The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com Thursday, February 23, 2012

INDUSTRIAL
TO

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How the 'U' reflects the intersecting trends in the design world.
by Jonathan Odden
Daily Arts Writer


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word "Stop." Notice its curves and
serifs - someone designed its font.
Now look at your watch, your shoe
or that cup of coffee in your other hand. We
live in a world where design is
ubiquitous. From the bed you
wish you spent more time in, "W e a
to the doorknobs you trade
germs on, someone some- itself a
where designed it well enough
that you probably never real- Under
ized it. old r
At the University's School
of Art & Design, the next
generation of designers is,
rather appropriately, being
designed. Just as every field
changes, today's design
themes have grown and tradi-
tional approaches to teaching
designers are beingrethought.
John Marshall, assistant pro-
fessor in the School of Art &
Design and co-founder of the design company
Rootoftwo, is at the forefront of design. He
describes design, in its modern state, in terms
of a synthesis of ideas.
"Design is the process by which aesthet-
ic, cultural, social, technical and economic

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potential is imagined and then translated to our post-industrial culture.
give order to objects, environments and activ- "I do not consider myself an 'industrial'
ities," Marshall said. designer," Marshall said. "I played an instru-
mental role in the product development pro-
cess at a $3OO-million-a-year company and
transitioning them from mak-
ing 12 to 36 new products per
e located 45 minutes from Detroit, year in1999 to 2003. My work
is in every Wal-Mart, Toys R
post-industrial city. The world has Us,Kmart and Target store in
America."
,one some major changes, and the Today's post-industrial
odel s of doing things simply don't era is very different from the
industrial era that produced
work anymore." the first schools of industrial
design. We no longer live in
a world of products, but in a
world of services and informa-
John Marshall tion facilitated by products.
Assistant Professor The consequences of this shift
are dramatically felt here in
School of Art & Design Michigan.
"We are located 45 minutes from
Detroit, itself a post-industrial
Breaking the mold city," Marshall said. "The world has under-
gone some major changes, and the old models
Under this definition, many assume that of doing things simply don't work any more."
industrial design and product design are syn- According to Marshall, industrial design
onymous, but as Marshall explained, this is was perhaps the most important innovation of
false: Industrial design is an outdated term in See INTERACTIVE DESIGN, Page 38


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CONCERT
St. Andrews's breakfast program has been serving meals
to those in need for 30 years. Join the Ark in giving them a
helping hand and stop by tomorrow night for their Break-
FEST 2012 benefit concert. Dan Crary, Small Ponds and
Mick Gavin will headline, and all proceeds will go toward
supplies and operating costs for the year-round food pro-
gram. The show starts at 7:30, and tickets are from $30.

AT THE MIC
The adventures of James Bond are all well and good,
but what about the real-life spies of today? Join author
and journalist Shane Harris tonight for his thrilling and
thought-provoking presentation, "The New Cold War:
Hackers, Drones, and Cyber Spies." The event will be
held at 7:30 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library,
and admission is free.

FILM
Looking for historical entertainment with very little
history and a lot of entertainment? Enjoy phone-booth-
enabled time travel but can't commit to "Dr. Who"? The
State Theater is bringing the beloved tale of "Bill and
Ted's Excellent Adventure" back to the big screen on
Saturday at midnight. Tickets start at $8 - excellent,
dude!