This young student's name, country of origin, and the specific design school she attended are not important. But in this video she explains why she was motivated to study industrial design. At nearly ten minutes long the video is a bit rambling (cut the kid some slack), but one of the relevant stories is from 1:45 to 3:30 in the video; around 6:28 she discusses how she sees ID as the perfect blend of art and science, although it was actually her second choice as a major; and starting at 8:20 she reveals her perception of ID programs as being more cooperative than competitive. (Was not the case for me, but I guess your mileage may vary.)
So why are we showing you that video? Because later on she decided to quit ID, and explained why in this next video. At just over four minutes this one's a bit tighter, and while some of her points obviously have to do with her specific personal traits, other points she makes might hit home for some of you, depending on your program:
Now obviously one student's perspective on one design program at one country in the world does not reflect the current state of design education, but we found it interesting because we rarely see video bloggers discussing industrial design education at all. If there were another thousand students doing this, we might be able to draw more definitive conclusions. So our question to you current or recent ID students is: If you had to make videos like either of these, what would you say?
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I think what her school failed to do is give her the skill-set to creatively frame life. Fashion, painting, etc—these are all things which are already framed as archetypal creative pursuits. However, in ID, it is through the designer frame that we look at a vending machines (like she talked about) and see a field of information, possibility, potential, experience, emotion, structure, and so on. It is not that ID is not creative, it is that she had not yet become an industrial designer.
**excuse the grammar typos. Not sure how to edit posts on here.
• Rule 1: Don't worry. You don't have to have it all figured out right now.
• Rule 2: If you start to worry, see Rule 1. Worry makes for bad decisions.
• Your 20s are your discovery period. Mostly what you're discovering is how to solve problems (a skill that transfers to any other profession) and how to deal with people.
• You're an idealist, and that's a two-sided coin. The upside is that you desire to make things better and/or more beautiful. The downside can be the perfectionism that keeps you from finishing something that isn't EXACTLY what you want it to be. You will find that the basics of artistic ability and vision cut across all disciplines—industrial, fashion, graphic design, architecture, painting, photography, etc.
• Sounds like the school you attended didn't teach in a way that resonated with you. Another probably will. Find that school.
• Even with an education that inspires you, you will still find your own path. There is no standard way that applies to everyone. Commonalities perhaps, but not just one path.
• Use your gap year to ask people what they do, how they do it, and can I come to your workplace and see what that means? You'll be amazed at how much you learn and get inspired. You might even find your niche. Go for a minimum of one a week. Preferably 2-3 a week.
• I can't wait to find out where you end up next. All the best!
I have never designed a coke machine either as an industrial designer and I hope I never have to, it does sound terrible to have to design a red box, and I doubt that many other designers have either, I find that a curious object to use as an analogy.
Not all design work is making electronic devices either, there are certainly all kinds of objects to design out there in the world, and certainly lots of sub genres to choose from in the product design world.
As an educator I don't see enough females in the student population and even less in the real design world. Such a shame. I wish her all the best. Very brave to post your thought on ID in the wild. Good for you!