5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Applying to Grad School

5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Applying to Grad School

As I mentioned in the previous post, I came to Barcelona to start graduate school. One of the main reasons why I decided to continue my studies is that I believe in building from knowledge. 

Another big reason is that it is an exploration towards another area of design. Beyond my background in architecture which has shaped me strongly, I am also interested in product design. It is a matter of scale, I want to reach a level of detail and intimacy in the interaction with the user.

Now, speaking about the experience, this has been such a journey. I followed the trace of universities, prepared a bunch of applications, interviewed with different people, and in the process I have learned a lot I would like to share with you.

How to Figure out What to do With Your Life?

How to Figure out What to do With Your Life?

Discovering the answer to this question is not an easy task. I have struggled with finding my vocation pretty much since I finished high school, and just until the last couple of years I can say I got more clarity about what I want to do next, and the kind of future I would like to build.

Since this is a frequent struggle not only for me, but also for lots of my friends, I would like to share some ideas and tools that have been helpful for me in this process.

I've made a big effort to simplify the process I've gone through and to put into words things I would have liked to know years ago, when I had no idea of where to start, just to give you a little push.

Design for Food

Design for Food

A perfect meal involves much more than how the food on the plate tastes. In the dining process, there is a lot going on inside our body in the appreciation and absorption of what we eat. 

This is why the current generation of chefs is interested in going beyond the basic culinary science that they have been taught. Many of these chefs are really curious to learn more about the minds, and not just the palates, of their diners. 

They want to know how does the experience feel. What is the diner's behavior? What elements make an impact on their enjoyment and decisions?

The Power of Touch

The Power of Touch

The significance of touch in human life is primary. 

Like other senses, tactility informs us about the surrounding, prevents our body from danger, contributes to the exploration of an object, but most important it has an emotional component that can give us the feeling of safety and pleasure. 

Yet, according to Weber (1995), tactile mechanisms are undeniably the most complex and least understood. 

Space and Sound

Space and Sound

Understanding the sonic environment is fundamental. We tend to get used to sounds, but we don't notice the impact it has on our behavior.

If you evaluate an environment like the office you will probably notice it is in fact too loud, which can add to your stress levels. As a practice take a minute and listen… you’ll probably hear many sounds that you’ve trained yourself to ignore. 

 

The Smell of the City

The Smell of the City

Typically, design professionals in the west think about the smell environment in terms of control and management – separation, deodorization, masking and scenting – but not about preserving and celebrating smells that people like.

But why do we fail to embrace the olfactory in our work as designers and city planners?  How can we design a better smellscape?

 

 

Introduction to Multi-sensory Design

Introduction to Multi-sensory Design

Environment, human perception and design hold in a broader spectrum of possibilities and we are ignoring it ― our focus has become too narrow due to a subconscious effect: the dominance of vision. 

Vision is the protagonist, taking up half of our brain's resources to process information. It's how we have always apprehended major threats, food supplies, and reproductive opportunity, placing our eyes as a principal way to collect data and ultimately, as the "most important" sense.  

But what happens with the other senses?

Creative Workshop: Time Machine

Creative Workshop: Time Machine

Have you ever struggled to complete a design project on time?

Or perhaps felt that a tight deadline stifled your capacity for maximum creativity?

I surely have, and the book Creative Workshop, which I have mentioned in earlier posts, is all about building skills to face this constant battle we have as designers.

Creating on a constant basis is what makes us improve.

Because it's easier said than done, not only I want to encourage you to put out imperfect work. I'll actually show you the process behind my exercises