Author: Christoph Bartneck

Lego Beyond Toys

This master class prepares for a new type of engineering discipline: design and creation of intelligent systems, products, and related services. The class will be a unique opportunity to get familiar with a number of powerful conceptual and intellectual tools to understand and create adaptive behavior at a system level. The context of Lego is chosen because it is already an example of a system. But in this class the creative goal is to make a leap forward, extending the scope of the existing system such that adaptive behavior becomes the central theme. The new Lego should be equally fascinating for grown-ups and children, women and men. Continue reading “Lego Beyond Toys”

Visual Story Telling Course

Visual Story Telling is an important skill for designers. It is necessary to illustrate scenarios, create meaningful instructions and product explanations on posters. The rapid developments in the area of 3D modeling and rendering move the focus from classical illustrations to animated stories. Examples of such work are animated building instructions and product presentations.

Being able to actually SEE each scene and every detail within it, including the perspective of the camera, the lighting and the flow within the movie requires great attention. To gain sensitivity for these aspects, the tempo of the movie needs to be reduces. Stop-animation is the perfect way to enable the students to design and perceive every scene in detail. Continue reading “Visual Story Telling Course”

Design By Numbers Course

Most art and technology projects pair artists with engineers or scientists: the artist has the conception, and the technical person provides the know-how. In this assignment you will be both, an artist and a computer scientist. You will learn to view the computer not as a substitute for brush and paint but as an artistic medium in its own right. Design By Numbers is an assignment on both the philosophy and nuts-and-bolts techniques of programming for artists. Continue reading “Design By Numbers Course”

Visual Design Course

Visual Design is a fundamental skill for Industrial Designers. It is important for the design a graphical user interface, to communicate their ideas to a customer and create visual appealing products. The recent developments of computers and software enabled the designer to express his or her creative ideas faster and more precise, given sufficient knowledge about the software tools and techniques. The students shall develop a visual sensitivity that enables them to perceive and create visual designs. This includes awareness of colors, typography and composition. At the same time they should learn the technical foundations that enable them to use visual design tools effectively and efficiently. The activities include the creation of several visual designs, such as a product information flyer, a report and a magazine article. In a final bigger design the students will demonstrate their visual design skills. More details will be available at the start of the assignment. A sequence of obligatory discussion sessions will accompany the assignment. Continue reading “Visual Design Course”