offerings seem impressive and Ive heard great things about this school though.