hey … i am a practicing architect and lately i have been thinking of enrolling my self for a P.G in Industrial Design.
personally i think architecture and Industrial design has lots of similarities. for a nut shell i would say Buildings are end products of a design process. The same process that a product/ Industrial designer goes through… though the parameters might vary. have gone through some of designs that product designers come up with and it fascinates me. The course shall help enlighten me with material technology, prototyping, ergonomics and other subjects. Such skills would also help me reinforce my base in architecture
Some of the universities that i have considered applying are
Umea University of Design
Art Centre
RISD
IIT chicago
have some questions:
My design works consists of only architectural buildings. Wanted to know if such a portfolio is accepted for applying to these universities. what is the probability of an architect to get enrolled to the course. please suggest me some portfolios that i can look on to…
What are the plus and minus points that an architect will have with regard to industrial design.
Which university will be more suited ?
Please put in your comments and suggestions. thanx alot
i transferred to industrial design before entering my 4th year of study in architecture. when i began to demonstrate my achitectural portfolio to some ID schools, it was clear some of those in the room didn’t understand the scope of my work. i think it would be best to demostrate your abilities from your design process. overloading isn’t a good idea, either, but it’s good to have some “in reserve” in case you aren’t getting the point across.
those are all excellent schools, i think you need to decide what area of industrial design you plan to focus on, also which school suits your style better. apparently money isn’t an issue.
the largest hurdle i had between architecture and industrial design was the focus of the end user…and the scale of the projects. architecture to industrial design, it felt like looking at things from a telescope (architecture) to viewing them under a microscope (industrial).
looking at things and materials more closely is one of the main reason that i wanna get into industrial design. the process that a designer goes through is another area that i wanna concentrate…it would be very helpful if u could send me your portfolio so that i can have some guidance thankyou…
I have experienced the same reaction as KFJ did. I have a B.Arch and recently applying to grad schools in graphic design. Many people were not willing to think about the specific skills and talents my work demonstrated which were applicable to both fields, but instead got stuck on, “But this is architecture.” They did not understand the scope and the depth of my work until I spoke with them about it. As architects we are trained to present a glossy image that allows an end user to easily grasp the project, and that works against you in this situation.
I would recommend including some pieces which are more industrial design if you possibly can- almost all architects (at least those where I went to school) experiment with things like furniture design at some point, and I would make the most of these projects. Even if your architecture work demonstrates the necessary skills, the question that will remain in the admission committee’s heads is: “But how can he know he wants to do industrial design, if (by his representation via portfolio) he has never done industrial design work before?”
be sure to add PRATT to your list (I assume you’ll insist on a Masters for this carrer change?) they specialize in taking non-ID undergrads.
Architecture and ID have similar design process but are fundamentally different (a topic for another day).
The long tradition of architect designed chairs and lamps may make it seem like it’s an easy transition to all the rest of mass produced products…
ask lots of questions, spend time in a consultncy or corporate design studio, and be very clear on where you want to end up within ID.
Been thinking of what kind of products that i wanna concentrate on… in brief:
Though the metropolitan cities developing and growing, in one or more aspects it is shrinking too. this is facilitated by communication, transportation etc. The density of the cities and population is also on the rise. in such a situation where space is a major constraint, i would look at products that would have multiple use.
for instance, in a country like india where you find street hawkers, autorickshaw etc. Most of them do not have a house to stay in. i would imagine a product that would transform from a autorickshaw (tri cycle) to a dwelling unit or a kiosks… etc.
Does such designs come under Industrial Design?
Can industrial design be applied to the urban environment and city planning.? if yes, can you provide some examples.
The theory of industrial design can be applied to most all problems, as it is simply a way of thinking about problems, and visually solving them while finding the best(most appropriate for the situation) balance between user, manufactuer, and brand image. IDEO and many others have applied it to hospital floor plans, city planning (Kansas City Project), even large buisness are hireing ID professional to run non design divisions because of their “abuility to see the big picture, while looking at the problem from all perspectives”. Much the same as Archetects, this is why crossover between these field is so great. ID is a systematic methodology for identifying and solving problems, product design is the development of consumer, comercial, industrial and medical products.
after i interviewed with the school i transferred to for ID, i started the next semester with a furniture design class. fortunately for me, the instructor was also the head of the furniture program. he saw my drawing and design level was miles beyond the level of the course and had me re-present my architectural projects with him attending. i gained over a full semester worth of credits on my transfer and was rescheduled in the appropriate level of course work.
glad the topic is being discussed. i am an architecture graduate looking to join a masters program in industrial design. the only ‘products’ other than buildings that i have designed as part of my curriculum at architecture school are a chair and a lamp. graphics and model making are strengths and so is conceptualising and problem-solving. apart from Pratt which other schools are recommended?
I am an Industrial Designer and an Architect – the connections are almost too close to differentiate. Many of ID’s most beloved practitioners were/are architects – Eames, Saarinen, Nelson, Sotssas, Bellini, Vignelli, Diffrient and on and on and on.
Get the PG to get the few skills and little bit of specific knowledge that you don’t already posses and follow your dream – you are already way ahead of most industrial designers. Keep in mind that in general most people hold architects in higher regard that industrial designers and as an architect you don’t have explain what it is that you do. On the other hand industrial designers don’t have the same liability as architects.
Yo – you’re right of course but I’m not sure I get your point.
no_spec – a lot of variety over 35 years, electronics (analog and digital), consumer products, medical equipment, furniture, lighting, packaging, graphics and museum and trade show exhibits – the usual design consultant fare. We now specialize in the design of products for cosmetics and fragrance manufacturers (go figure …). I have a BA in ART (sculpture) an MFA in Industrial Design, I am an licensed Architect, by experience, from a time when that was still possible. My first job out of grad school was with Raymond Loewy, then Henry Dreyfus where I worked with Neils Diffrient for a short time before being hired by George Nelson where I spent the next 10 years before striking out on my own in 1983 – OK now I’m starting to feel old.
Holy crap, it must have been amazing to work with all those guys.
My point was just to stress the importance of getting a bit of ID education to compete with all of the other ID grads out there. I agree that the more diverse background will only be to your advantage.
wow! dan… i sure am amazed and thanks for the encouragement.
no_spec, not certain what you mean.
i am looking for a masters program that is studio based. most of the masters programs (list attached) are research based and require work experience. students…alumni…anyone?..
do you have specific products in mind when you think about coming into ID.
I ask because many Arch’s love furniture design and love the work of those listed by Dan. This kind of desire to specialize would help direct the schools and area of country you end up in.
In such a case PRATT would still be an excellent choice among others.
If your more interested in problem solving and ID in general, then IIT.
I spent the last many days looking at graduate industrial design programs in the country and have located three locally. Academy of Art University (in San Francisco), San Francisco State University and Stanford.
I returned from the open house at Academy of Art University (last saturday) with lots of questions. Clearly the school focusses on graphic and model making skills which i like but was unable to understand why 78 units for masters? Visiting faculty active in the design industry sounds great for networking but I got the feeling that I would be left stranded for most part. After the open house, ‘furniture design’ is what i lean towards.
I have yet to pay the other two schools a visit. Any opinions? What would a realistic masters budget be (at AAU $20,000 per year and upwards)? And what skills should one expect to come away with?
I have decided to apply for Post Graduate program at the following uni’s
PRATT
ART Centre
RISD
i find IIT course to be more on the theory side on problem solving and methodology… nothing much of design input. university of Cincinnaty is inclined to bussiness and marketing so that again is ruled out. any other uni’s that you think that i should apply …?