Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

(1) elaborate product concepts of high aesthetic and stylistic appeal and sophistication and to create argumentation on their design

(2) identify the premises of form giving such as design strategy, brand positioning, trends, cultural differences in consumer preference and such not forgetting their personal insight

(3) specify and communicate the goals of visual design and they develop advanced skills in converting these premises to solutions that are expressed in 3-dimensional form.

Credits: 10

Schedule: 01.11.2021 - 09.12.2021

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Simo Puintila

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

Simo Puintila

simo.puintila@aalto.fi

+358505175036

CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    The topics of the course belong to the fundamentals of design capability. The course gives the students an opportunity to focus on form and aesthetics and deepen their skills. They learn to master a reflective process of visual design and build personal repertoire of visual design principles. The course gives the students advanced skills in form giving and the aesthetical design of physical industrial products. The course addresses a critical viewpoint of understanding dominant aesthetic conceptions and ways of perceiving products, design and form. Individual design processes and form giving is reflected against these perceptions. Students get to experiment with and perfect their skills with a range of visual manual and digital design tools and methods such as mood boarding, sketching, design drawing and computer aided design tools. They become competent with contemporary techniques in design visualisation and they learn to justify their solutions visually and verbally.

    The focus of the course is mainly on design concept development and communicating developed concept further with the help of visual media such as sketching, drawing and rendered images.

  • applies in this implementation

    This edition of this course is not having external collaborator. Instead we do have some interesting partners.

    Our Main material is concrete and topic is light. The design task gives quite a lot of artistic freedom.

    More specific design task is given monday first of November.

Assessment Methods and Criteria
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    The students on the course work in design studio mode elaborating their individual assignments under the super vision of the instructor(s). The elaboration is supported by lectures, excursions and literature assignments. Active participation in lectures, excursions and group activity (80%), design assignments and personal reflection. Evaluation criteria: process/reflection, participation, concept development design/aesthetics, visualisations/renderings, general evaluation.

  • applies in this implementation

    detailed information is given monday 1st of November.

Workload
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    270 h

    Contact teaching including lectures, group discussions, assignments and presentations 80 h

    Independent work including literature study and independent design work 160 h

    Personal reflection 30 h

  • applies in this implementation

    detailed information is given monday 1st of November.

    N.B. It is highly recommended NOT to take any other courses on period 2.

DETAILS

Study Material
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Hara, Kenya (2007). Designing Design. Zurich: Lars Müller Publishers. (selected chapters)

    Pye, David (2000). The Nature and Aesthetics of Design. London: A & C Black. (selected chapters)

    Zumthor, Peter (1998). Thinking Architecture. Basel: Birkhauser Verlag.

    Additional reading will be announced in the beginning of the course.

  • applies in this implementation

    Course literature is provided through MyCourses page when course starts.

Substitutes for Courses
Prerequisites
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals

    9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

    12 Responsible Production and Consumption

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Max 16 students. Priority to Contemporary Design students (10 places) and Collaborative and Industrial Design students (6 students) who have this course accepted in their personal study plan. Exchange students who has both Product and Form 1 and 2 in their study agreement are included in Contemporary Design and Collaborative and Industrial Design quota.

     

    The students can continue deepening their skills in developing high-fidelity designs and exhibiting them in Product and Form II course in period IV (10 cr).

    Teaching Period:

    2020-2021 Autumn II

    2021-2022 Autumn II

    Course Homepage: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/search.php?search=MUO-E5025

    Registration for Courses: Sisu replaces Oodi on 9 August, 2021. Priority order to courses is according to the order of priority decided by the Academic committee for School of Arts, Design and Architecture: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/registering-to-courses-and-the-order-of-priority-in-aalto-arts

    WebOodi

    Priority to Contemporary Design students and Product and Spatial Design students (10 places) and Collaborative and Industrial Design students (6 students) who have this course accepted in their personal study plan. Priority will be given to the students who will continue in Product and Form II course.

    The order of priority for admitting students to courses at Aalto ARTS 1.1.2018 onwards (approved by The Committee of Arts, Design and Architecture on 10.10.2017)

    The order of priority is as follows:

    1. students for whom the course is compulsory for their major/programme and who have scheduled it for the current academic year in their personal study plan (HOPS);
    2. exchange students for whom the course is a part of his/her officially approved learning agreement and scheduled to be taken during the current semester;
    3. students for whom the course is compulsory for their major/programme and who have not completed it yet;
    4. students, for whom the course is part of his/her major s or programme s alternative studies and has been scheduled in the student's PSP (HOPS) for the current academic year
    5. students, for whom the course is part of his/her major s or programme s alternative studies and who have not completed the requisite number of credits for alternative studies yet;
    6. students for whom the course is compulsory for their minor;
    7. students, for whom the course is part of his/her minor subject s alternative studies and who have not completed the requisite number of credits for alternative studies yet;
    8. students who have applied for the course through a student mobility scheme (internal mobility within Aalto University, flexible study right (JOO) studies etc.);
    9. other students.

     

    Courses that are intended to be multidisciplinary (e.g. UWAS courses) may apply an order of priority based on the learning outcomes of the course, while bearing in mind the university obligation of enabling students to complete their degrees within the normative duration of study set for the degree. The order of priority does not apply to courses organised by the Centre for General Studies or doctoral courses.

    This decision on the order of priority does not influence the right of the teacher to define prerequisites for the course.

     

  • applies in this implementation

    We are now hopefully changing back to teaching at campus.

    All the lectures and excursions will be held on site.

Details on the schedule
  • applies in this implementation

    More specific schedule is shared monday 1st of November.

    typical weekly programme;

    Monday - reading task/weekly reflections

    tuesday - visiting lectures/ecscursions/working on design task/sharing the work in progress

    Wednesday - individual tutorings/working on design task

    Thursday - visiting lectures/ecscursions/working on design task

    Friday - working on design task/tutorings


    General structure   

    Week 1       TASK / BACKGROUND RESEARCH

    Week 2       INSPIRATION

    Week 3       IDEATION

    Week 4       CONCEPT CREATION

    Week 5       DESIGN

    Week 6       FINALIZING AND PRESENTING