Lessons Learned
Bodies-Thinking: Towards Support of Body-literacy Goals in Design Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ashley Bales, Kim Bobier, Chelsea Limbird
There is an urgent need in design education to consider the ways we are supporting our students to develop body-literacy. Our current technological moment has the potential to increasingly alienate us from the experience of understanding our bodies and the ways our physicality and forms intersect with our understanding of ourselves and others. The implications of this alienation from the body has outsized impacts on design students, their development as designers and the resultant design products that will populate our world in the future. The work presented here developed out of a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) which convened in Fall 2023 at Pratt Institute of Art and Design in order to initiate a transdisciplinary discourse on the body. In this paper, we share the results of a transdisciplinary discourse leading to the proposal that all design disciplines integrate bodies-thinking as an educational methodology meant to question, challenge and reframe pedagogy to teach through and with the body. By drawing connections to the body, students are able to both learn about their own bodies and the bodies of others and build personal, embodied relationships with diverse disciplines, enhancing motivation and information retention, and resulting in the production of informed and empathic designs on, for and of bodies.
Visual Making: Teaching History Through Design Processes
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Stephanie Travis, Catherine Anderson
This paper explores the teaching of the history of art, decorative arts, furniture, interior design and architecture through design work and case study learning. Instead of traditional, humanities-based lecture and exam arrangements, this approach give students a deep understanding of stylistic approaches and methods through the study of a curated list of projects and studio assignments that allow for creation of original work.
Advancing Fashion Design Education With AI: Scaffolding Learning and Enhancing Curriculum Integration
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Brian Taylor
This study explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the undergraduate fashion design curriculum to enhance students' proficiency in digital design. By introducing AI alongside traditional tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, the research aims to elevate students' design capabilities, ensuring they are well-prepared for the evolving fashion industry. A pilot project was conducted using a carefully selected AI tool that aligns with course objectives and complements existing skills. The project's impact on learning outcomes was evaluated through analysis and feedback from student work. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating advanced technologies like AI to enrich fashion design education, providing valuable insights for curriculum development and preparing students for professional success.
Featured Enhancing Final Design Drawings: Leveraging Storytelling, Depth, and Materials for a Deeper Connection
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Terry Londy
Designs begin by an idea, a curiosity, possibly seeking the answer to a complex problem though entrepreneurial direction or a client. Through the design process, creatives will develop several iterations through sketching, modeling, and prototyping to get closer to the proposed solution. As designers progress to the construction drawing phase, the solution is finalized and ready for fabrication. Early design phases, concept, and schematic specifically, are saturated with creativity and innovation by way of storytelling, renderings, and the use of tactile materials further building and expressing the need for the final design solution. Design drawings seem to lose many of the creative impactful elements when they are in the final phase for production. While earlier phases are rich in storytelling, selling or defining the innovative idea, the construction drawings are used as a tool to accurately inform the fabrication method and details of an object or structure. These drawings historically called blueprints, are monochromatic, lacking depth, and creativity. The drawings are used as a communication tool to create something beautiful while they themselves lack that quality. The study is framed around the question: “In what ways can final design drawings use storytelling, depth, and materials to illustrate a deeper connection to the final product? The study seeks to uncover the impact that a fabricated “dimensional design drawing” that is rich in color, story, and materials can bring a better connection to the final product.
