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“My BFA thesis film is finally nearing completion and now its time to advertise for the premiere!” - Forrest V. (SU:VPA Film Senior)

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This past weekend 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year Industrial and Interaction Design Majors went to the IDSA (Industrial Design Society of America) Northeast District Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. The IDSA student chapter organized the carpools and hotels that SU students stayed at. My thesis professor, Ralf Schneider, attended the conference with us!

The theme of the conference was the “Unexpected Conference”. It was about how designers need to be prepared to expect anything that happen (aka expect the unexpected!) The two day conference featured design professionals, speakers, portfolio reviews, and networking opportunities.  

One of the main components to the conference is the student merit award. Each school selects a student to present for the merit award and to become the Northeast District winner and present at the international IDSA conference. Syracuse University selected 5th year Alex Rausch and she presented her portfolio at the event. She was up against eleven different students from schools such as Pratt, Parsons, MassArt, Philadelphia University, RIT, RISD, Drexel and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Tiffany (SUVPA: 5th year Industrial and Interaction Design Major)

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A week ago, the freshman Musical Theater majors had the amazing opportunity to take a dance masterclass with two current cast members from the national tour of WICKED. And do you know what made it even better? They were BOTH Syracuse University Drama Department Alums!  They taught us original choreography from the show and answered all of our questions. We were so happy to have them here!

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Hey There!

Hey guys! My name is Anju Cloud, and I am a freshman Musical Theater Major in the Department of Drama. I just recently joined this wonderful and bubbly group of SU:VPA Ambassadors, and I am excited to share with you the incredible things we do over at Syracuse Stage. I will now introduce myself in the way all of us Freshman had to, to become part of the Drama Department family.

HI! My name is Anju Cloud! 

I am from Los Angeles, California.

And my fun fact is that I am OBSESSED with rubber ducks!

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“That’s a wrap on Know Thy Rifle! I’m so honored to have worked with such amazingly talented and dedicated people to bring this project to life. Now on to post-production!” - Forrest V. (SU:VPA Film Senior)

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Designer: Quinton F.

SU:VPA Ambassador Tiffany here!  I am going to be spotlighting different designers this semester and they are either a graduate or current student of design at Syracuse University.  

Fletchall poses with his “Let Us Continue” Mural outside of The Nancy Cantor Warehouse (The Design School)

Name: Quinton Fletchall

Education:  Syracuse University - BID Industrial and Interaction Design 2013 / MA Communication and Rhetorical Studies 2015

Experience:  Previously worked for Syracuse’s The Connective Corridor and currently works as a Design Researcher in Chicago.

The Connective Corridor bus route connects Syracuse University’s Main Campus to The Nancy Cantor Warehouse in Downtown Syracuse.  The free bus allows students, faculty and community members the opportunity to explore Downtown Syracuse.  While working at The Connective Corridor, Fletchall designed a series of bus wraps for the bus.

(Above) The bus wrap that Fletchall designed

Tiffany: The new bus wraps are very different than the old ones that have been on the buses for a few years.  What are the reasons that you decided to design the wraps this way?

Quinton: First, they were designed by Nathan Li, former VPA faculty. I only assisted Nathan. We started by listening to some feedback from riders. Some students, not yet familiar with Syracuse, were unsure about where the bus would take them and were afraid of getting lost. So we knew we wanted the design to address this. One solution was making the buses bold and easy to spot but also include some of the main locations the bus travels to on the exterior.

T: Working with Nathan, what was the process that you went through to create them?

Q: Nathan and I developed multiple sketches before settling on the design you see. 

T: Finally, where did you and Nathan get the inspiration for the wraps?

Q:Nathan took inspiration from some posters and graphic designers he was familiar with. Once we had our style we started developing the icons that help tell move about the locations the bus goes to.

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Designers go to Google

SU:VPA School of Design sent out an email in January about an opportunity to attend a UX Portfolio Workshop at Google Headquarters in NYC.  The opportunity was only given to 25 students in the School of Design. I was fortunate to be selected as one of the 25 students allowed to go. 

The Google UX Portfolio Workshop was on Saturday from 9:30 - 4:00 p.m.  The workshop consisted of a UX Design Manager and a Sr. Visual Designer who both work for Google.  When we arrived we got a tour of Google Headquarters and then started with presentations and workshops to enhance our portfolios. 

As someone who wants to go into UX and Visual Design as a career path after I graduate in May, I was excited that I was able to learn what Designers in the “real world” do.  They both gave excellent feedback from a new perspective on my portfolio. 

-Tiffany (5th year Industrial and Interaction Design Major)

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“Working with creative, hardworking and fun-loving crew members in filmmaking is, hands down, the most gratifying and rewarding aspect of what I do. As the First Camera Assistant for this particular BFA thesis production, I was honored to overcome three days of unique challenges with these folks. Now on to the next one!" - Forrest V. (SU:VPA Film Senior)

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New semester, new art!

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Past winners from the SU IDSA t-shirt design competition. We’re in the middle of this year’s competition! 

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On the 6th floor of The Warehouse, senior Interior and Environmental Designer Maeve is working on a hospital and health clinic for South Africa #globalvpa

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“A few screen-grabs of the raw footage captured during the production of my BFA thesis film!” - Forrest V. (SU:VPA Film Senior)

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A nice fall view of Armory Square from the Warehouse

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Happy Halloween from the Warehouse!

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This weekend a bunch of Industrial and Interaction Design students from Syracuse made the trip to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for a student run design conference called “Thought @ Work.” Syracuse design students have many opportunities to attend Thought @ Work and other design conferences in the region to learn more about what’s happening in the design world and listen to keynotes from leading figures in the field.

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Here’s a look into the 5th year Industrial and Interaction Design studio space. As a 5th year Industrial and Interaction Design student at Syracuse University you spend your whole academic year researching and implementing your thesis topic. The breadth of thesis topics is super broad and no one’s topic is typically like the others.

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Things to do off campus: hiking

Labrador Hollow Hang-Glider Launch

There is a big misconception about Syracuse that there is “nothing to do”.  There is a lot to do...but you need to look for it. One of my favorite activities - when the weather is nice - is hiking. I stayed in Syracuse over one summer and fell in love with all the different outdoor opportunities to go hiking.  Not only is it a stress relief, but hiking has made me appreciate the world around me. It gets me out of the “Syracuse University Bubble” that consumes many college students lives.  There are a ton of places to go hiking around Syracuse with gorgeous waterfalls, views and lakes.  Central New York is known for it.  It is my favorite way to get off campus and to enjoy nature.

Below is a picture of me looking out at the view at Labrador Hollow Hang-Glider Launch by Tinker Falls.  I just went last weekend and I was lucky enough to be able to see the foliage change.

-Tiffany

5th year Industrial and Interaction Design Major | Marketing Management & Sociology Minors