Today, there are around 20 million college students in the United States. Of that, only a small fraction is studying industrial design. As of this writing, IDSA’s current (admittedly unscientific) estimate has that number to be anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 (based on anecdotal sources and extrapolations of existing student membership data). Regardless of size, it is this small group of creative and increasingly diverse minds who will eventually become professional designers and will be responsible for creating some of the great innovations of our future.
What is being taught? How is it being taught? Who is teaching it? The answers to these questions might be as varied and nuanced as the interpretations and debates about design thinking. Yet, as it relates to the teaching of industrial design, one of IDSA’s central purposes is to help facilitate the conversation around those questions and thusly understand the answers.
In this issue we feature educators who are pioneering new models of industrial design higher education. More specifically, we sought out academic professionals who are endeavoring to create new learning opportunities to engage with students across three spectrums: (1) expanding how industrial design is taught, (2) introducing new pedagogies or learning experiences, and (3) best preparing students for their life as a practicing designer. We hope this issue provides a valuable resource for our academic community in establishing new levels of excellence in design classrooms around the world.
Winter 2022 Preview
Changing Direction: New Pedagogies of Design Education
Studio Adjacent: Why Studio Education Is Still Part of the Future by Mitzi Vernon, IDSA
iPads in Prague: An Architectural Review and Industry Collaboration by Michael Rall, IDSA
Making a Case for a Design- Focused Foundation Year by Kimberlee Wilkens, IDSA, and Michael Seskauskas
Creating Business-Ready Designers by Grant Delgatty, IDSA
Let Play Arise: Bringing Joy, Cheer, and Spontaneity to the Classroom by Nipuni Siyambalapitiya, I/IDSA
Toward Equitable Education: Building an Accessible Design Studio by Xue Dong, I/IDSA
Lights, Camera, Action: Inspiring Students to Be Big Thinkers by James Howard
Featured content:
Commentary by Marshall Johnson, L/IDSA, Tucker Viemeister, FIDSA, and Quentin “Q” Williams
2022 Scholarship Recipients
2022 IDSA Education Symposium Recap
Navigating With and Without Direction by Meghan Day, S/IDSA
Unfolding New Ways of Interacting by Yoojin Hong
Education Paper - Critical Writing Supporting Critical Making: The Design Essay Assignment by Fernando Carvalho, IDSA, PhD, MFA, Tom Hurford, I/IDSA, MST, and Ian Campbell Cole, MA
Education Paper - Creative Burnout: Suffocating the Future of Design by Kayla Roles and Byungsoo Kim, IDSA, PhD
Education Paper - The Nuance of Need: Mapping User Needs Throughout the Design Process by James Rudolph, IDSA
2022 SMA & GSMA Winners
2022 SMA & GSMA Finalists
2022 Academic Jury
Finding Logic: Industrial Facility’s Approach to Design Language by Brian Paschke and Kim Colin
In every issue:
IDSA HQ by Chris Livaudais, IDSA
Beautility by Tucker Viemeister, FIDSA
Design DNA by Scott Henderson, IDSA
ID Essay by Mark S. Kimbrough, IDSA
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