Advanced Material Exploration #CA #US

Through Project-3 and courses such as Digital Craftsmanship and Aesthetics of Interaction I have explored the interaction possibility and uses of physical and digital based materials and the interplay of both. I want to take this exploration even further by learning from the experts I will be working with during my internship, whilst setting up probes and prototypes and making sense of this exploration as a designer. I want to build up intuition for what works instead of relying on data. Data should extend my creativity and aesthetics instead of be the basis for it.

Real-World Design Skills #BE

Futures Thinking introduced me to the non-academic side of Industrial Design and Interaction Design. I want to strengthen this contextual understanding of design and where my position in Eindhoven and DDW can empower me to become an even better Materials-focused Designer. I want to make connections beyond my academic circle and reach out further than I have before. Helping my internship company prepare for DDW is a big part in this goal.

Deepening Skills & Expertise #TR

At my internship I want to become even more skilled at physical making. Through Digital Craftsmanship, Aesthetics of Interaction, and Design for Post-Growth Living I have explored skills in textiles and fabrics (sewing garments, making, repairing, identifying, understanding), modelling in CAD, and modelling physically with local materials, documenting all of it through quality pictures, and interconnecting these disciplines. I want to put these to the test and learn the nuances that could elevate my skills even further from a design perspective. As most of these skills have been largely self-taught and I could benefit from being an apprentice to an expert in these disciplines. The higher pace will also teach me how to do these things more efficiently at a higher level.

Sustainability in Practice #SD

Sustainability in academics usually works within the safe confinements of sandboxes and theory, such as was the case in Design & Sustainability and Design for Post-Growth Living. The practical world often does not go perfectly as I have come to learn. Especially valuable in my internship is its closeness to industry, which is notorious for pushing back against progression and sustainability if it is not economically viable. Experiencing and working with this friction will show me valuable insights which I can learn from and bring into my designing career to seek actual practical applications of regenerating/sustainable practices.

Designing Expositions #CA

My internship is uniquely positioned within Dutch Design Week and Design Academy as well. This will allow me to gain experience preparing for a real-world exposition at a big event, and understand the nuances that could make or break an exposition, where future projects and collaborations may actually be at stake. Through this I will learn how to make more professional exhibitions myself during Demo days.

Use of Colors & Finishings #CA #US

Very particular but nonetheless important is that I want to become more comfortable and sensible in using color and considering different finishings in my design. I have been very adamant on showing color through materials and have not used any extensive finishing as I used to think it hides the actual material. The studio I will be doing my internship at extensively explores these facets, and I think it could be interesting to undergo this metamorphosis in my design and sensibly introduce more color and finishing that maybe could accentuate or transform the meaning of materials. I want to understand and learn this from the studio's perspective and document how this could be applied to my own designs in the future.