AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.12.2003, Page 27

I.R. is special in the way that stu-
dents of General Design can choose
a number of other courses in the col-
lege which are connected to design
subjects in some way, such as tech-
nical drawing, furniture production,
house building, metal works, clothes
production, computer science, infor-
mation, media or multi-media. These
possibilities give students a wider
scope and broader foundation for
design studies and at the same time
an introduction to other courses of
the college.
Students in General Design at the
I.R. prepare for further studies at the
University level. Many of them intend
to study architecture or design at the
lcelandic University of the Arts (U.A.).
Some students have also gone to
study architecture at the Royal
Academy in Copenhagen and Árhus.
The studies at I.R. have been a good
foundation, and many graduates are
now studying in these universities.
Many students have also taken the
entrance examinations to Danmarks
Designskole and many other design
colleges around the world. Almost
half of first-year architectural stu-
dents at the University of the Arts in
lceland had taken design courses at
the I.R. previously. Students from the
General Design course also went on
to study product design and art at
lceland Acadmeny of the Arts.
The core faculty who teach general
design is about 12 and of these, 8
are designers (two architects, two
interior designers, one set and cos-
tume designer, two dress designers
and one graphic designer) three
artísts (graphic, textile, clay and
multi-media) and one philosopher.
Some of the designers have also
studied art or art history. All the
teachers, except one, have formal
teaching qualifications or are finishing
their studies. In addition, many
teachers from other disciplines teach
various courses, such as computer
science, vocational fields and general
studies.
Attendance has been good in the
General Design course and it is
among the most popular courses in
the Industrial College in Reykjavík.
The student body currently numbers
around 200. The general opinion of
students from the course, in further
design studies, is that the education
was a good foundation and the
same applies to many other fields.
Although not all students continue
their design studies, this education is
of benefit to the community and it is
no less an important goal to fur-
therering the general understanding
of the value of design. This under-
standing and knowledge is a basic
premise for the greater role of design
in the wealth-creation of commercial
undertakings. It is also necessary for
the improved quality of the urban
environment and more goal-oriented
design policies.
Much has changed during the last
10 years from the time when the first
ideas about the design course were
borne. Since then, design has
become part of education in primary
and secondary schools according to
the curriculum set by the Ministry of
Education. It is therefore important
that people with proper design edu-
cation make sure that discussion
about design within the education
system does not turn to nebulous
and populist use of the term design,
like „food design, activity design and
problem design." ■
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