Utilitas, Venustas, Firmitas

Arts, Design, and Technology
CADT-UH 1016

About the Course

Design seems to be omnipresent, but what is it?

This course (whose title is Latin for “usage, beauty, and stability”) explores how design in influences our life and investigates the fundamentals of “good design.” We take a look at the status quo of the use of design in media, objects, and architecture, and observe its influence on art and technology from past to present. Design tools and processes will be highlighted.

Based on the fusion of readings, study, discussion, and experiences, over the course of the semester students will develop an understanding of how mutually reinforcing and beneficiary a mix of Arts, Design, and Technology can be. Lecture and discussion will help development the design of a bricolage: Every student will realize a product prototype of an Audio-Device to be displayed in an exhibition and a personal philosophy of about Arts, Design, and Technology.

Why Students Should Take This Course

Design-thinking saturates art and industry in the 21st century.  But what makes a design good? Students will think broadly about the history of art, architecture, and technology in relation to these principles and will develop design project prototypes of their own for display at an end-of-semester ADT showcase.

Taught By