U.S. Industrial Design Education

- (United States) A. J. Prologis

In today's mass production, in addition to ensuring the effective, safe and reliable use of the product, it must also ensure its market. Therefore, it is necessary to combine beautiful and practical harmony. The beauty of the product must be closely linked to the needs of consumers. This has led to new developments in the industrial design education in the United States.

There are currently 37 industrial design higher education degree programs in the United States, all confirmed by federal agencies. After graduating from the university, a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Arts degree is awarded by the National Academy of Art and Design. This design education in the academic atmosphere focuses on the students’ artistic talents and ensures that students perform basic training, but it is difficult to broaden the study of natural and behavioral sciences. In the past, Americans often interpreted the term “art” purely as an artist’s unique personal expression. Instead of seeing it as a general concept covering all activities, this activity was based on materials, tools, Technology and craftsmanship, respect for tradition.

Now people have realized that design is no longer a specific technology, but a new multifaceted collection. Some schools began to separate the art and design, together with basic courses, and professional courses have their own academic requirements. And some schools have taken the design as a completely independent branch. With the maturity of industrial design, gradually developed its own curriculum system. Drawings, computer graphics, materials, models, model making, design thinking, and other courses interact with behavior, society, and the natural sciences.

U.S. industrial design education is distributed among the following three types of institutions: public, private, and self-supporting. The national government has the right to weigh the establishment of professional education in each school, but does not participate in the school running system. Schools can design education based on their own strengths and their own interests in certain aspects of the design field.

Some schools provide services specifically for a certain industry, such as automobiles, electric appliances, and furniture; some schools focus on pragmatic design philosophy research; some schools combine art and craft design, and perform and exhibit. , display, packaging, signs and other areas to find a way out.

There are 18 industrial design teaching sites in state universities. At the beginning of the school, public taxation was used as a school building fee. Afterwards, schools pay tuition fees for running school expenses. In general, students in the state pay $2,000 to $3,000 in tuition, while students in the state double their tuition. In the industrial design education, Ohio State University, California State University and Illinois University are the most recognized examples.

At present, there are seven private universities offering industrial design higher education. Its funding comes from personal donations, foreign service contracts, and expensive tuition. A student's annual tuition is $12,000, or even more. Private universities are often very willing to have close contact with architecture, engineering and technology schools.

There are also 12 independent art schools in the United States whose quality of education is inferior to the above two types of schools. It is usually centered on product aesthetics. In fact, successful education in self-sustaining schools requires more research on models, paintings, preconceptions, and performance skills than just research and analysis of design thinking. Students who value the value of art will certainly be required by industry. The Art School hopes to continuously train such talents to meet the needs of the consumer goods industry and the sales industry.

In addition to self-reliant schools, most schools also have a master's degree in design education with a minimum of two years of schooling. Overseas students only need to prove that they have quite a bachelor degree, but they can also enter graduate studies. Otherwise, they are required to read from the undergraduate course, or make up classes at the same time as the graduate students. Experience tells us that overseas students must go through undergraduate education, because this stage allows them to feel the design environment of the United States and learn from them. The teaching of graduate students mainly focuses on the practical guidance of the thesis topics that students are interested in. Recently, the Illinois Institute of Technology has begun its Ph.D. level design education.

All industrial design education sites in the United States are established, developed and confirmed around the smallest academic circles. These academic circles constitute the International Industry Association. It suggests that regardless of the length of the schooling, the courses offered should be arranged in the following proportions:

Information: 25% is an important factor that makes the design successful and feasible.

Communication: 25%, through dictation, writing, radio and television, pictures, and images, to impart and exchange the design awareness of others in order to improve their skills.

Creativity: 50%, explore intelligence, face practical problems in industrial design, investigate, research, seek feasible solutions, and solve problems. Industrial design has given products and production systems rich imagination, beautified the living environment to meet the material needs, and achieved a good wish.