This spring, the Jacobs Institute will continue its Design Field Trips series, which provides an opportunity for Berkeley students to explore the Bay Area’s rich design ecosystem. By visiting sites at the cutting edge of design and technology innovation, students will learn about wide-ranging avenues for continuing their design practice beyond their time at Berkeley. Get a glimpse of previous events in this series here, and read on to learn about this spring’s lineup of student field trips.
Friday, February 2 | 10:45am-1pm | Dynamicland office, Oakland
We will visit Dynamicland, a non-profit research lab and community space where people can collaborate, build, and play together with a new kind of computer that is built into the building. We will get an introduction to the innovative research being conducted at Dynamicland and have a chance to play with projects that community members have built there. You will also have a chance to learn about potential projects that you can work on this coming summer in exchange for credit.
If you are interested in learning more about Dynamicland’s work, you can also come to the Design Field Notes talk by one of their designers, Paula Te, on February 27.
Thursday, February 15 | 2:45pm-4pm | Autodesk Pier 9, San Francisco
Students who missed last year’s Design Field Trip to Autodesk Pier 9 have another chance this year. We will take a guided tour of Pier 9, which was designed as a place to explore every stage of the process of making things, from idea to digital model to real-world physical product. In this state-of-the-art digital fabrication workshop, a community of technical experts and creative partners collaborate on projects that dissolve the boundaries between software and hardware. We will learn about and see how Pier 9 makers are discovering ways to advance 3D design and fabrication technology to change design, engineering, and manufacturing.
If you are interested in learning more about design at Autodesk, you can also come to the Design Field Notes talk by interaction designer Tiffany Tseng on April 3.
Designed in California at SFMOMA
Friday, March 16 | 1:45pm-3pm | San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
We will get a guided tour of the new exhibition Designed in California at SFMOMA. Exploring the shifting landscape of design in California since the digital revolution, this exhibition focuses on designs that are human-centered, socially conscious, and driven by new technological capacity. The exhibition’s timeline spans from the political, social, and environment-influenced designs of the 1960s and 70s to the products of the modern digital revolution. We will discuss designs that place California at the center of an evolving and expanding field.
If you are interested in learning more about this exhibition, you can also come to the Design Field Notes talk by Robert Kett, part of the curatorial team behind the exhibition, on April 17.
Friday, April 13 | 9:45am-1pm | LUNAR office, San Francisco
LUNAR is a product design firm that joined the McKinsey & Company family in 2015, adding a depth of business strategy to their innovative spirit. During our visit to their headquarters in San Francisco, we will have the chance to meet some of LUNAR’s leadership and various members of the design, engineering and research teams. We will learn about their approach to design by exploring a few product journeys through presentations and breakout sessions.
If you are interested in learning more about working at LUNAR, you can also come to the Design Field Notes talk by Sara Cinnamon, LUNAR technical lead and Cal alumna, on January 23.
Design Field Trips are open to all Berkeley students and free (though students must arrange their own transportation). Go here to register for field trips; registration opens roughly two weeks prior to each trip. To receive an announcement when registration opens for a particular field trip, sign up here.