SAIC
Undergraduate Overview
Architecture, Interior Architecture, & Designed Objects Undergraduate Overview
The Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO) is a place where students can explore design and experiment across boundaries.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio (BFA) is an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to prepare students for life as a 21st century artist and designer. Students are encouraged to take courses in any medium of field of study relevant to their practice. Small class sizes, a commitment to personal attention, and support for free expression define the undergraduate experience.
AIADO offers pathways through the BFA that combine sequenced, project-based design studios with electives that build skills and expand knowledge in design. As a BFA student, pathways offer you a guide to the prerequisites for advanced studios in the BFA, preparation for further graduate study, and support developing your own design portfolio.
AIADO offers combined coursework with departments including Fashion Design, Fiber and Material Studies, Sculpture, and Ceramics, allowing students to build strong connections to other areas of the School. BFA students are encouraged to apply to the department’s External Partnership courses with collaborators in industry and culture. Students participate in the Academic Spine, including the Sophomore Seminar, Junior Professional Practice Seminar, and Capstone experience in their final year. BFA students work in the School’s workshops, libraries, and museum collection, making the most of the resources of the School and the city.
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With courses on architectural design, representation skills, and architectural history and theory, the Architecture Pathway focuses on architecture and its impacts on public life while allowing students to experiment in areas such as technology and building performance, urbanism and social practice, and the visualization and communication of information.
The Architecture Pathway is an excellent preparation for graduate study in Architecture.
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The Interior Architecture Pathway focuses on the experimental design of interior spaces at various scales. Students work across disciplinary boundaries in developing design ideas that are future oriented and addresses the role and impact of interior spaces in the 21st century. The Interior Architecture courses equip students with a progressively broad range of knowledge and skills to become spatial innovators in an exciting field that bridges architecture, object, and service design. The pathway is also an excellent preparation for graduate study.
Students who complete the Interior Architecture Pathway meet criteria for the NCIDQ examination given by the Council for Interior Design Qualification. For the most up-to-date criteria, go to the CIDQ website.
BFA in Fine Arts Studio Interior Architecture Pathways [PDF]
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Borrowing critically from product design, systems design, furniture design, and interaction design, the Designed Objects Pathway focuses on the critical and creative rethinking of the systems, tools, furnishings, and products that we use or interact with in our everyday lives.
Investigations into how objects extend human potential and inspire imagination are balanced with studies in the responsible and imaginative use of new technologies, materials, and production processes. A concern for sustainability provides an opportunity to explore alternative visions of how we live, work, communicate, and play.
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The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree provides you a broad education that balances thinking and making, academic rigor, and experimental play. The BFA curriculum integrates academic and studio education—the classroom and the studio inform and enhance each other.
Studio 69 - CP 1010 Core Studio Practice I (3)
- CP 1011 Core Studio Practice II (3)
- CP 1020 Research Studio I (3)
- CP 1022 Research Studio II (3)
- SOPHSEM 2900 (3)
- PROFPRAC 3900 (3)
- CAPSTONE 4900 (3)
- Studio Electives (48)
Art History 15 - ARTHI 1001 World Cultures/Civilizations: Pre-History—19th Century Art and Architecture (3)
- Art History Elective at 1000 level (3)
- Art History Electives (9)
Liberal Arts 30 - ENGLISH 1001 First Year Seminar I (3)
- ENGLISH 1005 First Year Seminar II (3)
- Natural Science (6)
- Social Science (6)
- Humanities (6)
- Liberal Arts Electives (6)
General Electives 6 - Studio, Art History, Liberal Arts, AAP, or EIS
Total Credit Hours 120 * BFA students must complete at least 6 credit hours in a class designated as "off campus study." These credits can also fulfill any of the requirements listed above and be from any of the divisions (Art History, Studio, Liberal Arts, or General Electives).
BFA With Distinction—SAIC Scholars Program: The SAIC Scholars program is a learning community of BFA students pursuing rigorous study in both their academic coursework and their studio pathways. There are two opportunities for interested students to apply to the SAIC Scholars Program: at the time of admission to the school, and after they have completed 30 credits of study at SAIC. Students pursuing the latter option are required to formally submit an application to the Undergraduate Division. Once admitted to the SAIC Scholars Program, students are required to successfully complete a minimum of six designated scholars courses. Students who complete the program will graduate with distinction.
BFA with Liberal Arts Thesis Program Curriculum: BFA requirements including 9 credits of specific Liberal Arts electives as follows:
- SOCSCI or HUMANITY 3900 Academic Research and Writing (3)
- LIBARTS 4800 Undergraduate Thesis: Research/Writing I (3)
- CAPSTONE 4900 Liberal Arts Undergraduate Thesis: Research/Writing II (3)
- Participation in Undergraduate Thesis Symposium in Senior Year
- Completion of thesis, approved by both Thesis II instructor and Chair of Liberal Arts
Total credits required for minimum residency 60 Minimum Studio credit 42
AIADO Course Listing
| Title | Catalog | Instructor | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Architecture/Interior Architecture | 1001 (001) | Aaron Neal | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (001) | Cassandra Scanlon | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Architecture/Interior Architecture | 1001 (002) | Carl Ray Miller | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (002) | Sara Prado | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Architecture/Interior Architecture | 1001 (003) | Stephanie Surjan | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction to Architecture/Interior Architecture | 1001 (005) | Kimberly Ayala Najera | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Design Drawing | 1002 (001) | Adel Machacca | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is a comprehensive introduction to two-dimensional architectural and interior architectural representation. Students learn hand-drawing and digital techniques to produce orthographic, axonometric, isometric, and perspectival projections in individual and group projects. Students move between two- and three-dimensional representation, developing robust skills for design drawing.
Typically the course will review the work of architects and designers throughout the history of architecture representation. Readings will vary and focus will be concentrated on understanding and putting into practice the mechanisms of drawing. Course work consists of building techniques and practice of drawing. Classes will develop incremental skills through assignments and projects that culminate into complex drawings and representations. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Design Communication | 1004 (001) | Nathan Rennich | Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
Comprehensive introduction to three-dimensional architectural and interior architectural representation and fabrication. Through individual and group projects, students learn hand-modeling and digital fabrication techniques, and become super-users of the School?s shops and Advanced Output Center. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students move between two- and three-dimensional representation in the development of robust skills for design communication. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Undergraduate Studio 1 | 2001 (001) | Alberto Ortega Trejo | Mon/Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This two-day core design studio is the introductory course in the Arch/Inarc core studio sequence. Students learn architecture and interior architecture design processes including precedent research, formal analysis, schematic design, and design development, all using the latest software and tools. This course exemplifies the rigorous model of the architecture studio. It encourages design experimentation and provides an analytic framework for developing an advanced understanding of how drawing and model making shape design processes.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ARCH/INARC 1001 or DES OB 1001 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Undergraduate Studio 1 | 2001 (002) | Jonathan Solomon | Mon/Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This two-day core design studio is the introductory course in the Arch/Inarc core studio sequence. Students learn architecture and interior architecture design processes including precedent research, formal analysis, schematic design, and design development, all using the latest software and tools. This course exemplifies the rigorous model of the architecture studio. It encourages design experimentation and provides an analytic framework for developing an advanced understanding of how drawing and model making shape design processes.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ARCH/INARC 1001 or DES OB 1001 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Sketching for Designed Objects | 2005 (001) | Zachary Manuel | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester
In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques. Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sketching for Designed Objects | 2005 (002) | Hector Silva | Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester
In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques. Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Color and Space | 2008 (001) | Stephanie Slaughter | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This one-day studio focuses on colors infinite influence on the human experience and the lived environment. Color interpretation and cultural connectivity will enable students through rigorous representation techniques, and experiments develop a personal color sensibility. Color palettes are examined to distinguish critical and creative thinking in design. Color Theory is studied to identify atmosphere and spaces that affect each of us both psychologically and physiologically. Principles of color usage is explored, how it effects form, light and material.
Some relevant topics we will study include Color and Culture, how people experience their environment through the senses, time, emotions and spatial awareness. Color and Light inseparable partners in the process of perception forming part of the overall design of space. Color, Material and Structure (CMS) are experienced through two important senses, sight and touch. The effectiveness of CMS in design depends upon its relationship to form, also recognizing that materials and finishes, whether glass, granite or paint, contribute color to all space. Some scholars we will study include Josef Albers, Albert Munsell, and Joann and Arielle Eckstut. The deliverables for the class are precedent research, in-class assignments, relevant readings, Mid-term Project presentation and Final Studio Project presentation at the site presented to the clients. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| What's Worth Preserving? | 2010 (001) | Jonathan Solomon | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Architectural preservation, art conservation, archiving and collecting, even environmental protection: all these practices share a desire to preserve things of value, but how do we decide what's valuable? Using the laws, policies, and practices of architectural preservation as a starting point this studio will ask and propose answers to the question: what's worth preserving? Students will explore how preservation practice overlaps and complements the work of different museums, archives, and collections that define value and how they protect it; and propose strategies for assembling and maintaining their own collections in whatever media they choose.
Course readings will focus on the history and contemporary practice of preservation, conservation, and collecting, including texts by Ariella Aisha Azoulay, Daniel Bluestone, Amanda Cachia and Alice Wong, the De-Colonial Collective on Migration of Objects and People, Shannon Mattern, and Jacqueline Hoang Nguyen, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Leah Samples, The South Side Home Movie Project. Course work will include weekly readings and in-class discussions and lectures. Students will work individually throughout the course to research how different institutions assemble and protect their collections, identify a subject of personal interest for preservation, and propose a preservation strategy for it in any medium of their choice. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designing Interaction | 2019 (001) | George Guffey | Thurs
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
This core skills studio teaches how to generate impactful visual materials to effectively communicate interactions with objects, digital interfaces and within virtual spaces.
Students will learn professional communication tools for prototyping screen-based interfaces, vector illustration, typographic and visual composition, and data visualization. As well as aiding design development, the tools covered will enable the successful communication of storyboarded scenarios, design research, and finished proposals for physical and screen-based presentation. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio One | 2020 (001) | Eric Allan Hotchkiss | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.
Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer. In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio One | 2020 (002) | Tim Parsons | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.
Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer. In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio Two | 2030 (001) | Annalee Koehn | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
We will work with the processes by which product designers develop compelling objects that communicate ideas, values, functions and purpose. Projects are designed to study the language of form through an analysis of user interaction, the implications of material choice, finishes, and craftsmanship on the success of a product concept, and how these choices support and promote function, desirability and perceived value. There is also an emphasis on expanding student material exploration and making techniques for optimal results, and the value of iterative prototyping in a successful design process.
The course will address universal product design issues and methods, starting with defining and understanding the project, considering form and function, appropriate material selection, construction techniques, finishes, iteration, and well-crafted final products. We will cover concepts such as semiotics, ergonomics, families of objects, multi-functional products, and emphasize clear communication of finished design ideas through schematics, and graphic representation using descriptive photography. Relevant contemporary design examples are provided as reference for each project, and students will spend additional time researching contemporary designers such as Front Design, Raw Edges, Nendo and Ron Arad. Students will be introduced to high-end professional design sources in a business setting through a field trip to the Merchandise Mart. The course is built around 3 main projects, each with instructional presentations, Design research assignments, ideation and sketching, group discussions, and iterative prototyping, resulting in the creation of a final product and printed graphic document, all presented and discussed in a group critique. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPre: DES OB 1006 or 2020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sustainability Studio | 2035 (001) | Peter J Zerillo | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course provides an introduction to sustainable design, covering topics such as raw materials, energy, food, water, global and local production, global supply chain, green chemistry, and circular economies. Students will learn about the three pillars of sustainability and the fundamental concepts and principles of sustainability. The course will cover the importance of renewable resources and closed-loop systems to reduce waste in sustainable design. Students will explore renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies. The importance of food and water in sustainable design, global and local production systems, the precautionary principle, and the ethical sourcing of materials will also be covered. The course will examine green chemistry as a means of reducing the environmental impact of chemical processes. Finally, students will learn about circular economies and the importance of designing products and processes that promote the reuse and recycling of materials. By the end of the course, students will be able to apply their knowledge of sustainable design principles and practices to their projects in and out of school.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 1: Chair Studio | 2118 (001) | Erik Newman | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This furniture studio will critically engage the chair as an archetype. Chairs have long been a fascination of designers as they require a developed understanding of structure, material, and form. Importantly, chairs represent the cultural mores of the time in which they are produced and are inextricably linked to larger systems of power, technology, and economy. This course will explore the chair as a fluid, dynamic furniture category that is in a reciprocal relationship with culture, technology, and politics and will emphasize a hands-on approach to design and production.
Readings from art and design historians and critics including Galen Cranz, David Getsy, Richard Sennett, Glenn Adamson, and Alice Rawsthorn will be integral to an expansive conversation about the chair. Class readings and discussions will also help contextualize different approaches to construction and fabrication at different scales of production. A wide range of both contemporary and historical design precedents will be explored ranging from traditional Shaker Furniture to Wendell Castle, Faye Toogood, Max Lamb, Egg Collective, Jasper Morrison, and Scott Burton. By the end of this course, students should expect to have completed technical drawings and a series of detailed scale models. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
Designed Objects Course Listing
For the most up-to-date list of courses, please visit PeopleSoft Self-Service.
| Title | Catalog | Instructor | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (001) | Cassandra Scanlon | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (002) | Sara Prado | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sketching for Designed Objects | 2005 (001) | Zachary Manuel | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester
In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques. Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sketching for Designed Objects | 2005 (002) | Hector Silva | Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester
In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques. Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designing Interaction | 2019 (001) | George Guffey | Thurs
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
This core skills studio teaches how to generate impactful visual materials to effectively communicate interactions with objects, digital interfaces and within virtual spaces.
Students will learn professional communication tools for prototyping screen-based interfaces, vector illustration, typographic and visual composition, and data visualization. As well as aiding design development, the tools covered will enable the successful communication of storyboarded scenarios, design research, and finished proposals for physical and screen-based presentation. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio One | 2020 (001) | Eric Allan Hotchkiss | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.
Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer. In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio One | 2020 (002) | Tim Parsons | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.
Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer. In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio Two | 2030 (001) | Annalee Koehn | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
We will work with the processes by which product designers develop compelling objects that communicate ideas, values, functions and purpose. Projects are designed to study the language of form through an analysis of user interaction, the implications of material choice, finishes, and craftsmanship on the success of a product concept, and how these choices support and promote function, desirability and perceived value. There is also an emphasis on expanding student material exploration and making techniques for optimal results, and the value of iterative prototyping in a successful design process.
The course will address universal product design issues and methods, starting with defining and understanding the project, considering form and function, appropriate material selection, construction techniques, finishes, iteration, and well-crafted final products. We will cover concepts such as semiotics, ergonomics, families of objects, multi-functional products, and emphasize clear communication of finished design ideas through schematics, and graphic representation using descriptive photography. Relevant contemporary design examples are provided as reference for each project, and students will spend additional time researching contemporary designers such as Front Design, Raw Edges, Nendo and Ron Arad. Students will be introduced to high-end professional design sources in a business setting through a field trip to the Merchandise Mart. The course is built around 3 main projects, each with instructional presentations, Design research assignments, ideation and sketching, group discussions, and iterative prototyping, resulting in the creation of a final product and printed graphic document, all presented and discussed in a group critique. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPre: DES OB 1006 or 2020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sustainability Studio | 2035 (001) | Peter J Zerillo | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course provides an introduction to sustainable design, covering topics such as raw materials, energy, food, water, global and local production, global supply chain, green chemistry, and circular economies. Students will learn about the three pillars of sustainability and the fundamental concepts and principles of sustainability. The course will cover the importance of renewable resources and closed-loop systems to reduce waste in sustainable design. Students will explore renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies. The importance of food and water in sustainable design, global and local production systems, the precautionary principle, and the ethical sourcing of materials will also be covered. The course will examine green chemistry as a means of reducing the environmental impact of chemical processes. Finally, students will learn about circular economies and the importance of designing products and processes that promote the reuse and recycling of materials. By the end of the course, students will be able to apply their knowledge of sustainable design principles and practices to their projects in and out of school.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 1: Chair Studio | 2118 (001) | Erik Newman | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This furniture studio will critically engage the chair as an archetype. Chairs have long been a fascination of designers as they require a developed understanding of structure, material, and form. Importantly, chairs represent the cultural mores of the time in which they are produced and are inextricably linked to larger systems of power, technology, and economy. This course will explore the chair as a fluid, dynamic furniture category that is in a reciprocal relationship with culture, technology, and politics and will emphasize a hands-on approach to design and production.
Readings from art and design historians and critics including Galen Cranz, David Getsy, Richard Sennett, Glenn Adamson, and Alice Rawsthorn will be integral to an expansive conversation about the chair. Class readings and discussions will also help contextualize different approaches to construction and fabrication at different scales of production. A wide range of both contemporary and historical design precedents will be explored ranging from traditional Shaker Furniture to Wendell Castle, Faye Toogood, Max Lamb, Egg Collective, Jasper Morrison, and Scott Burton. By the end of this course, students should expect to have completed technical drawings and a series of detailed scale models. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Digital Modeling: Rhino | 2124 (001) | James TerMeer | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to be a fast-paced first step into the field of 3D CAD modeling, an arena where designers give shape to our daily experience of the world. If this is your first exposure to virtual 3D form development, you will find a flexible interface that facilitates a rapid learning curve from simple to complex. For those with prior CAD experience desiring a more intuitive, less restrictive creative experience, this course will provide the means to turn what you see in your mind and your sketches into exciting visual and precise physically accurate representations of your vision. Throughout the semester we will discuss historical and current events in product, fashion and architectural design. Typically, these shared conversations lead to discoveries that participants dig into and apply to assignments. A list of influential artists, designers and architects is provided along with suggested books and online references that enrich and add diversity and range to our discourse. Initially, the class works through a series of exercises and tutorials designed to bring familiarity and confidence to their experience with Rhino. Students will investigate methods for surfacing, modifying, rendering, and presenting ideas and concepts they create. As each tool and process becomes more familiar, new methods and strategies are introduced, and students are taught how to apply them to create accurate representative models of objects they design. In addition to gaining hands-on skills, we will explore form creation and the physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural factors that play into the development of a successful new product.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Digital Modeling: Solidworks | 2126 (001) | Angie Lullie | Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to SolidWorks, a powerful parametric software package used by product designers to model, indicate specifications, and visualize their design intent. Students will learn the software in the context of design by using it as a tool to develop form and scale, convey design intent with 3D renders, create specification drawings for manufacturing, and interface with 3d printers, CNC machines, and laser cutters for quick iterative prototyping.
This course will focus on a series of tutorials followed by hands-on design projects that will provide intensive training in 3D modeling, 3D printing, and photo-realistic 3D rendering.This will allow the students to make judgements on which 3D tools to use at what stage to develop the most efficient models. The tools will be explained through examples and demonstrations, which will allow the students to practice the tools during class. Students are expected to complete 4 projects. The projects will include learning 2D sketch tools and creating relations through existing logos, modeling existing products with multiple components, developing an original design based on an existing brand or artist, and collaborating within a group on a system of objects. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designing Distant Studio | 3013 (001) | Tim Parsons | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM All Online |
Description
Systemic change requires influencing decision makers - be they members of the public, CEOs or politicians. By engaging in the creative act of world-building, and embodying the results through made artifacts, spaces, or digital media, artists and designers are able to make work that acts as platforms for fostering debate and, ultimately, change. This course goes beyond design¿s conventional end-user focused problem-solving approach, focusing instead on how to use art and design to develop impactful stories. It Introduces the fields of speculative and critical design, and design fiction, and illustrates how tools such as humor and satire can be used effectively. Along with regular readings and discussions, students will develop a major design project that articulates their vision of a ¿post-pandemic future'.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio Three | 3022 (001) | Jess Giffin | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
What does it mean to design for other people? The third course in the Des Ob studio sequence considers how designers are able to understand others and then design for them. We will investigate the things that people do, the objects that they use, how they feel and what they might need, want or desire in order to understand and then design meaningful objects. Students have the opportunity to work with design research, advance their design skills and complete more involved projects. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
The class introduces relevant research and visualization tools used to gather research insights and generate design ideas. Sketches, mock-ups and models are used to test discuss, and refine research insights, design ideas and propose final concepts. Students can expect to complete one to two projects over the semester and present their progress throughout the term. PrerequisitesPre-req: DES OB 2030 Designed Objects Studio Two |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 2: Prototyping for Furniture | 3155 (001) | Lee Weitzman | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This digital-analog studio affords modeling and prototyping for furniture and other objects at environmental scale. Students construct prototype objects for living while learning a diverse range of technical and process options for making at scale in materials including wood, metals, plastics, fabrics and foams. Focus on fluid improvisation in prototyping designs both by hand and using CNC and other integrated fabrications technologies.
The course explores the systems work of Enzo Mari and Gerrit Rietveld to understand simple construction and scaffold mechanisms for creating quick prototypes. We watch an array of craft and wood engineering videos to understand manufacturing and fabrication techniques, and how prototyping takes place in furniture businesses. There are three major assignments, each yielding a unique piece of furniture. Naturally, the scope and scale of the projects increase as the semester moves forward. Additionally the course includes two day-long charettes to deliver specific skills and two field trips, to a furniture manufacturer and to a furniture show room. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Design for Nonhuman Kinds | 3931 (001) | Peter J Zerillo | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Design for Nonhuman Kinds is a course series that asks students to think outside the human experience by decentering human perception and subjectivity. As we begin to recognize the limitations of anthropocentric making, this interdisciplinary series encourages design inclusivity and speculative thinking. Students will be required to expand their consideration of the `user¿ to include nonhuman subjects such as plants and animals. Design for Nonhuman Kinds: Tools for Empathy challenges students to consider the differing perspectives of nonhuman beings and how to build an understanding of the world outside of their human senses. The natural world¿s sensorium is much wider than our limited human capacities. We often need to build tools throughout our process to help us translate experiences that we simply cannot receive. Students will research nonhuman users and build tools and methods in the effort to gain a closer sensory understanding of a nonhuman subject. The goal is to understand user values, needs, desires, and motivations. How can we see, smell, feel, hear, like...? Understanding leads to empathy. User empathy is at the core of good design.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 3: Advanced Furniture (F) | 4025 (001) | Erik Newman | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Within a structured studio environment, advanced-level students develop, refine, and execute an individual furniture concept. Students progress from the conceptual design stage, through design development to the actualization of a work that can be tested for public review. Students are challenged to develop concise and persuasive arguments regarding the motivation, development, execution, and dissemination of their design project. Through the articulation and advocacy of their design work, students define their role as a dynamic catalyst operating within real-world social-, political-, monetary-, and cultural-economies. This is an advanced level studio course and as such will remain very open, each student taking the lead in the formulation of an appropriate strategy for realizing their own work. The instructor will work closely with each student on a one-on-one basis to help them identify and learn the design and making techniques required for their project. Our approach relies heavily on development through the immediacy of sketching, hands-on iteration, experimentation, and trial and error. This course traces the development of a single piece of furniture through the following steps, each an integral part of the process: ideation, drawing, model-making, prototyping, and final fabrication.
PrerequisitesPre-req: DES OB 3155 Furniture 2: Prototyping for Furniture |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Emerging Worlds Studio: (Mis)behavioral Things | 4030 (001) | Gionata Gatto | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class proposes to learn by looking at objects as ¿things¿, that is, entities provided with power and affordances capable of influencing human behaviors and practices. In this view of objects as dynamic rather than passive agents, students are asked to design a technological device that misbehaves, thus betraying common expectations linked to its deployment. In doing so, together with the object, each student will re-design the ecological and socio-cultural network in which the object lives and operates. Using methods spanning from speculative to participatory design, the objective of the course is to engage with critical narratives that move beyond traditional problem-solving lenses, and towards the uncanny, ambiguous, adversarial. The resulting projects will be presented as an exhibit of ¿thick scenarios¿, involving interactive objects, graphic representations and videos.
PrerequisitesAny 4 Designed Objects classes, grad student or department consent |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Social Engagement Studio | 4101 (001) | Eric Allan Hotchkiss | Wed, Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
SAIC Design @ Homan Square combines professional practice design experience with community activism. Operating out of SAIC's facility in the Nichols tower at Homan Square, the course engages students in a focused dialogue on social project implementation in Chicago and provides the tools and frameworks to realize those projects. Functioning as a pro bono 'design consultancy' where the residents, small businesses and community groups of North Lawndale act as 'clients', each job is treated as a discrete project involving research, knowledge-sharing and design action. The projects will cover a two-semester cycle, with each semester being offered as an independent class. This course, running in the Spring semester, will emphasize the last three stages of the design thinking process; ideation, prototyping, and testing. course class will focus on proposing and implementing solutions that address the contextual research carried out in the first semester. These solutions will be presented to, and critiqued by, the 'clients' who are the main stakeholders, North Lawndale community leaders, as well as SAIC faculty. Recognizing that making is a research process that reveals new problems, the reflexive activity of proposing, making, presenting and critiquing solutions generates new knowledge as well as physical outcomes. It is this collective 'new intelligence' that is the primary goal of the course.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Whatnot Studio | 4800 (001) | James TerMeer, William Walton | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The Whatnot Studio is a progressive educational platform in the Designed Objects department at SAIC that is focused on creative inquiry and iteration. This year-long course enables students to hone their voice as individual designers while working as a team to execute a thematic collection of highly refined and relevant work for public exhibition. The Whatnot Studio has exhibited work at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy and at Wanted Design in New York City. Select mid- and upper level undergraduate and graduate students are admitted to this course via portfolio review.
Readings, recordings, screenings, and field trips vary annually depending on the course theme. Students should expect to produce one exhibition quality object and should also expect to work as part of a team to develop exhibition design and promotional materials. |
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Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
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