Spring in Menomonie
The ground is thawing, the sun is starting to appear again, and I am back in the thick of my second year teaching at University of Wisconsin-Stout…
In the first seven weeks before spring break, students in my ID Methodology, Analysis & Visualization course were redesigning appliances inspired by objects in nature. They researched, sketched, prototyped and finished up the comprehensive design process with well-polished presentations and carefully painted, high-density foam models:
Meanwhile, I try to let students have fun with warm-up projects in my 2D Digital Imaging class. Yes, that’s me in the images that students were able to manipulate when they started learning Photoshop (originals are in the left column):
Last summer, I hopped on an Amtrak train for the first time since I was about 9 years old and thoroughly enjoyed the slow pace. The Empire Builder route took me from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Portland, Oregon for the DIY-themed IDSA National Conference–making stops in Seattle, Glacier National Park and Minot, North Dakota (click the image for more photos). This photo was taken on a chilly morning, right before a breakfast of piping hot coffee and fresh huckleberry pie:
Next stop: down to St. Louis from April 1st-3rd for the IDSA Midwest conference
Furniture Design: Support Project
Here’s some impressive work by 24 Interior Design and Industrial Design students at UW-Stout. The assignment was to design a piece of furniture that can support a person’s weight. (click the image to see all projects).
Back to School
Design classes are back in full swing here in the frozen tundra. This semester I am teaching a couple of sections of “2D Digital Design”, helping students wrap their heads around Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign—with a little HTML and web design mixed in towards the end. I’m actually giving them time to digest the material and apply the software, which seems to be working because they are making impressive progress on their postcard designs.
I’m also filling in on an Interior Furniture Design class for this first month. The students have started on scale models of their “body-supporting” designs…most will end up with chairs but that’s not explicitly required. Next week, they hit the woodshop in full force.
