Trimestre uno de dos = TERMINADO | Trimester One of Two = COMPLETED

One of my classes taught us about industrial
processes –essentially how things are made.
 In the practical portion of the course we were
 to learn how to execute some of these processes
in the making of a removeable foot of a cup.
The foot of the cup itself is made from a
resin cast from a silicone mold that we had
 to make ourselves. 

I have a very good first impression of Elisava School of Design and Engineering, although I nearly walked out the first day when all of my instructors started the classes speaking in Catalán (a language specific to this region of Spain that I did not understand a lick of) and I had a mini heart-attack; thankfully, I learned that I could ask for the instructors to speak in Spanish instead.

My schooling here has been much different than in Canada, with having my courses conducted in Spanish or Catalán and instead of interior design I have been more focused on product design. It is also a much different atmosphere attending a university that is entirely dedicated to design as opposed to KPU where we have a faculty of design and a wing of the campus. The school is very well equipped with full workshops, transformable classrooms, a gallery space to show off student work, and a full library specially curated for design. The atmosphere is certainly more conducive to design with so many creatives concentrated in a small space. Also, being in the heart of Barcelona means that you can walk out the campus doors and have inspiration at your fingertips.  

I have been very impressed by the high presentation level of final work put forward by my fellow classmates and this is something I hope to take forward in my own work. My favourite class of this trimester was my photography class, where I FINALLY learned how to properly use my camera. I also had a colour theory course (similar to something I did in first year, with the use of concept through form, colour, and texture), and an industrial processes class where we studied how many products are made.

This trimester I am focusing more on interior design and I am SO EXCITED about the courses I have lined up. In one course I am teamed up with a graphic and product designer and our task is to create a business/brand complete with a retail space based off of given prompts. As the interior designer of the group, I will be in charge of the retail space; however the challenge is to make the brand cohesive among all fronts of the business. Another one of my courses teaches about sustainable products and processes, and one of our projects includes redesigning the packaging for a childrens’ toy to be more sustainable. I am feeling very inspired and I know this is only going to be fueled during my visit to Milan for the design week.

You better believe I will be sketching and scheming all the way there, the whole time there, and all the way back.

Along with the foot of the cup, we were to design and fabricate
the packaging using thermoforming. My cup foot ended up
taking on the form of a tulip so I took that and ran when naming
and creating the packaging. 

In the colour and texture studies class we applied concept to a
cubic form with the use of shape, colour, and texture. My
concept was "opportunity", with each face of the cube depicting
a different way in which opportunities present themselves. The
model was constructed with foam core and then covered in paper.

The exterior of the cube was cladded in cool, matte colours to
represent how meaningless and dull life can be if one does not take
opportunities. The interiors are hot, vibrant, and highly textured
 to represent the amount of excitement and depth
opportunities bring to one´s life. 

The doors were placed on hinges so that they would open and close
as the viewer handles the cube. This element of interaction mimics
how one must be active/present in their life in order for opportunities
to cross their path. 

This is one of my favourite photographs taken for my photography class.
While it may not be compositionally correct, I love the moment it
captured and the division between hot and cool colours.

Go create something today. 

#KPUInternational #KPU #KPUStudyAbroad #Spain #Barcelona #Elisava #Design #Create #InteriorDesign #ProductDesign