Step into the world of innovation and creativity are you explore Industrial Design. Students learn how the shoes they wear everyday are a blend of art and engineering and how the design cycle drives innovation and creativity. Trying their hand at footwear design they sketch their own concepts and build their own mini shoe using authentic material. Along the way they consider sustainability, culture and manufacturing. Students go home with career ideas in industrial design and a vision of how STEM and art blend in this unique field.

image for Anna Marie Smith
Faculty Developer: Anna Marie Smith, SADAH
What students do:

Students are introduced to industrial design by exploring footwear as a real-world example of how products are created. They engage in sketching, material exploration, and hands-on construction to design and build a mini shoe.

What students learn:
  • What is industrial design and how it blends art and engineering
  • Principles of design, including function, form, color, and materials
  • Basic anatomy of a shoe and how footwear is constructed
  • The role of materials (leather, rubber, cork, etc.) in product performance and design
  • How to communicate design ideas
  • The process of turning creative ideas into functional products
  • About careers in industrial design and related fields
  • The impact of culture, society, and sustainability on product design
  • Physical prototyping
Student leaning over a desk and writing on paper in a classroom workshop with shoes and posters in the background.
Student points to a classroom presentation board covered with colorful paper cutouts and notes.
Instructor helps a student at a workbench, with a green shoe last in the foreground.
Hands sketching sneaker designs with a black marker on a sheet of paper at a desk.

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