Grace McCoy, BSD 2028 - Industrial Design, IDSA at OSU Social Media Coordinator

Landon Davis, BSD 2028 - Industrial Design, IDSA at OSU Second-Year Representative

An open house event in Hayes Hall introduced current design foundations students to four design major areas. The event, hosted on February 26th by the student chapter of Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and sponsored by the Design Culture Committee, allowed foundation students the opportunity to meet upperclassmen from each major area and see their work on display throughout Hayes Hall. IDSA student leadership hoped the event would spark the kind of positive social structure seen in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-year design cohorts among design foundations students.

The event was an opportunity for current design foundation students to see studios they will be working in: each studio space displayed physical models, presentations, and pin-ups of all four design majors. Foundation students were able to interact with upper-level students to ask questions, have conversations, and build relationships. 

Special thanks to the design student organizations that collaborated: International Interior Design Association student chapter (IIDA), Columbus Society of Communicating Arts student chapter (CSCA), and Design Co. Representatives from the organizations assisted throughout the night.

As a pilot test, the department’s Design Culture Committee created Design Passports with pages for foundations students. This booklet incentivized talking to students from each major and future faculty members. At the end of the night, foundation students could exchange a completed passport page for some design swag.

Overall this event was a success, IDSA was thrilled with the turnout and the impact of this night. The foundation students left the event with a stronger understanding of each major and gained more confidence as they prepare to apply to design major areas in April. IDSA plans on hosting this open house again next year, expanding on what worked and continuing growing the culture within the design department. 

Special thanks to Landon Davis and Grace McCoy in leadership in this event.