Return of the SRC

by Eric Niu

The Segal Resource Center, which we lazy students usually just call the SRC, sits in a secluded corner on the south side of the fourth floor. The SRC is meant to function like the library in our school, a dedicated place (or was it space?) where you can find books and periodicals related to both classes and the design field as a whole. But years of neglect have allowed the resources available to become out of date and irrelevant. Did you know that there’s a button in the upper right hand corner of SeeID that takes you to the SRC homepage?

Quiet, as libraries tend to be, the SRC doesn’t get much notice these days. It’s like that guy in the PG-13 movie everyone really hopes will make it happen. Everyone sees enormous potential for the SRC, but little has actually been done to help it. Until now.

Kicking off with John Dorr’s upcoming lecturette on Thursday, March 29th at 12:30pm, the SRC will re-emerge with new relevance and a warm, fuzzy feeling. John will show you where to find books, what resources the Galvin Library offers, and how to look up articles on the databases. He has created a Design heading under the “Find information by subject” section at http://www.gl.iit.edu/ and is working on arranging delivery services for getting books to ID from the main campus. Come ready with questions and suggestions!

But back to the SRC itself. Thanks to the generosity of Carol Crews and Mark Shinn, we will have new and recent books like Designing Business by Clement Mok, Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, and In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World by John Thackara among others. Starting with the next delivery cycle, we will begin updating our periodicals again with examples such as the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, HOW, Scientific American, and The McKinsey Quarterly. Now you don’t have to go out and pay for these publications; they’ll be here waiting for you next to the student lounge.

Next time you’re looking for a book recommended by your teacher or want to browse through those expensive periodicals that are critical to your research, swing on by the fourth floor before you trek out to Border’s or place an order on Amazon. You can cozy up in a plush chair and check out some of the new materials. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find some inspiration.

Green products redefine design criteria

by Laura Franek

Flying back home to DC, I entirely expected spring break to be spent lazily relaxing with family and friends (and if a mojito worked its way into the equation, all the better!). I would not have imagined that by the end of the week I would be driving to Alexandria, Virginia for a third meeting at Cooper Carry, a leading architecture firm, to discuss plans for a sustainable suburban landscape center and retail franchise. My latest meeting for a communication workshop at ID had sent me home with a mission to acquire more knowledge about sustainable landscapes and I was feeling vastly uneducated about the subject, albeit somewhat deprived of a will to do much more than eat and sleep on a normal schedule. And so it was by sheer coincidence in timing that my mother noticed my enthusiasm over this topic one morning. As I sat at the kitchen table at home in DC, clipping out newspaper articles from The Washington Post, (“IKEA going green and charging for shopping bags”), she noticed my ripening curiosity and invited me to come along and witness a real meeting between her school architects and the building committee. I would go and observe the process of discussing design and construction concepts for renovations to their existing building. I agreed without hesitation, as the articles were piling up on the counter.

At a previous meeting for the school, new concepts for the design had come to the forefront—including the stewardship of the property and the design components of the building, which included preservation of the views of the school’s two wooded acres of conservation area. (In metropolitan DC, this is pretty unheard of; not even the National Cathedral has two natural acres of preserved land!) At the round table I attended, this concept of stewardship was raised along with ideas to convert to a green roof over the new athletic and performing arts facilities at the elementary school. The architects and project managers discussed how green roofs balance filtration and retention of rainwater as well as help to cool and insulate the building, thereby cutting heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) costs. Green roofs aid the environment by reducing runoff and extinguishing the need for expensive piping channels to collect the rainwater underground. The thickness of the green roof determines what types of covers can be planted (from sedum to natural grasses to trees). However, once planted, there is no need to mow and planting can be as simple as rolling down a mat and letting nature take its course. From a functional and aesthetic standpoint, the green roof concept was highly desirable; from a cost perspective it seemed to make sense over the long term. The school’s budget was tight and anything above and beyond what needed to happen for the existing renovations required further financial consideration. As it turned out, the school’s roof had been replaced recently so, unfortunately, a green roof was not a realistic consideration at that time. However, it was exciting to hear that it was now a viable and widely accepted option by the committee. These types of transitions come in baby steps, but that could change in the future.

Cost, environmental stewardship, functionality and aesthetics are the four determining factors I derived through my conversations and research that contribute to the decision of becoming sustainable; be it for a school, residential or commercial building. Architects who practice sustainable design use the LEED certification system whereby a list of sustainable methods, materials and programs are given point ratings that contribute to a building’s overall LEED rating. From my experience meeting with the school’s conversion architects and the architects of Cooper Carry in Virginia, I realized that achieving basic LEED certification is easy, but to become a leader requires a huge budget and cutting edge creativity. There are four levels of sustainability under the LEED standards. From lowest to highest, these ratings are: basic sustainable, silver, gold and platinum. From a cost standpoint, anything up to silver is achievable at no extra cost to the organization and is essentially viewed as a marketing tool. Gold and platinum are expensive to build and often set a building apart by being architecturally modern and ultra green—though the two aren’t always mutually exclusive.

At Cooper Carry Architects, the vision for a sustainable future in architecture is as pervasive as their modernist aesthetic. A designer walked me through several concept plans for two “sustainable” buildings in DC and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The first set of plans was for a green condominium at the center of a highly commercial area in downtown DC near the a Metro station. A large contract developer sought to market multi-unit condos to baby boomers. The condos offered terraces with green roof gardens. An underground multi-level parking garage was concealed on the surface by lush landscaping. The decision to go green was in response to the early adopters who were bringing this construction to life; green to them meant keeping up with the Joneses, staying current and appealing to some element of luxury. The green roof did not provide much functionality overall but contributed to a nice aesthetic of an outdoor oasis and respite from urban life. In the second set of plans, I was completely blown away by the functionality and aesthetic approach of the architecture. A 500 foot tall mixed use hotel/office/condominium complex in Florida achieved a Platinum LEED rating by implementing biolariums (indoor greenhouse ecologies that process and recycle stale air and wastewater) every 4 stories to cool and shade the hottest face of the building. Green roof terracing and bio-retention ponds created a natural oasis. The fin-like shape made this building look like a cross between a conservatory and a sleek IM Pei corporate outfit. What is the cost of such an innovative and sustainable structure? They are still calculating the costs, but apparently the budget was not a major concern in this stage of the process. The focus was clearly on being the leader in their market and sustainability was a major priority.

Now a part of our vernacular, "sustainability" remains a complex effort that calls for advanced planning. Because it can come at a great cost--and must contend with other, often more pressing design criteria--the implementation of sustainable design methods in our capitalist economy might benefit from partnerships with education. Abundant are the opportunities for sustainable architecture but, as in any design process, the earlier they are demanded, the easier it is to make the kind of design affordances that will provide the energy savings, functionality and aesthetics that make it a worthwhile investment. The key is to make sustainability achievable, desirable and easy to prototype for businesses looking to innovate.

From the ID Shoe to IDSAB

by Jordan Fischer

Nowadays, the Student Activity Fee that all students pay (currently $72) along with tuition helps to support student-run initiatives such as recruitID, AWF, socialID, services and other events. This hasn't always been the case.

Around the year 2000, the Student Activity Fee was still an obligatory part of tuition. The fee funded a variety of social and educational programs on the main campus. That was fine when the Institute of Design lived in Crown Hall. However, after ID moved to its present home at 350 N LaSalle, the students no longer had easy access to those main campus event, but still kept paying the fees.

In Spring 2001, a group led by students Jun Lee and Shawn Stokes wanted to use the funds paid by ID students for ID student activities. Adhering to IIT rules, they secured control of the money by writing a charter to establish an official IIT student committee responsible for managing the student activity fees of ID students.

While the committee was successful in securing control over the money, they lacked any formal procedure for deciding how to spend it. So, they had a competition. Basically, any student could complete a form to describe his/her idea for using the funds and how the plan would be implemented. After the ideas were collected, all students were encouraged to vote, and the ideas with the most votes won.

A wide range of services and events were funded by the fee in the first two years. Examples from the first year include a weekly yoga class held in the Nathan room, an ID t-shirt with a design contest, and a lake cruise party (a.k.a. Prom, though it is unclear if this actually happened). On the whole, it was straightforward and successful, and primarily event-based.

The next year's competition yielded a Student Annual (like a yearbook but better--more of a showcase of student projects...what became of this great idea?) and the creation of an ID shoe with a design contest.

The shoe design process was similar to the NikeID service: pick a base shoe, then pick colors and finishes. It differed in each students' ability to import graphics--in this case, the iconic Doblin head.

For those involved, the process provided a respite from the structure and analysis central to the ID experience. Ultimately, student support for the shoe was mixed. Although every student who wanted to could have a tangible item (a pair of slip-on shoes) to remember his/her time spent at ID, students knew there were better ways to enable students to stand together (pun intended) to work toward a common goal.

During this time there were a growing number of interesting proposals for legitimate programs that benefited students and the school as a whole, but because of the way fund distribution was decided, good ideas with similar goals split votes and were not pursued.

The next semester (Fall of 2002), a group of students, including Angelo Frigo, took it upon themselves to reform the way the money was distributed. The school was growing rapidly, and by increasing the structure and organization of the committee, they could get more value out of the student fund for everyone. They envisioned five teams: one to bring what happens inside the Institute of Design to the outside world, one to bring what happens outside the Institute of Design to the students, one to enable social interactions within the school, one to enable social interactions outside the school and, finally, a chair position for running the voting process and distributing funds.

These five teams ultimately became the first iteration of the IDSAB (Institute of Design Student Activity Board). Each team comprised of a group of students and a ID staff representative. The years since have seen the IDSAB grow and change to reflect the ever-evolving wants and needs of the student body.

The next time you attend a lunchtime lecturette, sit down for a recruitID interview or work out the lunch catering for AWF, be proud that you are standing on the shoulders of those who came before and continuing the student-initiated tradition of improving the ID experience.

New IDer: Judd Morgenstern

MDes, Design Planning + MBA, Fall 2009

Hello, my name is Judd Morgenstern and I am a Design Planning + MBA candidate for 2009. I am 26 and was born in Highland Park, Illinois. I received my undergraduate education from Vanderbilt University, where I studied Economics and Philosophy. After college, I moved to Austin, Texas to pursue a career in bouncing, but shortly thereafter came to Chicago to work as an analyst for a private equity firm. Married? Not yet. Children? not yet. Politics? May the best person win. Religion? Judaism.

How did you end up at ID? What were your motivations for coming? Where were you working before?

I randomly attended an ID open house event a few years ago and was immediately intrigued. I followed the projects on the website over time and remained interested, but it was not until I realized parallels in my job at the time that I was sold on ID. I was working for an operationally focused private equity firm that engaged in many hands-on projects with its companies. I really enjoyed the process of learning about a business and industry and then figuring out how to improve it. I think ID teaches the design methods needed to effectively solve complex problems and ultimately add value to businesses. I don't think I could find the mix of design methods and business strategy anywhere else.

What are your first impressions about ID?

At first it was boundless excitement. All of the projects sounded riveting and I couldn't wait to dig in. Then came the sensation of being overwhelmed as the projects intensified, but I am learning to deal with that. Overall, though, I am really looking forward to continuing to meet people and taking more classes. I think there is a great community feel at ID, evident through student collaborations, social events, and those weird hallway encounters you have with sleep deprived peers in the middle of the night.

What do you think about Foundation?

It is necessary (for me at least). It is the ultimate crash course in design. The most difficult thing has been switching gears so quickly, going from learning Flash one minute to sketching product prototypes the next. More than anything, though, I think it has really helped me learn how to make the abstract tangible--that is, to manifest an idea instead of just talking about it. The underlying theme that I have taken away so far is how to effectively portray a story, idea, or mood through multiple mediums. I think that is the greatest benefit I am getting out of Foundation.

What do you think you can bring to the people here at ID?

Positive vibes, hopefully. I really enjoy collaborating and ideating with people, so I look forward to working on fun and creative teams.

Did you say you were a bouncer? What was that like?

More like playground patrolman, less like Swayze in Roadhouse. Still though, some great times. I worked at Stubbs in Austin, which is a great BBQ restaurant and music venue. I highly recommend going for both activities. I had a crew cut, wore a black t-shirt and carried a walkie-talkie, so no one really messed with me. Although, one time someone tried to sneak in the concert. A foot chase ensued and I hurdled over a barricade to bring him down. It was exhilarating. Other than that, I saw a ton of great bands.

You also went to Austin to pursue a music venture. How did that plan unfold?

I moved to Austin to get involved in the live music scene. I was actually trying to start a live performance broadcasting service that would enable you to see shows from venues around the country. I met a lot of helpful people and learned about the industry, but it unfortunately never got off the ground. I plan on pursuing this idea again, so if anyone is interested in it, let's talk!

Is there anything amazing from Austin that you think people should not miss?

South by Southwest, Austin City Limits (television show and festival), a concert at the Parish, and a nada chicken sandwich from Thundercloud. Other than that, try to make friends with someone who has a boat so you can spend your free time cooling off in the lake.

Which designers or thinkers have impressed you the most lately or are you following now?

I think I was first exposed to problem solving design through architecture, so that has had a big influence on me. I appreciate how architecture can encompass environmental and experiential design, and in that respect, I really like Glenn Murcutt. He has designed very clever and elegant solutions in an economical and environmentally conscious way.

What are the websites you could not live without?

I used to be a fanatic Engadget (engadget.com) reader, but have backed down to once a day. I would have the hardest time parting with myspace though. It's just really exciting to find a great new band.

What kind of activities are you planning to do in your free time (in case you have any) while at ID?

I really want to get back into playing guitar. I would like to spend time in Chicago in a place other than my apartment and the 3rd floor. Wasting time also sounds really nice right now. Cheers.

Past IDer: Stefanel Barutcieff

MDes, Product Design, Spring 2003

My name is Stefanel Barutcieff, a Product Design graduate from 2003. I was born in Bucharest, Romania, and now live in Munich. Married? Yes. Children? No. Politics? Not sure lately. Religion? Christian.

What do you do now?

After working for Motorola design studio in Chicago, I moved to Munich, Germany and I am now product designer at Pilotfish.

What was your background before coming to ID?

My undergraduate studies were in product design in Romania, but I had no chance to practice it there, as there was not really a market for it at the time. I was an art director at Graffiti/BBDO advertising agency in Bucharest and participating in product design competitions on the side.

In which ways and dimensions do you think ID has changed your career?

It changed it radically and I am grateful for that. Without ID, I probably would never have had the chance to work as a product designer for Motorola. I also gained a new, richer perspective on design.

What was your experience at Motorola like, and what did you learn there?

I worked as a product designer at Motorola for 1 1/2 years. It was a great experience for me and I enjoyed it a lot. The latest phone that I designed is the MOTORAZR maxx, which is on the market now.

Below are a few points that summarize some of the things I learned:

1. Design is only one part of what it takes to make a great product. As a Motorola designer, you have to work in teams with people from many departments and you need very good presentation and “negotiations” skills to succeed. You need to have strong arguments to “sell” a new design; the argument “it just looks cool” does not always succeed.
2. I learned a lot about new technologies, manufacturing and the very important role these play in product development. To use RAZR as an example, it was already under development when I joined as a great mix of technical innovation and great design concepts, all focused at creating a very thin product. Sometimes new materials or technologies can influence or inspire the designer toward new, unexplored directions.
3. Attention to details is supremely important. In a small, handheld product, moving a line by 1 or 2 mm or slightly changing a surface can have a great impact on the end result. A good idea has to also be followed up persistently and consistently until the production cycle.
4. In the case of a mobile phone, it’s not only the industrial design that matters. The combination of many factors like user interface, human factors, brand image, etc., all affect the final experience. All of these elements must work together in a smooth and integrated way in order to have a successful product. Collaboration between all these departments in the early design stages of a project helps a lot.

Can you imagine what would you be doing if you had not attended ID?

I think I would have probably continued with advertising back home. It was a nice, creative and rather comfortable job, but not what I dreamed of doing in the end. ID gave me the opportunity to specialize in product design and offered me the chance to get connected in the international scene.

What are the skills learned at ID that you use the most in your current job/life?

Understanding the context surrounding the product and its users. More and more companies are using the ID process in one form or another and it’s almost that you have to do it in order to be competitive. I also learned how to work well on team projects, deal with different personalities, leave my ego aside and build on other people’s suggestions in order to have the best result in the end. I would end with the presentation techniques, because selling your idea is often as important as the idea itself. I was never a very good presenter, but I must say that my skills improved a lot during my time at ID.

What was the most valuable class that you took while at ID?

This is a difficult question, as I liked many classes and in the end it was the mix of knowledge from all of them that made the experience valuable. If I had to choose, it would be the Workshops and the Demo project, perhaps because I am more of a hands-on designer than a theory person.

Which member of the faculty influenced you the most and why?

Again, it would not be fair for me to mention only one person, but if I have to mention just a few, then I learned a lot in product design from Dale (on how to come up with many design alternatives in a short time, and about design philosophy in general) , Chris Conley (especially on methods and ways to present to and convince clients), Keiichi Sato (who has a more scientific approach to design) and Peter Pfanner (on how to evolve a project and make decisions based on intermediary prototypes). I also found Matt Mayfield's product planning class very useful, as well as Bill Verplank’s very condensed and “practical” learning based approach to human factors.

What hard times did you have at ID, and what got you through them?

Although I had always thought of myself as hard working person, I must say that I often had problems with the amount of assignments that we had to do from one week to the next. Most of my weekends were spent working at ID. The way I was dealing with that in the end was to use the same topic for different classes. This also helped me to achieve to richer results, because I could look at and approach a problem from multiple angles.

If you could have changed one thing about ID while a student, what would it have been?

I found out after ID that, in interviews, many employers are impressed by the process but also want to see a convincing, designed final product that is better than other candidates'. The importance of the result at ID was often not emphasized as much, as long as you did the right process and had a good idea in the end. I would have loved to have more time to spend on finishing a lot of great projects that, instead, were left in a sort of intermediary stage.

What's the best anecdote you have from the time you were at school (professor or student related)?

I remember that in my last semester at ID, we received a few people who were interested in studying at ID and attended a few classes with us. At the end of one class, the professor wanted to have an open conversation between them and the current students. On of the visitors asked us how life was at ID? A friend of mine replied in a very strong voice: ”You have to quit your job to come to ID. If you have a wife or a girlfriend, they will leave you for sure. And be prepared to spend all your time working days and nights at school.“

I guess the stress of 2 years of intense work (plus the Demo class and preparing our portfolios for job interviews) was really affecting a lot of us at that point in the program. I am sure he is thinking back and smiling about his statement, but the truth is that if you want to succeed and learn something there, you have to work very hard and invest a lot of time.

How many nights did you sleep at school?

As much as I tried to avoid them, I still had to sleep at ID a few times before presentation deadlines. The good thing was that I had a part-time job in the library and the pillows from the armchairs made it slightly more comfortable to rest for a few hours.

What is the last book that has impressed you the most?

The Recent Man by Horia Roman Patapievici really made a great impression on me. It is an attempt to understand today’s world and the reasons we behave, react, think in certain ways from a historical, cultural and philosophical point of view. The author challenges most of the trends and mindsets (like political correctness and postmodernism in general) of contemporary culture, comparing them to the philosophy and values of past generations. I found it very useful to think about these things and not take them for granted just because they are “fashionable” or “new.”

What other advice do you have for current and/or future ID students?

Try to be clear on what you want to achieve, know your strong points and build on those. ID is a good mix of theory and practice, but in the end you have to perform and sell yourself in one rather narrow field (in my case, product design). For example, although I would say that I have a good understanding of business planning as a result of my ID education, I could never compete with people doing that as a full time job.

Book Review: John Maeda, The Laws of Simplicity

by Alex Cheek

John Maeda’s The Laws of Simplicity, unlike his other more abstract and artistic publications, presents itself in the same category as many other self-help books that promise to help you take control of your complicated life. Tony Robbins’ jacket covers make similar claims of helping you manage the chaos of the modern electronic world, but Maeda slips into a much more conversational and enjoyable voice that truly makes the message he is conveying feel simple.

Beyond the index, the book ends with a section (only a page, really) called “You’re still here?” that epitomizes the attitude and tone of the book. It tells a story of Maeda meeting one of his senior colleagues in the MIT gym and having a conversation about insecurity. “The thing with insecurity,” says Maeda to the professor, “is that if you are too insecure, then you don’t grow – because you’re paralyzed by the fear of failure.” This initial postulation is familiar and acceptable, and it sets the stage for what comes next. He then argues against himself, saying that the opposite must also be true. Too much confidence prevents recognition of failure and the learning that it can enable. He says this with a brevity and clarity that render it undeniable. The two move on to discuss lessons of balance and risk taking. The loss in value of mentors over time elicits the last words from the professor: ”...because you don’t need them anymore.” Humbly, Maeda does not challenge the last words but rather concedes to the professor with a simple “Thank you for the lesson,” exiting the scene and ending the book. I think that these are meant to be encouraging words to the reader, assuring you that “You can do it!” But, in the context of the book, the words are also another example of Maeda’s inclination to graciously recognize a lesson in every interaction.

Some have praised Maeda's book for its clarity and others have complained about its lack of depth, but for me the latter is part of its appeal. Simplicity is not supposed to be complicated, unfamiliar or hard to understand. It is not something that is necessarily easy to realize in one’s life but, unlike many writers, Maeda seems to put his ego and big words aside and teaches by example through his writing. It is the literary opposite of a collection of essays on global economics that I am reading. If you are looking for light reading that is actually thought provoking, these Laws are a great find.

For a taste, see http://lawsofsimplicity.com/, where the author expands on the book by pulling even more examples from his life and welcomes discussion from his readers.

Around Town: Burgers at Bin Wine Café

by Lynam

Time-Out Chicago’s recent feature on the city’s best hamburgers was hard to miss; the cover picture alone went straight to the gut. Of course, those of us that fell for the seeming masterpiece -- prime sirloin patty, caramelized onions, fried egg, crispy pancetta, black pepper truffle mayo, Mrs. Quick’s Farmhouse Cheddar, and the house-made pickles on a sesame seed bun – were disappointed to find out that such soulful (no, not healthful) splendor did not exist.

But, with appetites whetted and disappointment checked, Amy1 and Amy2 and I determined to give Chicago burgers a chance yet to best this sneaky trick.

Upon much perusal of the recommendations, we settled on Time-Out's top pick: Erwin’s. Sadly, this was one burger place that needed a reservation. So we went with a second best, the Bin Wine Café in Bucktown, sister restaurant to Bin 36.

With two more hungry IDers in tow, we got to Bin Café around seven on Saturday night. Though we did not need a reservation, I do recommend making one.

On with it. Simply put, the burgers were awesome. Cheese? Of course. I had and recommend the cheddar -– it lends a nice smokey flavor to the meat. But it gets better.

According to Time-Out, their ground chuck patties are marinated in olive oil, shallots, thyme, parsley, pepper and garlic. The half-pound burgers are served with roasted, seasoned tomatoes, and pickled vegetables (yellow pepper and cauliflower among them) instead of a pickle. Don’t wrinkle your nose. It worked. Well. A single bite offers a string of flavors so that just as one flavor comes and goes, another comes through. Think surround-sound for your taste buds.

Paired with some skinny fries and a couple wine samples, this was a successful trip. The fried egg and pancetta burger fantasy ensemble was not missed at all.

On the wine: Bin 17 was a good, chocolaty (that's the technical term) pinot before dinner. Bin 36, a petite sirah and the recommended pairing for the burger, was appropriate. Its acidity helps thin out the fat from the burger that otherwise lines your mouth. But don’t take my word for it. I only really know this about their wine: get the 2.5 oz glasses. Two of these are cheaper than a 6 oz, you won't miss the ounce difference, and the sampling is more fun.

On dessert: the Pots Au Crème encore was overkill in retrospect, too rich to follow the fat. But the three little pots, in vanilla, pumpkin, and chocolate, still impressed all of us who caved. And that was all of us.

Bin Wine Café
1559 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-486-2233
www.binwinecafe.com