the institute of design bi-weekly newsletter
--> id news
--> student activities: Time to Vote!
--> special feature: Internship Search
--> of interest: Who is Rachel Smothers?, Curriculum Changes, Marcia Ball, Local Gym Review, Photo Studio Makeover
--> internship spotlight: Jenny Fan: TODA, Megan Fath: Steelcase
--> student projects: SongSeek
Welcome back Everybody!
Hope you will enjoy a fresh serving of our engageID newsletter . . . now
online!
Thank you, Lucas and Vince, for making this possible. This will enable everyone
to maximize their mailbox space. Also, archived newsletters will be available
for viewing from the ID web site.
So let’s put on our snow boots and get started on a great new semester!
- engageID posse.
--> id news
West Coast Open House
Saturday, February 7, 2004, 2pm-4pm
MetaDesign, 350 Pacific Avenue, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, California
www.metadesign.com
Chicago Spring Open House
Thursday, March 4, 2004, 6pm-8pm
Institute of Design, 350 North LaSalle Street, 6th floor, Chicago, Illinois
www.id.iit.edu
Prospective students are encouraged to join us for one of our regular Open Houses.
Learn more about the MDes ,MDM , and PhD programs, and find out which one is right
for you. Get the perspectives of students, faculty, staff and alumni, or chat
one on one with a faculty member to discuss your future plans. Refreshments are
on us.
RSVP to design@id.iit.edu or call Graduate Admissions at 1.312.595.4900.
Tours and Interviews
School tours and on-site interviews with faculty and admissions staff can be scheduled
by contacting Graduate Admissions at design@id.iit.edu or 312-595-4900.
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--> student activities
Time to Vote!
A sincere thanks to all the people that showed up for Monday’s IDSAB meeting;
it meant a lot to those of us who work at this thing. Even if you just come
for the food and open your ears we appreciate it. Anyway, if you were there
you know, we having the first annual vote today (Wednesday, January 28) for
representatives of each of the four committees. This person will be responsible
for organizing and managing the group activities and will serve as a liaison
to the faculty / staff member the team is appointed. We look forward to strong
communication with the administration and to a year of getting great things
done with our money and effort.
SO!! Take a few minutes of your time to go to http://www.custompixel.com/idsab/
and vote for who you think can best facilitate the spending of your money. A
BIG thanks to Doug VanderMolen for building the voting apparatus.
- Phillip LaFargue II
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--> special feature
Stress
and more Stress: the Great Summer Internship Search
One of the most stressful events I remember going through last Spring was trying
to find a summer internship with no prior design experience. My advice? Start
Early.
I myself didn't follow this advice, which led to a harrowing internship search
experience. Some other students, such as Sara Cantor, Lucas Daniel, Cobie Everdell,
Jon Friedman, Rachel Hinman, and Julie Guinn, did receive summer internship
offers from RecruitID; I'm sure they'd be happy to talk to you about their own
internship experiences.
In any case, in late April, I ended up pulling together a portfolio, burning
it on about 10 CDs, and sending it to companies I admired and would want to
work at. I compiled this list of companies by looking through ID magazines's
annual directory, looking at company advertisements, poring over design web
sites like core77.com and coroflot.com, and limiting myself to companies in
cities that I would actually consider working in over the summer.
After about a month, I received responses from three companies: IDEO in Boston,
1100Architects and TODA in New York. When mid-May came and I still didn't have
any clear offers, however, I bought myself a ticket to New York and planned
on crashing at a friends' and waitress if nothing worked out. After a great
interview with TODA the day after arriving in New York, I was offered a 10-week
internship with their product development team. It is a small but dynamic company
in the Tribeca district of Manhattan, with an excellent if small portfolio,
and several products placed in the MOMA store. I was psyched!
To find out about my summer with TODA, read my write-up in the internship spotlight
below. Meanwhile, check them out: www.TODA.net.
The brainstorming session for the Kristall ads was abruptly interrupted by a
sudden blackout—the great NY blackout of 2003. Unfazed, we simply moved
onto icy beers on the sidewalk…
- Jenny Fan
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--> of interest
Who is Rachel Smothers?
Rachel Smothers is the new Graduate Program Coordinator. She comes to us from
Hearst Magazines, where she worked on SmartMoney Magazine as an Advertising
Sales Coordinator for four and a half years. She has a Masters in Training and
Development and a Certification in Curriculum Design and Development.
As the new Graduate Program Coordinator, Rachel is here to help students with
admissions and student services. This entails everything from the application
process prior to arriving at the Institute of Design to registration issues,
add/drop issues, certification letters for enrollment verification, UPasses,
and forms for graduation. She is eager to help students resolve any issues that
may arise and would like to keep an open dialogue between the students and staff.
Rachel is here to make sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. The
last thing she wants students to worry about is whether they are registered
for a class or not. Students should be able to focus on what they want to learn
and the quality of education they receive instead of being concerned with administrative
issues.
If you have anything you’d like to discuss with Rachel, feel free to contact
her with any questions or comments.
rachels@id.iit.edu
(312) 595-4906
- Christine Choi
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GRIMES MEETING ON CURRICULUM CHANGES or
How I learned to stop worrying and love the 54-credit hour minimum
To address questions and concerns about the announced changes in the ID curriculum,
John Grimes held an open meeting for students on last Thursday (January 22).
He discussed three major changes: (1) The reduction in the minimum credits required,
(2) the option for a “trackless” program, and (3) the option to
not pursue Demo.
As you know by now, the minimum credits for graduation with a Masters of Design
degree has been reduced from 64 to 54. John explained that the original minimum
was established to create a very high bar for the Masters program relative to
comparable design programs. However, this requirement was having adverse affects
on student performance including the quality of work and completion of work
(i.e., a student was overheard saying, “I love the reading list…
I hope to get to it after graduation”).
Another concern was that the 64-credit requirement required students to schedule
an average of 16 credits per semester within the 18-credit IIT maximum. Therefore,
this relatively small window for scheduling mishaps increased the risk of students
not graduating on time. John was forthcoming that graduating in two semesters
benefited student and faculty as students needed to return to the workforce,
get great high-paying jobs with disposable income, and in turn sponsor huge
endowments at the school.
The new 54-credit minimum requires an average of 13.5 credits per semester,
although a student can still take a maximum of 18 credits per semester. Another
benefit for students is the possibility to use these additional credit hours
for coursework outside of ID (e.g., at Stuart or the IIT main campus).
The trackless program reflected desires of both current students and the potential
employers to develop specializations not addressed by the current program. Interaction
design was cited as one of the potential foci of the trackless approach, which
should incorporate interesting “clusters” of ID classes and neighboring
schools. Those interested in a trackless program would have to propose the coursework
to faculty and have it approved. John said he expected 80% or more of Masters
students to remain on one of the currently offered tracks.
Demo is now optional. Some students who have had extensive project experience
in the past may find it more valuable to pursue more focused content in other
classes. Other students following a trackless program probably will not find
Demo applicable to their focus. In these cases, the credits supplied by Demo
must be replaced by credits in other coursework.
Overall, John expressed a very open attitude about the changes, stating that
“no one’s going to get screwed by this.” Should you have any
questions about the changes, John has offered for any questions to be emailed
to him, johng@id.iit.edu
- Brandon Schauer
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Marcia Ball Sings the Blues: Brandy Fowler's Popularity Skyrockets
Brandy Fowler's mom, Marcia Ball, is a Grammy nominated contemporary blues singer
and piano player. When Brandy told us that, my first reaction was 'so what?'
followed by 'I guess that's cool.' And then I went on with my day, thought about
other things, and forgot about it.
But Brandy is way cool. Her popularity at ID has skyrocketed. And she has her
mom to thank for it. This past Saturday, a few ID students headed over to Berwyn
to see Marcia Ball play at Fitzgerald’s Nightclub. Her music was soulful,
energetic, and fun. Marcia, and her four-piece backup band, play some of the
best down home dirty blues I’ve ever heard. They mix in some Zydeco and
Louisiana rock to give a unique twist that has earned her a solid fan base over
her 20+ year career.
We danced, we clapped, and we hollered. But at the end of the evening, the true
star was Brandy, who through family ties can enjoy a celebrity at ID she’s
never before known. Next time you see Brandy, tell her how cool she is and ask
if she wants to hang out sometime.
And, oh yeah, here’s more about her mom:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS80401261855451377&sql=Bbyh9kept7q7n
- Lucas Daniel
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Good Local Gym
If you’re looking for a good place to blow off some pent up school stress,
consider the Lakeshore Athletic Club Illinois Center. Located at 211 North Stetson
(Lake & Stetson, one blk. East of Michigan) the gym is pretty close to school,
and well worth it. I can honestly say it’s the best gym I’ve been
to. And if you think I’m spinning my yarn, then check it for yourself.
They have 7 stories. In the center of this is a huge climbing wall (biggest
I’ve seen), 5 squash courts, all kinds of classes spread over 4 large
rooms, lots of free weights and weight machines, a running track, basketball
court, tons of all kinds of cardio machines, internal pool, top deck pool (roof,
for the warm days), a spa, lots of lockers. There’s just a ton of space
in general, it’s very well put together and well maintained. Check their
site...
http://www.lsac.com/illinoiscenter/
If you want to check it for yourself, see me, Lucas Daniel. I’ve got some
complimentary passes.
I talked to the gym about a discount rate, but it wouldn’t make much difference
(only 5% off). My recommendation is get a partner and take advantage of the
family plan. It comes out to only $90/month. In return for signing up more students
at ID, I’ve arranged for them to waive the enrollment fee, and they’ll
give us that are already there a month free. So if you’re interested,
hit me up with an email, ldaniel@id.iit.edu.
- Lucas Daniel
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Photo Studio Makeover
The photo studio on the sixth floor has undergone extensive cleanup and setup.
The status of this studio had been on tenuous ground since the termination of
the photo track; the space and equipment had been in disarray and some of the
space co-opted for use as storage. Recent efforts to make this a useable space
include cleaning out the clutter and making sure all existing equipment is accessible
and functioning. There are now a substantial number of different lights, scrims,
color backdrops, and a usable tripod.
The goal is that the studio will eventually have two defined stations: a tabletop
area and a full-length area for full body and group shots. Currently the one
main station with the paper backdrop is out of scale for most of the product
shots that are being taken. To that end a sweep has been created that allows
for better quality product shots. Also under discussion is making use of the
ceiling grid (which is designed to hold lights) and having a more robust set
of equipment including a softbox and better diffusers.
The Foundation photo class made good use of the studio and it was noticeable
that a fair number of other individuals did as well. Many thanks to all who
helped with the effort: Bray Ficken, Angelo Frigo, Brandy Fowler, John Grimes,
Emmanuel Niragira, and Laura Patterson. Should you have further suggestions
the InsideID committee probably would be a good place to start.
- Taylor Lies
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--> internship spotlight
The Six-foot Ball, Candle-lit Massages, and Kayaking on the Hudson: A Summer
with TODA
The work doesn’t necessarily make the man, but it sure does affect his
quality of life. This thought ran through my head one morning this past summer
as I pulled on a strapless dress and slipped into sandals before hopping on
the subway to work. My other thought? This summer rocks!
Sure, this was partly because I was back in New York, hanging out with old friends
in the city I will probably always feel the most comfortable in, but it was
also in large part due to my internship.
During my 10-week stint at TODA, I worked with the head of the design department
and another TODA product designer on a bed frame for an Italian furniture company,
conducting research on various bed frame constructions, building working prototypes,
sourcing materials, rendering iteration after iteration in Rhino, and helping
to assemble a client prototype composed of laser-cut styrene and aluminum pieces.
My first day at work, they tossed me into the shop and told me it was all mine.
My third day, I sliced about a quarter-inch sliver off my left thumb with an
exacto knife, and was officially welcomed into the TODA club.
Although the bed frame was my main project of the summer, I also helped construct
a six-foot, rotating “Beach Ball” for the annual TODA Summer party
and three full-scale foam core cosmetics booths for an American sportswear brand.
Additionally, I worked on a bath accessories project for a Canadian home accessories
company, where I was able to participate in the ideation process and give input
about the forms and materials used to construct the pieces. Through these processes,
I became not only extremely proficient in the shop, but also a better Rhino
monkey than I thought possible.
In the end, though, it was the people who made the experience so great. The
small, intimate, quirky crew quickly won me over with their intelligence and
humor; Marcos, one of TODA’s founders, initiated a TODA summer surprise,
where every week someone was responsible for planning a surprise for the office.
One week, my supervisor Joni baked feet-shaped cookies and brought materials
for us to construct our own shoes, while another week someone brought a masseuse,
who set up scented candles and a massage table in the conference room. My favorite
surprise of all, though, was when Leslie, the receptionist, arranged for us
to go kayaking on the Hudson River after work. As I rowed across the sunset
dipped waters, I thought to myself, thank god I’m not waitressing right
now.
Pictures
The
Contour Bowl, one of TODA’s first products
Constructing a prototype with Joni
Making the 6-ft “TODA Beach Ball”
