Design Curriculum 1

Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Cat Huang and Guest Artist Dorian Epps provide Part 1 of a design curriculum for self-taught artists that cover the essential skills.

How do you define design, and what fields are in design? This is a discussion of the basics of design, while providing clear definitions of the various fields

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Explained are apparel design, shoe wear design, industrial design, architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, furniture design, graphic design, and more.

Video Walkthrough

“Form follows function” is a fundamental concept in design, which explains that an effective design is one where the design itself is well integrated into the function.
One of the main differences with fine art vs. design has a lot to do with whether the object is being mass produced (like a teapot which is sold) versus a sculpture in which there is only 1.
What determines whether something is fine art or design can sometimes be about the context where you see the object: in a retail store vs. a gallery.
There is a lot of overlap with context, certainly some industrial designs can be seen in a museum context, which is where people more frequently associate with fine art.
Architecture can be very emotional, it can cause us to feel something specific when entering the space.
A lot of design involves working in teams, and engineers, mechanics, and more to make a design possible.
Accessibility in design is very important, considering who the audience is and how you want them to interact with the design.

Innovative designs often spark a larger conversation, which can be about identity, culture, and more.
You’ll see many trends in design, often in a 20 year cycle where designs are brought back.
Nostalgia can be a part of design trends, when a specific decade’s design is brought back.
Fashion design is an umbrella field that also includes apparel design and footwear design.
Design has a lot to do with culture, as seen in textile design which can be associated with a specific country to culture.
Industrial design can be defined as “anything in a house that is not alive.”
Many designers have a dialogue with past designers, some designs evolve over the years, which some designs are an homage, another interpretation on a past design.
Design can impact our mood, a design that we love and interact with can make us happy.
At times designers place too much importance on the look of a design, which then sacrifices the functionality of the deisgn.