I am seriously considering an architecture degree for grad school, in order to learn 3d design in depth, and have professional options after graduation, after taking a History of Design course, it seems that most of the great industrial designers were architects, so just wondering (btw it is at City College in NYC… very inexpensive, which is also very important)
Most of the “Great” industrial designers also lived in a time when industrial design didn’t exist as a field of education, there was no such thing as a personal computer, and design came from artistic inspiration rather than research.
My ID program was part of the architecture school and run by architects at the time when I graduated, and frankly I don’t think it benefit me in a major way other than it being “interesting”. Today’s design field is much different than it was 50 years ago. In the roaring days of Raymond Lowey you didn’t have much in the way of interaction design, service design, design research, human factors, etc.
If architecture interests you in general that’s one thing, but I would not expect an additional degree in architecture to help you in most ID firms. If you were working FOR an architect doing design, that might be another story.
take more history of architecture (or design) classes… it will give you what you’re looking for without all the arch-specific skills you wouldn’t need in product design. And go to product design program if that’s what you want to do
If your asking who is a product designer that did some architecture - I took a semester studying Architecture in Spain when I was in university, and had a strong interest in landscape architecture when I started design school ( I even did an internship at an architecture office). My take is that it’s a fantastic profession when you’re doing the exciting residential projects, or if you’re working on an exciting project, but there is a side of architecture that is not so exotic too - working in a huge team at a corp office, just a small cog in the wheel for a giant structure that’s being built, full of codes and minutiae that keeps you busy. A good mind for design could do good architecture or product in my opinion, and nowadays there are lots of good schools available if you want to focus on either.
thanks so much for your responses, while architecture is interesting to me, designing lighting or furniture. The main reason I would do this program is because it would give me 3-D computer skills, teach me about materials and primarily it is inexpensive… I really can’t afford to go to Pratt or anything that expensive at this point. The arch. program is a 3 year masters, I don’t see any masters in ID offered without the requirement of an ID undergrad degree. I am sure I will find a good fit somehow… but do not want to go into a new career $100k in debt.
A decent industrial design course would also teach you those skills, among others. Can I ask, what is your previous design history?
I am a musician studying design, went back to school as an older student… learning all the adobe stuff, video/flash… all kinds of stuff now… building a portfolio… was hoping to be more interested in web design than i am… I think graduate school will be necessary to get a decent job… I wish there were more people to talk to at my school… advising is really weak