The Kit Every Industrial Designer Student Should Have Ready For Their First Semester | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

The Kit Every Industrial Designer Student Should Have Ready For Their First Semester

Designer students have no idea what they're in for.

41
The Kit Every Industrial Designer Student Should Have Ready For Their First Semester
https://www.instagram.com/sangwonseok/

In This Article:

I honestly wish someone made me a list of the things I would need for my first year here as an industrial design student. I had to wait for a whole week for most of my supplies to come through the mail and even then, I still needed stuff after the first week of classes. In hopes of saving the lives of many fellow design students, I took the liberty to gather all the materials I used during my first year and put them into this list. Enjoy!

Photography Skills

The number of times I had to run around campus to find a camera for my prototypes and sketches is astronomical. However, even after renting one out, there was still the struggle of trying to find good lighting and background. Sometimes the resources aren't there and you need to improvise.

Highly suggest using a cardboard box with light white paper to create a DIY light box . It's super easy to make in a studio and break down to bring home.

2. A Laptop That Won't Give Up

This is not a joke. There will be times when you have four different apps open on your laptop for a project and your 3-year-old laptop will sound like it's taking off.

Stay away from MAC and go for PC. Solidworks and your future self will love you for it.

3. Markers

People still draw by hand! It takes a special kind of skill to master sketches and conquering that skill is rewarding. It takes patience and effort and a lot of hand cramps and sleepless nights (maybe).

Grayscale markers are fantastic to use. Even if you choose to use the inexpensive brands, you can still create the same metallic effect. If you're more into colors, go for colorful markers; they're eye-catching as well. No matter the color though, a sketch is insignificant without a variety of line thickness. You can assemble drawings and sketches with one continuous line thickness and it'll still manage to look flat. The detail is in the lines, too!

4. T-Square And Triangles

As a design student, you will almost always be given some sort of large desk in the studio. A T-square is this weird T-shaped panel that'll help you keep your lines and drawings in place. You align the T-square on the edge of your desk and move to create horizontal lines anywhere on your page. It's easier than aligning a series of rulers.

Triangles are used to help you construct angled lines on a page with the help of a T-Square. I have a 30-60-90 triangle and two right triangles in different sizes.

5. Paper

I used so much paper my first year as a design student and guess what? There are different types of paper to use. Drafting paper is wonderful to use when you have a messy sketch and you wish to copy it onto a new sheet of paper. It's slightly see-through and very easy to crease. If you have a solid idea of what you want to draw, drop the drafting paper, and use bristol paper, a thicker and durable paper. It'll hold up better when traveling to class and the thickness looks a bit more professional.

6. Masking Tape

Please use masking tape to hold down the paper you're drawing on to ensure your lines are consistent and the whole composition looks straight.

7. Eraser And Drafting Brush

I don't care what you say; buy a ton of erasers, specifically the white plastic ones. They clean up the pages a lot better than the pink rubber ones. And with erasing comes with eraser shavings, so invest in a drafting brush to avoid smudging with your tired hands.

8. Mechanical Pencils

If you don't have any of these, you will struggle to draft by hand. Wooden pencils are alright but when you're drawing for hours, the wooden frame will feel disgusting between your fingers. My go-to will always be Pentel products because they offer a variety of pencils in different styles and graphites.

I understand that a lot of the things on this list are very old school but sometimes learning it the old way can enhance your skills as an artist and your ability to communicate your designs to consumers. Do as you wish, this list will be here.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

133871
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

31324
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

28712
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments