Industrial Design

On November 5th and 6th, Appalachian State’s student group of the Industrial Designers Society of America and the Industrial Design program area in the Department of Technology welcomed sixteen professional industrial designers to review student portfolios. The event was held in Katherine Harper Hall throughout the morning and afternoon. Professionals from such companies as; Dell, CCI (Ryobi), Newell Rubbermaid, Irwin Tools, Bernhardt, MeadWestvaco, and Montie Design reviewed portfolios of 45 industrial design students from Appalachian State University, North Carolina State University, Virginia Tech and Savannah College of Art and Design. The students were able to get invaluable information about layout, project selection, and overall presentation, as well as, having real face to face interaction with potential employers.

Donald Corey, assistant professor of industrial design and faculty advisor for the student group, said, “This event really serves a number of purposes. First and foremost, it allows students to interact with the professionals in a less formal setting than an actual job interview, building confidence and a better portfolio for when they do officially interview. Next, it gives us an excuse to invite the professionals to tour the school and become more engaged with our program. And finally it allows our students to connect with their contemporaries at other schools and interact with them, building connections between the schools.”

Students who played major roles in organizing and making the event a huge success were; Brian Harris (president of the student group), Seth Teeples, Ryan Mitchell, Ryan Bloomer, Alex Parker, Shelly Walbert, and Anatevka Arguezo. Appalachian State’s student chapter of IDSA would like to thank all of the professionals that took time out of their busy schedules to spend a Saturday providing feedback to the student participants.

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