Design 4151 | Professional Design Studio | Spring 2025
Professional ID Studio
In this intermediate studio course for 3rd-year industrial design students we engage in professional-level industrial design processes focused on designing for market relevance and mass production within a consultancy-style team structure. Through iterative projects emphasizing strategic thinking, Visual Brand Language (VBL), and collaborative team dynamics, students develop comprehensive design solutions aligned with industry standards. This course reflects my research in person-centered and practice-informed design methodologies, preparing students to strategically address design challenges encountered in professional design practice.
Special guests during 2025 included Sean Svendsen and Paul Reeder.
Assignment 01
Tasks & Complications
Students individually interview professional designers to gather insights into the practical tasks and common complications faced by entry-level practitioners. Outcomes include a visually compelling asset and collective documentation of professional experiences, grounding the students in real-world industrial design practices.
Then, I compile all tasks and complications into a list. We use "tasks" to illuminate different aspects of design process during subsequent project work. Students randomly draw "complications" during subsequent studio projects; they must respond to the complications, providing multiple options for addressing them within the context of the students' current project.
Student work credit for below: Nicole Li, Sophie Chu
Assignment 02
Baggage
Students create aesthetic reference boards based on an Ohio State academic unit, translating these visual identities into baggage designs. Through iterative 2D visualization and pin-up critiques, students refine design concepts, enhancing skills in aesthetic communication, strategic adaptation, and addressing project complications typical of industry practice.
Student work credit for below: Chipper Orban, Cynthia Szeto, Nicole Li, Sophie Chu
Assignment 03
Mobility Match
Focusing on brand extension and strategic market positioning, students individually develop personal mobility device (PMD) concepts for shared use, informed by extensive market analysis and Visual Brand Language (VBL). This assignment emphasizes strategic concept development, technical detailing, and the application of VBL, preparing students for professional consultancy roles.
2024's project involved adapting the Rheem VBL to a preposterous brand extension into a mobility category.
Student work credits for below: Emily Tanchevski, Aliina Lange, Chipper Orban, Nicole Li
Assignment 04
Tools for Sharing
Students read After the Gig: How the Sharing Economy Got Hijacked and How to Win it Back, then collaboratively develop a product-service system addressing the emerging sharing economy, leveraging and expanding an existing brand’s Visual Brand Language. This comprehensive team project involves building a project proposal and team, strategic market entry, expressive concept visualizations, detailed technical specifications, and culminates in professional-quality presentations, mirroring authentic industry practices.
Student work credit for below: OSU Industrial Design class of 2026
