BFA in Product Design

Industrial designers, furniture designers, and jewelry designers all create objects that respond to human need, challenge convention, and elevate the lived experience. In the Product Design program, the distinct perspectives and skill sets of these three disciplines converge to build on one another, growing designers who have a uniquely broad understanding of the design process coupled with deep expertise in the concentration of their choosing.

From a solid foundation of critical research, ideation, making, and experimentation, you’ll advance to solving real-world design problems in a collaborative and interdisciplinary learning environment that reflects the working reality of 21st-century creative professionals.

Student Experience

"I want the pieces I make to draw back to honest materials, overall quality and sustainability."

Jake Hanson's love for hands-on making—first developed as a teen—has grown into a powerful multidisciplinary creative skillset in the Product Design program through his concentration in Furniture Design.

Alumni Profile

"Without KCAD I would not be creating furniture today. Four years there changed my life."

As the creative force behind C Yanxin Designs, KCAD grad Yanxin Chen is one of the foremost furniture designers working in the industry today, and he's continually pushing toward what's next.

FAQ

What will I learn/study in the Product Design degree program?

You’ll spend your first two years in the Product Design degree program building the core technical skills of design while also deepening your understanding of the human-centered design process. Through hands-on experiences, you’ll actively learn how to understand the problem or people you’re designing for, identify solutions or opportunities that have the greatest potential for real-world success, and transform your ideas into tangible, feasible, and marketable objects.

Your final two years will be focused on deepening your expertise in—and real-world exposure to—one of three possible disciplines:

In the Industrial Design concentration, you’ll learn how to use the latest research and idea development strategies to craft commercially viable objects that are functionally and aesthetically innovative.
In the Furniture Design concentration, you’ll build on the field’s rich history by learning how to blend form and function to create objects that unlock new possibilities for how people can interact with the spaces in which they live and work.
In the Metals and Jewelry Design concentration, you’ll concentrate on more intimate problems, learning how to thoughtfully design and craft wearable and functional objects that can communicate individual and group identity to the world.

You’ll also round your education out with a wide range of general education and art/design history courses that will stimulate your curiosity, broaden your perspective, and inspire new creative expressions. KCAD’s flexible General Education Pathways model empowers you to direct your learning by exploring subjects you find most engaging and relevant.

What skills will I develop while earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Product Design?

In the Product Design degree program, you’ll develop a versatile set of creative skills—including research methods, design sketching, color theory, visual communication, CAD modeling, digital rendering, digital fabrication, and physical model making—that will ultimately enable you to build expertise in:

Human-Centered Design

Using qualitative research methods to identify problems and empathize with the behaviors and experiences of others
Considering sustainability, social impact, and ethics in your design decisions
Understanding and designing for how the human body interacts with physical objects

Ideation and Experimentation

Exploring through making, testing, and iterating
Visually and verbally communicating your ideas
Growing shared understanding through critique and peer review

Aesthetic Sensibility

Drawing inspiration from historical and contemporary sources
Connecting form and function and powerful ways
Uncovering possibility through color and material choices

Technical Precision, Feasibility, and Craftsmanship

Leveraging classic and emerging fabrication techniques
Integrating innovative technology into functional designs
Designing for manufacturing with both boutique and mass markets in mind

Why study Product Design at KCAD?

Where can I expect a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Product Design to take me professionally?

The Product Design degree program evolves three KCAD programs—each with a strong track record of leading graduates to professional success—into a forward-thinking learning experience driven by where design is now and where it’s headed next. Thanks to a unique blend of classic industry training and an interdisciplinary approach to design, you’ll emerge from the program prepared to adapt to and thrive within a wide variety of professional settings.

Whether you’re looking to make your mark in an organization or make your own way as an entrepreneur, you’ll become a leader who can grow in step with a rapidly-changing world and use your creativity to bring lasting value to individuals, companies, and culture-at-large. Possible careers include:

Furniture Design Concentration

Furniture Designer (independent or contract)
In-House Designer (for large manufacturing companies)
Furniture Design Educator
Furniture Curator
Furniture Appraiser
Hardware Designer
Exhibit Designer
Design Consultant
Lighting and Accessories Designer
Private Buyer

Industrial Design Concentration

Industrial Designer (Independent Consultant)
Industrial Designer (Corporate Design Studio or Research & Development)
Industrial Designer (Start-Up Business)
Footwear Designer
Color Designer
Product Designer
Product Developer
Prototype or Model Maker
Research and Development
Design Research
Exhibit Designer
Packaging Designer

Metals and Jewelry Design Concentration

Fine and Costume Jewelry Designer
Custom Goldsmith
Independent Production Design/Entrepreneur
Jewelry Educator
Jewelry Manufacturer
CAD Surfacer for Product or Jewelry Design
Technical Designer (3D Printing and Manufacturing Consultant)

As a student in the Product Design degree program, what tools, technologies, and support systems will I have access to?

On campus, you’ll have access to:

The Dow Center FlexLab, KCAD’s state-of-the-art digital fabrication facility featuring 3D printers and scanners, laser cutting and vinyl cutting machines, wide format printers, and more.
The Baker Furniture Collection, a 1,500-square foot collection of period furniture and decorative arts spanning more than three centuries of styles from around the world.
A spacious and well-equipped woodshop, supervised by an experienced technician, with over 30 pieces of equipment at your disposal, including table saws, sanders, and a fully-ventilated walk-in spray paint and glue room.
A fully-equipped jewelry studio featuring wax injectors, vacuum and induction casting systems, torches and flexshafts, a complete enameling setup, pneumatic assisted engraving toolsets, a collection of silversmithing stakes and hammers, a rolling mill, shears, a brake, a drawbench, a fume hood, equipment for electroforming and acid etching, as well as laser welders and a vast collection of small, specialized tools.
Large-scale metal fabrication facilities featuring mig and tig welders, hydraulic shears, a metal band saw, a sandblaster, a high-speed metal lathe, a tubing roller, and more specialized tools.
The KCAD Library, which provides access to millions of books through the MeLCat shared library catalog as well as access to specialized research databases and subscriptions to scholarly journals.

Off-campus, opportunities to connect with leading designers who visit Grand Rapids and KCAD’s strong relationships with the local chapters of the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) and the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) provide opportunities for you to immerse yourself in the larger design community.

View the KCAD College Catalog for a list of current courses.

Jonathan Moroney, M.B.A.

PROFESSOR, PRODUCT DESIGN PROGRAM CHAIR
[email protected]

Gayle DeBruyn, M.M.

PROFESSOR
[email protected]

Robert (Bob) Marsh, M.F.A.

PROFESSOR

[email protected]

Meghan Raven, M.A.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
[email protected]

Thanks to a unique blend of classic industry training and an interdisciplinary approach to design, you’ll emerge from the Product Design program prepared to adapt to and thrive within a wide variety of professional settings.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CAREERS IN PRODUCT DESIGN

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