Cell phones and other electronic devices are designed by industrial designers.
Industrial designers are responsible for conceptualizing and implementing the design of various products for industry. These mass-produced products have to be aesthetically appealing to the consumer; they also have to be practically designed. Industrial designers go to college to learn do both effectively. There are a handful of top-rated art programs that specialize in industrial design that art students may wish to consider.
Art Center College of Design
The top-rated art school for industrial design in the United States is the Art Center College of Design (ACCD) located in Pasadena, California. "U.S. News & World Report" ranked this program first among all art programs nationwide in 2008 in the specialty of industrial design. The industrial design program at ACCD is a graduate master of science program that is designed to last two years. The school emphasizes a blend of practice with theory to create a well-rounded curriculum. The program emphasizes a methodology it calls "Strategic Innovation," an attempt to balance the challenges of human needs with both business and technology in the design of any product. Courses consist of such topics as visualization, methods and materials, 3D development, and system design and research.
Art Center College of Design
Graduate Art Program
1700 Lida St.
Pasadena, CA 91103
626-396-2373
www.artcenter.edu
Rhode Island School of Design
The second highest-rated program for industrial design in the United States is the renowned Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The RISD is considered by many to be the best art school in the U.S. and quite possibly the world. "U.S. News & World Report" ranked the program second in industrial design but first overall among art schools. The school offers industrial design degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate program provides students for the necessary foundation for a career in the field by developing a sensitivity to design within the context of environmental and social concerns. The graduate program builds on this foundation and eventuates in a master of industrial design degree. The program is a 2.5 year program that emphasizes a number of studio seminars and elective courses in the liberal arts. As part of the program, students are required to produce a master's thesis in any of a number of broad-ranging topics from aerospace design to furniture design.
Rhode Island School of Design
Master of Fine Arts Program
2 College St.
Providence, RI 02903
401-454-6300
www.risd.edu
Carnegie Mellon University
The number three industrial design program in the nation, according to "U.S. News & World Report," is at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Like the RISD, Carnegie Mellon's College of Fine Arts is highly rated as a school for many of its art disciplines. The industrial design program at CMU is not as clearly defined as the RISD or ACCD programs, in that it is part of a broader multidisciplinary program offered by the school. CMU offers an interdisciplinary master of fine arts program that conducts research through Carnegie Mellon's various research centers, such as the Studio for Creative Inquiry. Here, students study science, art, the humanities, and technology in relation to various design projects. The program offers two undergraduate degrees: the bachelor of science and arts (BSA) and the bachelor of humanities and arts (BHA). At the graduate level students can pursue a master of fine arts.
Carnegie Mellon University
College of Fine Arts
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh , PA 15213
412-268-2409
artserver.cfa.cmu.edu
Tags: industrial design, Carnegie Mellon, Carnegie Mellon University, Center College, Center College Design, College Design