2 3

4 5

If you:
are observant about things
want to make changes about things
spend a ton of money on materials
are used to working with your hands
like making a mess
don’t mind noise
dare to stand out
are prepared to get your ass kicked
are a people person and a lone worker, and
are prepared to have (many) sleepless nights,

Then, you’re almost good to go...

6 7

These are from

Public Realm.
It’s the “user
scenario.” The
project was to
make vending
kiosks for the town
of Margaretville,
NY

WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN CLASS RIGHT NOW?

I have 4 classes - 3 related to thesis and one liberal arts class. Thesis is the senior studio
class. You also have to take Information Design with thesis in the fall and spring. You can
pick ANYTHING in the world for your thesis project. Pick something you!re truly interested
in or you!ll hate the entire year. That!s my tip on that!
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEBODY INTENDING TO MAJOR IN PRODUCT DESIGN?
Never take anything personally. Your projects will get beaten to death by your studio teacher.
I suppose they!re NOT actually evil, but when you spend so much time working on something
and then someone rips on you about it, it sucks. But, always see critiques as a way to learn
about what to do in the future. Oh, and don!t pull all nighters. Ever. ESPECIALLY in product
design becuase you!re likely to injure yourself chiseling at your project at 4am.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT PRODUCT DESIGN AT PARSONS?

Cara Leonard
Product Design is awesome because you get these crazy skills that you can brag about. Can
your friends weld? Probably not. My friends and family always call on me to fix things becuase
I know how to work with so many types of materials and have a working knowledge of what
needs to be done and how to do it. It!s pretty great, actually.
WHAT ARE CLASSES LIKE? ARE THEY TEAMED BASED OR INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS?
A Senior year Student Most of the studio projects are team based. Most of the "elective! class projects are individual.
Soph year!s studio is Design Research and Development. It!s a lot of quick 3 week projects.
It!s hard, it!s intense, but you!ll get a lot out of it and learn what you can do. I really do stress
this. I was told so many times by my teachers that my project “can!t be done,” but I always
figured out a way to do it. I KNEW it could be done and it really gave me faith in my abilities.
The first few months of DRD are individual then it goes on to groups of 3 for the end of the
semester and the end of the following semester.
8 9

Do you No. Seriously.

Do you?
It’s not entirely about the hands on things,
like making useful everyday objects. It’s also
about the design of those objects, the things
that you touch and use every day.

The idea is to make a product for a certain

group of people for a certain task. This means
that you’ll have to know everything about this
group of people.

really
When you start a project, first you must
research, find out everything you can about
the relevant audience, and then you move
on to designing. This can be done sketching
by hand as well as on the computer using
programs.

If the research is not helping with the design,

then you must go back and do some more
research. You then build or make your
product. Finally, you prepare to present your
design, basically selling your idea and product
to classmates and your studio teachers.

think
How you arrive at the final product is up
to you. But you will be taught the process
and you will master your very own design
process. Everyone does it differently, and you
will eventually find your own way of arriving at
the final product.

you know what Product Design is?

10 11

WHEN ARE YOU GRADUATING?

2009
WHAT CAN’T YOU LIVE WITHOUT FOR CLASS?
Measuring tape and sketchbook.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CLASS?
Prototypes, you actually get to build stuff.
WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE CLASS?
Solidworks. I hate working on the computer.
So it!s horrible because you need to make a
digital model of most of your designs.
THE WORST THING ABOUT PRODUCT DESIGN?
Everything takes so much time and there aren!t enough
machines and tools for everyone.
It!s really hard to procrastinate and you can!t do anything last
minute because you have to
wait hours for finishing to dry.

Leah Waldman
junior year student
12 13

ON THE 3rd
There you will find the main office,
main classrooms and the model shop.
(Where you will spend many hours.)
FLOOR

Sophomores and Juniors get their own

boxes in the model shop to store their model
projects. There are also lockers on the 3rd
floor, but they’re reserved for Juniors and
Seniors!
 Richard Yeh
14 15

A junior year student

Herng Fuu Richard Yeh

617 - 407 1582
richard1115@richardyeh.com

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Originally from Taiwan, but I moved to Boston 7 years ago
WHEN ARE YOU GRADUATING?
2009
WHAT ELSE IS IMPORTANT TO PRODUCT DESIGN BESIDES CRAFT AND IDEAS?
Go out and visit sites, like shops and fairs.
Be aware of what!s available out there,
and then think about how you can improve the design.
WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU WILL HAVE TO DO OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN PD?
Research, design, and final presentation (the final product).
It!s a lot of going back and forth between research and the design process.
DID YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT WITH PRODUCT DESIGN?
Think so. Heard it was going to be intense. It!s getting more intense now,
I didn’t really expect it
ANY LAST WORDS OF ADVICE?
Keep your mind fresh. If you hate it (product design), then there’s no point.
You!ll be miserable and unhappy.
16 17
18 19

ARE YOU A TRANSFER STUDENT?

I transferred from Wentworth Institute of Technology, an architecture school in Boston.
ANY PARTICULAR REASON YOU CHOSE PARSONS?
I heard that they had a good reputation for design and their furniture
design seemed promising.
WHAT IS THE WORK SPACE LIKE?
The shops are really nice. They just renovated the whole basement. There!s no studio space
for us which is annoying. They give you lockers down in the basement,
which is nice for small things, then once you become a junior/senior, you have
the opportunity to get a locker up on the 3rd floor.
IS THERE ANYTHING A PARSONS STUDENT SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PD?
Its pretty tough, there!s a lot of work, and you need to push yourself to
really make yourself stand out.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SAY?
Be prepared to work. You!re going to feel like a mad scientist coming up with ways to
make your ideas work, and it!s going to be tough. But, once you get it all together, it!s a
great feeling seeing your idea come to fruition.

Carl Frisk
A sophomore year student
20 21
22 23

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN SURVIVE PRODUCT DESIGN

WITH JUST HARD WORK AND GREAT IDEAS?

Nice try!
You do spend a ton of money on materials. I’m not going to lie about that. It’s probably the most
expensive department to be in. Sophomore year, you’re really dumping all your money into supplies.
Junior year was a lot less expensive. I think the only thing I had to buy was metal for metal fab(rication).
That was around $100. This (senior) year, I really haven’t purchased anything other than some books for
research and felt, which may have been like $50 for the whole semester. So really it gets less expensive
as you go on. There’s also a stock of tools in the woodshop that you can use, but you won’t figure that
out until the Spring (of sophomore year, unless someone tells you early!)
”
- Cara Leonard
Senior ‘08
The school projects that you will spend $250 per class per
semester, but if you already go to Parsons, you probably know
that the budget goes far and beyond what the school suggests.
You can easily spend up to $1000 for furniture projects,
buying wood, paint and glue! One alternatve is picking up
cardboard and materials found on the street.
p.s always buy extra because you never know when
you might need more.
24 25

Douglas Best
A junior year student

WHEN DID YOU COME TO PARSONS?

I transfered from pratt in my sophomore year.
WHY DID YOU TRANSFER?
I wanted, to have more of a business aspect of product design, I didn!t want it
to be all about art art art.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT SO FAR?
It!s been interesting. Everything is about innovation here. The people that
teach here are great. You need to suck every bit of knowledge out of them.
ARE THERE ANY UNWRITTEN RULES ABOUT THIS DEPARTMENT?
...Follow your own rules, according to your own design sensibilities.
WHAT’S THE ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE TO DO OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN PD?
Presentations. You really need to learn to plan ahead, you won!t get to bullshit
your way through as much as you think. You sketch a lot too, and you know
plenty of research.
CAN YOU GIVE ANY ADVICE TO THOSE COMING IN TO PRODUCT DESIGN?
Get good at making shitty models. I made the mistake last year of focusing
on making perfect models and wasted a lot of time. The project deadlines are
intense so you really need to get your priorities right. What else, make friends!
You’ll get new experiences.
Learn to be extraordinary.
26 27

THE

Basement
If you’ve ever wondered about what goes on down there...

Here are a few tips.

Be ready to get lost once or twice when you first explore it.
Be nice to the shop technicians and student monitors.
Be ready to tackle machines bigger, faster, and stronger than you.
Be humble before the machines but also,
Be confident.
Be prepared to get down and dirty.
Get ready to SAND. (everything)
Don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Remember to BE SAFE.
And HAVE FUN!
28 29

Believe or not, there are amazing rewards

So you’ve made it this far in to this book. for putting yourself through all
I’ve let you in on the uglier and messier sides of Product Design. the trouble and nightmares.

From all the student interviews. The most

Still
gratifying thing about Product Design,
is being able to see your ‘baby’ from
sketch to production to final product,
and then furthermore to actually bring
your product home and use it!

Interested?
As Carl says,

“ It’s the difference of being able

to sit in a chair you designed and
being able to only look at a scale
model of a space you designed.
Good. You get to experience every
aspect of design in product. ”
Don’t fret about not having a social life.
I know you’re thinking about it.

Although you will be spending most of

If you haven’t turned in to a vampire after spending most of the three
your weekends at school. You’re with all
years underground in the basement in the shops, and have come out of
your classmates and get to goof around,
the product design department sane and in one piece after three years,
so even though it’s work, it’s still social
you are well on your way on becoming a designer in the professional
and fun. Remember to make friends!!
world. And since the skills you learn in product are completely
There are a lot of “characters” and
transferable, you will find jobs almost anywhere. From architecture firms,
everyone is always willing to help you.
to consulting agencies, to starting your own company and even being an
There’s always a sort of community effort
apprentice building furniture.
that goes into getting projects done.
30 31

I would like to say a big thank you to

Cara, Carl, Douglas, Leah and Richard
for answering so many of my obnoxious questions!
All photographs in this book were taken by Jacqueline Hon.
32