For over fifty years, Dieter Rams has left an indelible mark on the field of product design and the world at large with his iconic work at Braun and Vitsoe. The objects Dieter has designed have touched the lives of millions of people––so many of us have had a Braun coffeemaker, shaver, stereo, calculator, speakers, or alarm clock. Or an Oral-B toothbrush. Or a Vitsoe 606 shelving system. Or any of the hundreds of other products Dieter has designed or overseen the design of. His work has influenced the way most of today’s consumer products look and function. The computer or phone you’re reading this on looks the way it does because of Dieter Rams. Dieter’s influence also extends to his “Ten Principles of Good Design,” a list of edicts that champions simplicity, honesty, and restraint, and still applies to design theory and practice today.

Runtime: 74 minutes
Language: German with English subtitles
Sponsored by: Western Washington University’s Department of Design and Industrial Design programs

To connect with other attendees on social media, go to the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/279650759639756

Join us on Monday, May 13th for the opportunity to connect with Bellingham’s innovation community!

If you haven’t yet been to one of the meetups in this event series, here’s what to expect:

Innovation is “the creation and implementation of novel ideas which deliver value” and this meetup is for anyone who’s working on something or would like to get involved with something innovative. Some of the types of people that you’ll find at InnovationSocial are startup founders, creatives, social impact entrepreneurs, inventors and changemakers. The format for this meetup is an informal evening of socializing and networking where you can catch up with old friends, make new ones, and in general simply enjoy hanging out with other dedicated and savvy people who are working to make the world a better place.

You can RSVP now by clicking on the green ‘Register’ button:

To connect with other attendees on social media, go to the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/319346905403917

The WWU Design Club is excited to host a zine workshop with Cold Cube Press! There’s limited availability (15-25 people) so please be sure to RSVP on the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/642909382816938

Zine History and Culture

A zine (pronounced zeen) is an independently or self-published booklet, often created by physically cutting and gluing text and images together onto a master flat for photocopying, but it is also common to produce the master by typing and formatting pages on a computer. The publication is usually folded and stapled.

Historically, zines have been around since 1776 when Thomas Paine self-published Common Sense and used it as an instrument in promoting the ideas that contributed to the U.S. War for Independence. Just a perfect example to demonstrate the free spirit of zine culture.

Zine comes from fanzine which is a term that generally describes a small-circulation science fiction publication. Fanzines first appeared in the late 1920s. Later, zines were used to promote punk music in the 1970s, a time when this type of music received very little interest from the larger press music. This phenomenon spawned a new interest in self-publishing.

Cold Cube Press

A risograph printing service and publisher located in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, to learn more go to their website at ColdCubePress.com

Bellingham’s population is projected to double in less than 30 years and it’s critical that our city grows in a way that’s good for both people and planet. With that in mind, what will Bellingham look like in 2030, 2040 or 2050? Will backyard fences and car-centric development continue to drive the urban sprawl that eats away at our agricultural lands and wilderness areas? Or will we prioritize climate-positive, walkable urban villages where diversity and inclusion create thriving communities? As citizens of Bellingham, it’s up to us to work with our elected officials in creating the best possible future for our city, but first we must envision that future. So join us on Tuesday, May 14th for a fun and collaborative evening exploring the possibilities of what an urbanist future for Bellingham might look like.

The workshop will begin with a short introduction followed by an overview of potential projects that range from protected bike lanes to high speed rail and from alley revitalization to iconic skyline projects. Attendees will then select a project to work on and form into workgroups of 3-6 people. Once the groups are set, then it’s time for each to dive into their resepective projects for approximately 90 minutes. We’ll wrap up the evening with workgroups sharing their results and with each presentation, the vision for what Bellingham’s future might look like will come into focus a little more.

You can RSVP now by clicking on the green ‘Register’ button:

To connect with other attendees on social media, go to the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/1243838945792092

Western Design Club along with the Design BFA will be hosting a print and t-shirt sale. Bellingham print shop, Iron Street Printing will be setting up shop with us and screen printing custom designed t-shirts on-demand.

For more details, check out the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/690823847999599/

Adam J Kurtz is an artist and author whose illustrative work is rooted in honesty, humor and a little darkness. Kurtz speaks frankly about channeling human emotion into creative work, embracing the world with backhanded optimism and a dark sense of humor.

Sponsored by: Western Washington University’s Department of Design

About the speaker:

Adam J Kurtz is a graphic designer, artist, author and illustrator. His first book, 1 Page at a Time, has been translated into ten languages, and his work has been featured in ArtReport, Cool Hunting, Design Sponge, Huffington Post, Fast Company, Time Out New York, AdWeek, Paper, and elsewhere. He has collaborated with Urban Outfitters, Strand Bookstore, the Brooklyn Public Library, and retailers and cultural institutions. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

To learn more about Adam’s work, go to his website at adamjkurtz.com

Books by Adam J Kurtz available at Village Books: villagebooks.com/search/author/%22Kurtz%2C%20Adam%20J.%22

Most systems are “function-focused”, or in other words, designed to get the job done quickly. However, human-focused design remembers that people in a system have feelings, insecurities, and reasons why they want or do not want to do certain things, and therefore optimizes for their feelings, motivations, and engagement.

One of the world leaders in human-focused design is Yu-kai Chou and he’s spent the past sixteen years developing and refining a human-focused design framework named Octalysis. This framework lays out the structure for analyzing the driving forces behind human motivation. It’s the process of applying the core behaviour drives that motivate a user to complete a task more efficiently through an interactive experience. The Octalysis framework is amazingly useful in any UI/UX design process and has become very popular with startups.

During this lunch-hour workshop, we’ll cover the basics of Yu-kai Chou’s Octalysis framework and there will also be some simple hands-on activities to help attendees understand how Octalysis works.

Lunch:

RSVP now by choosing your registration type and then clicking on the ‘Order Now’ button after it turns green:

To connect with other attendees on social media, go to the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/438741080009211

Hang out and connect with other professional creatives in and around the field of design for happy hour at Camber from 4 to 6pm. Camber’s happy hour has something for everyone: $3 IPA, $5 house wine, $8 beer flight, $3 cappucino as well as $1 off milkshakes and draft beers!

RSVP now by clicking on the green ‘Register’ button:

To connect with other attendees on social media, go to the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/873848436302544