Issue #3: Design [Classes] at Berkeley
It's almost class registration time 👀 so here's how to find design classes at UC Berkeley. And come to GM#3 to learn how to give/receive design feedback on your class (or not class) projects!
Hello 👋
Welcome to the third issue of [Navigating] Design at Berkeley, Design at Berkeley's newsletter, and blog about navigating design at UC Berkeley!
This issue covers:
Links to design classes
Our reviews on some of those classes 👩💻
But first, some quick announcements!
General Meeting #3: Design [Portfolios] Critique Session
Our 3rd GM is this Thursday, 4/8 from 6-7:30pm PT! We know critiques sound intimidating, but being able to talk about your work and ask for feedback are important skills for designers! At our first-ever portfolio critique, you'll be given the opportunity to share some of your own work for feedback from your peers as well as professional designers working in industry. Even if you don’t have something you’d like feedback on, we encourage everyone to come and watch!
Attendees are welcome to submit their own portfolios for review through this registration form or simply to come and see other portfolios be critiqued. Portfolio submissions close Wednesday, 4/7 at 3pm.
🏃♂️ Register at lu.ma/dabGM3 anytime before the event to join!
🗓 Want a calendar invite? Add our Design [Events] calendar here.
Speaking of portfolios, class projects are perfect!
Internships are not the only way to build portfolio content, class projects belong in your portfolio too, especially when you are first starting out. And if you’re already going to put in the effort to do well in the class, you might as well show off what you learned and your work!
Here’s an article with some tips on How to structure design case studies on your portfolio.
But wait, what classes should I take?
Fall 2021 class schedule will be released April 18th but it doesn't mean you can't get started planning now 😗
If you want to plan ahead, here's a link to our Airtable containing (a majority of) design classes that have been offered at Berkeley: https://bit.ly/DB-Classes
You can always check for new ones by searching up "design" in the course catalog.
Need help deciding which to take? Consider getting the Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation! Even if getting a certificate is not something you're interested in, there are some really cool classes on their curriculum list!
Interested in Design + Innovation for Sustainable Cities? There's an infosession tomorrow (April 7) from 5-5:30PM PDT about their summer program!
Some classes that we took:
DESINV 22 — Prototyping & Fabrication: honestly if you love being at Jacobs Hall 24/7 this is the class for you!
I took DESINV 22 with Christopher Myers Fall 2019 and really enjoyed working on the projects. We made cool things like kinetic sculptures, music machines, and ninja warrior robots! (He may create some insane obstacles for the robots for your final project like a popcorn pit but it's really fun to watch robots struggle through them haha) This class really helped me get some practice with using Arduino UNO, Servo motors, 3D Printers and Laser Cutters so I'd definitely recommend this class if you're interested in hands-on projects!
ED 1 — Intro to Environmental Design: if you want to learn more about environmental design and get some architecture-esque project experience, I think this is probably a good intro for you to try out. (Keep in mind, like most design classes, it is time-consuming) There are a lot of hands-on projects that also require precision so if you like using exacto knives and making cool topography sculptures try out ED1!
HCI DeCal: If you're interested in product/UX design (so many terms I still don't know the difference) and learning more about human-centered design, I definitely recommend taking this decal. You'll get to design your very own app or website to help solve everyday problems! They also guide you in how to write a case study and practice user research so by the end of this decal you will definitely have a portfolio piece ready! PS. if you’re interested in other design DeCals we also have an Airtable for that too.
Feel free to reach out to the Design at Berkeley Community via Slack if you ever have questions about classes/majors/anything! 😊
Thanks for reading!
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