Students show off their signatures

The Minor on Advanced Prototyping started 4 years ago and now boasts more than 150 alumni. Dr. Jouke Verlinden co-founded the program with Dr. Marnix Stellingwerff from the Faculty of Architecture to fill gaps in the standard curricula. Verlinden explained, “[It] didn’t give true attention to the theory and practice of model making.” The class covers a lot of theory but balances it out with guest lecturers that showcase the practical side. One notable guest was Eric Migicovsky, founder of Pebble.

When asked why the displayed projects were so different, Verlinden answered, “The program contains 4 large projects, one of which was on show last Thursday. This one entitled “handschrift” (or “signature” in English) in particular focuses on the design of a wearable/luxury good that expresses the personality of the student. As such, there is a large variety in how this is manifested, yet the basic design process stays the same: one of iterative creation of prototypes and models.”

The final projects were as varied as the students behind them. Students created items ranging from watches and necklaces to stylized earbuds.

Triet Le explained the concept behind his watch, “It is a watch with something personal. It can be changed to match your mood and style.” The watch was made of three pieces: the watch face and an armband split into two halves. You could mix and match the halves to create exactly the piece you want.

The students also used a variety of prototyping techniques in the development of their signature pieces. While Le used of wood, Zsolte Hayde used 3D printed plasticin and later stainless steel to make his interlocking ourobouros signet ring.

Other students took advantage of 3D printing technology as well. Joep Grapperhaus even made his interlocking earbud set with magnets available to download. “[These are] available for everyone with a 3d printer at home on thingiverse with 20 downloads as of today.”