by Josie L. Hauer-Bridgeport, CT
Are you artistic or creative with a penchant for the practical? Did you ever yearn to be an inventor? Do you wonder who comes up with the latest idea for toys, cars, computers, tables, chairs, medical equipment or any other product that we enjoy in our daily lives? If the answer is yes, then consider studying to become an Industrial Designer-someone who captures human interests, needs and desires and translates them into practical things which solve problems. Industrial designers are consulted when offices, hospitals or exhibits are built; they design innovative objects which have specific functions. Sometimes those functions are to produce enjoyment, as in the design of new toys, or to promote educational goals for a specific population, as in the design of desks and chairs for handicapped students.
An Interior Designer, on the other hand, pays attention to the insides of buildings, rooms and spaces so that the coordination of lighting, acoustics and decor function in harmony. Interior designers must blend beauty with practicality to create the optimal atmosphere. They are consulted in the planning of museums, residential or commercial buildings, showrooms, hotels, resorts and schools.
The Industrial and Interior Design Programs at the University of Bridgeport began in 1949 with General Electric Industrial Designers. UB students receive many awards from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) in yearly competitions. These programs are fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and offer internships and collaborations with major corporations and design offices. Students from many foreign countries have graduated from UB's Design Program. Some of our outstanding alumni include top designers in General Motors, Chrysler Corporation, United Technologies, Rubbermaid, Black & Decker, Hasbro and Gerry Baby Products.
First- and second-year courses include: drawing; model-building in plastic, wood and metals; drafting; design theory and history; photography; graphics and human factors. Third- and fourth-year courses are more specialized, with electives in design, computer image development, materials and processes, professional practices and portfolio. There are also courses in architectural systems, interior products and specification, business practices and ethics, and construction documents. Students have worked on many projects on campus which help to bring practical experience to the classroom.
The Industrial and Interior Design Programs are a part of the School of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Bridgeport, which also offers exceptional undergraduate programs in painting, sculpture, graphic arts and illustration, and music education-performance and jazz studies. If you are interested in these or other exciting undergraduate programs at the University of Bridgeport, please contact Ms. Josie Hauer in Admissions: (203) 576-4558; fax (203) 576-4672; e- mail: hauer@cse.bridgeport.edu -or you can use snail-mail to: 126 Park Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06601.