Product and Furniture Design | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Product and Furniture Design

Design informed by Making

MCAD’s Product and Furniture Design major immerses students in a methodology and process of creating functional objects. Students engage in projects from furniture and accessories, to soft goods and environments. A hands-on approach in a collaborative studio atmosphere allows students to explore and produce both commercial and residential products. Learned skills include digital modeling, rendering and fabrication; as well as hand-building and sketching. Building an understanding of everything from aesthetics to ergonomics, students are positioned for a practice of professional design.

Students working in a product design class

Hear about the student experience

Product Design

Furniture Design

As a Product and Furniture Design major, you will:

  • Utilize research methods to understand market sectors, client briefs and parameters, and evaluate design viability including trend, history, context, materials, ecological impact, ergonomics etc.
  • Use two-dimensional media (drawings, renderings, etc.) and three-dimensional models, prototypes and other visual and spatial representations to develop and explore design ideation and intent.
  • Confidently perform the designer’s core function as form-giver, creating fully-resolved, inspired, context-appropriate form, shape, texture and color.
  • Develop designs that exemplify individual authorship and creative problem solving using industry-standard digital tools, platforms, and processes for limited and mass production.
  • Produce fabrications and prototypes that demonstrate proof of concept, material knowledge, and manufacturing feasibility using traditional and experimental techniques.
  • Present work visually and verbally in a manner that is compelling to the intended audience.
  • Document the design development process and deliverables for portfolio and/or marketing use.
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Class Highlights

This Bachelor of Fine Arts program emphasizes a collaborative process of working on teams with students from all MCAD majors. Classes include:

  • Lighting / Accessories / Housewares
  • Digital Visualization and Fabrication
  • Textile, Surface and Design for the Human Body
  • Product Design Client Studio

After MCAD

  • Design Consultant
  • Materials Researcher
  • Fixture and Lighting Designer
  • Furniture Fabricator
  • Interior Designer

See what students in this major are making

“I knew that at MCAD any idea or project wouldn't be out of reach. With the community and facilities, I knew that anything would be possible and allow me to explore and experiment while being supported and pushed along the way.” –Zachary Wegscheid ’22, Target Product Design Scholar