In class on Monday we did an exercise in class where we had to design something for our partner. My partner was Jose, he is a security guard at Macys and wants to work in Industrial Art. The process started out with going through each others wallets and interviewing one another based on what we found inside.  His wallet made me realize he was neat, organized, and detailed.  

The initial problem Statement I came up with was:

"Jose, an organized student and security guard, needs a way to obtain an Industrial Design job in a way that makes him feel important."

After going over this initial statement, I realized it actually wasn't the problem because he is going to get a design job upon graduation so my next statement was:

"Jose, an organized security guard, needs a way to feel challenged at work in a way that makes him feel he can apply his design skills."

After watching people present, I think I missed the point of the project because everyone designed wallets for each other and I designed a job concept.

DAI 505 Blog 2

It's week 2 and also Labor Day weekend. It feels odd already having a day off with school just starting; but I dont hate it! We still had a few homework assignments due for next class. It's been interesting going over previous senior final projects and taking notes for my own. I'm still unsure on what my topic is going to be, but I suppose that's normal. I have a few ideas floating around.

In class on Wednesday we did a little exercise where we tried to list off items we had on our person and in our backpacks in alphabetical order in a certain amount of time.  The point of the project was to get a better idea on how research works and why it's so important.  In the end we were to categorize our lists in order of which items are essential and which items are frivolous. Almost everyone ended up classifying electronic devices (namely Apple products) as frivolous.  My group ended up classifying the essentials as: Fire, Water and Peach. It wasn't really fire, it was a lighter, but you get the idea!

I'm really looking forward to this semester, especially this class. Im excited to throw my last final project out there for the world to see and give it all I got.

DAI 505 Blog 1

I am Shawna England (England, like the country).  I am a senior at San Francisco State University, majoring in Industrial Art. I currently work as a visual aid/ assistant at a Hair and Nail Studio in San Ramon. My favorite aspect of design is creating visuals such as posters, brochures, booklets and anything to do with branding a company. In my spare time, I love making greeting cards, comic books and band logos for some of my pals.  

There's a lot of things and people that inspire me; like Loretta Lynn and Shel Silverstein and Ralph Steadman and sleeping in on weekdays and drinking beer during the day and bike rides, but mostly I'd say my friends and family inspire me the most.

“Just because you're naked doesn't mean you're sexy. Just because you're cynical doesn't mean you're cool.”
- Tom Robbins 

I am influenced by the genuine people in the world. I don't care if you're genuinely an asshole or genuinely friendly or genuinely hilarious; as long as you're genuine I am influenced by you. 

And really, really good music.


My hope in life is to become at least a moderately successful designer with a decent paying job in an atmosphere where I can still love what I do. I'd love to work in an industry that allows me to be creative but also involves some structure and guidelines, like creating posters and brochures for small companies.  But mostly, I hope to still be close with my family and awesome buddies.  I hope I still play in a shitty punk rock band and I hope to go to sleep at night feeling happy.


To sum it up in 6 words:

1.  Friendly
2.  Loving
3.  Witty
4.  Creative
5.  Loud
6.  Talented



Here's a link to my bands page Former Babies for those of you interested in checking it out.
http://bleedinggoldrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bg013-the-blackout-album