Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design
Industrial design makes ideas tangible.
Industrial designers possess a knowledge of the mechanical and physical properties of materials that enables them to push the limits of the possible. Students of industrial design learn to think critically about their motivations to make a thing and to account for the consequences of doing so. They learn how to communicate their ideas as a matter of practice, how to work in interdisciplinary teams, and how to execute their ideas in three-dimensional form. Imaginative ideas that hold the potential for a lasting and positive effect on the world at large.
Focused study in industrial design begins with a series of intensive skill-based studio courses sequenced to develop proficiencies with a variety of media and tools. Studio courses are augmented with instruction in design thinking and problem-solving with emphasis on the human experience in design. Students will also learn about the professional field of industrial design and will be expected to recall material on contemporary design/designers.
Year 1 (Foundations Program)
Prospective Bachelor of Design and Design Studies students, alongside students enrolled in the CS+DES program, share in the Foundations Program experience—an intensive studio-based curriculum introducing techniques in form-making and conceptual visualization.
The year’s courses develop a student’s manual skills and proficiency with digital technology. Through exposure to design practice, design culture, and critical observation, students experience Chicago as a global design center.
Studio courses organized by Foundation Studio Coordinators, who are members of our full-time faculty, rapidly immerse first-year students into the processes of design. Foundation studio courses are taught by professional designers from within our faculty and from the Chicago design community. Courses in two- and three-dimensional form-making, analog and digital visualization, interactive media, and color theory provide the basis for entry into a BDes or BA program.
Courses leading to a BDes or BA degree depend on successful completion of the first-year program. For this reason, the UIC School of Design is not able to accept transfer credit for design courses from other institutions. Students completing the Foundations Program undergo a portfolio review by departmental faculty in consideration for a place in one of the major areas of study.
Click here for more information on the Foundations Program and the Foundation Review.
Year 2
DES222 HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN DESIGN provides an introduction to design as it relates to people. Students conduct field research and document insights about people and how these insights relate to the design process and implementation. By assessing how a given design meets a human need, students are also able to compare how different designs can address the same need in different ways.
DES230 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN II furthers knowledge of the design process through focused exercises that emphasize formal aspects of design and its meanings. It encourages understanding of design through making and specific fabrication materials and methods.
DES231 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN III emphasizes interconnecting skills learned in previous ID courses through the design of small, simple objects. It involves iterative work with digital and physical tools within constrained criteria.
DES240 VISUALIZATION I is a freehand sketch-intensive studio with a focus on rapid conceptual visualization. This course advances the fundamentals of drawing in the context of the design process.
DES240 VISUALIZATION II is an introduction to digital design tools, building expertise and comfort with digital illustration software programs and hardware platforms. This course enables students to advance digital illustration skills in the context of the design process.
Year 3
DES235 HISTORY OF DESIGN I surveys the history of design in Europe and the United States from the mid eighteenth century to about 1925. After taking this course, students will be able to identify and discuss key figures, events, and trends in the early history of modern design; analyze objects and primary source materials to determine their historical significance as well as their relevance for contemporary issues; and compose clear and concise arguments for written, spoken, and “designed” communication.
DES236 HISTORY OF DESIGN II surveys the history of contemporary design from various historical, methodological, and theoretical perspectives. Covering a wide range of fields, including art, architecture, and interior design, as well as industrial and graphic design, this course considers objects as indices of the larger cultural, economic, and political forces that have shaped the history of modern design.
DES322 DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS advances a student’s understanding of how design relates to people. This course provides an overview of the role of research in the design process, with emphasis on research support in identifying new opportunities, defining concepts, realizing projects, and refining results.
DES330 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN IV provides an introduction to specialty areas of concentration such as visual brand language, service design, or design for sustainability and social responsibility. Students employ a creative problem-solving process to design a line of products and/or a service, learning to build simple sketch models that lead to full-scale prototypes.
DES331 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN V introduces design thinking and provides an opportunity to work collaboratively in small teams focused on client-based projects. Student teams develop design concepts and prototypes using 2D and 3D visualization skills, taking into consideration human factors and material and methods.
DES326 MATERIALS AND METHODS provides an introduction to the vocabulary and processes involved in mass production with emphasis on major materials and manufacturing methods, design control drawings and basic principles of sustainable design.
Each year the School of Design offers elective courses with changing topics. Past examples include:
DES400 INNOVATIVE MATERIALS LAB / EASTMAN TRITAN provides designers the opportunity to work with new materials. In this course, students will work closely with the Eastman Chemical Company to design biomedical devices with their newly developed Tritan line of impact-resistant, BPA-free, and chemically inert plastics.
DES432 PARAMETRIC DESIGN AND DESIGN STORYTELLING is an introduction to advanced digital techniques for visualizing design concepts using SolidWorks, an advanced tool that uses parametric modeling principles to design objects that are flexible, constructible, and considered.
Year 4
In the fourth and final year of the BDes program, studio courses take two distinct paths to applying acquired knowledge: personal and professional.
DES470 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN THESIS is a yearlong capstone project providing students with the opportunity to develop a specific focus within design. Students produce professional-quality functional and/or aesthetic prototypes of a final design and are guided to present their ideas effectively through verbal and visual arguments, including an exhibition of their thesis results in the UIC Design Year End Show.
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE CAPSTONE engages students in a team-based interdisciplinary project, often with a client sponsor representing a commercial, cultural, or social concern. Students develop strong creative solutions in the context of real-world constraints. Emphasis is on teamwork and client interaction.
Each year the School of Design offers Professional Practice courses with changing topics. Courses are open to seniors in Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Design Studies, and Computer Science + Design, and often include faculty and students from other UIC departments. Past examples include:
DES420 MOBILE APP DESIGN / MAD offers students the opportunity to work in collaboration with faculty and classmates to design and develop a mobile app for a smartphone or tablet. Involves screen-based typography, visual and interactive design, motion graphics, and development considerations.
DES430 INTERDISCIPLINARY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / IPD integrates industrial design, graphic design, business, and engineering students and faculty to develop product/brand concepts for a leading consumer products company. Past clients include Motorola, Coinstar, Cobra Electronics, Dell, Cricket Wireless, and Whirlpool Global Consumer Design.
DES430 BIO-ENGINEERING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / BIO is a variation of IPD, which includes bio-engineers and focuses on product development at the crossroads of design, biology, and engineering: products for medical applications, medical imaging, and healthcare product and service design.
DES430 ENTREPRENEURIAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / EPD engages students who are interested in entrepreneurial approaches to design. The first semester covers product venturing—getting products manufactured and making them available for sale. The second semester covers licensing—developing and communicating new product ideas for others to bring to market. The course does not cover how students can become freelance designers or start their own design consultancy.
DES440 DESIGN THINKING AND LEADERSHIP / DTL gives students the opportunity to work together in teams on a large-scale project concerned with the development of a visual identity for a participating client organization. A research and systems-based approach develops context, concept, and design documentation for client presentations.
DES452 INFORMATION AESTHETICS / INFO introduces students to information visualization and programming in the context of art and design. It is a project-oriented course that uses computer code and custom software for information analysis, representation, and creative expression.
