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Inspiring Graduate: Porter Christenson, B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

goersab — Thu, 21 May 2026 15:05:00 +0000

Inspiring Graduate: Porter Christenson, B.F.A. Industrial & Product Designgoersab May 21, 2026

Hired before graduation as an associate industrial designer at Milwaukee Tool

Inspiring Graduate: Porter Christenson (’26)

Hometown: South Minneapolis
Degree: B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design
Minor: Business Administration

Porter Christenson has always loved drawing and building things, and as a kid, he wanted to be an inventor. “I didn’t know that was a real career path. When I toured �� with my mom, I discovered industrial design and realized it was the closest thing to what I had imagined. Seeing the program, the labs and the connection to companies like Room & Board and Milwaukee Tool made it clear that Stout was the place where I could turn creativity into a real profession,” he said.

Christenson received his B.F.A. in industrial and product design from �� on May 16, among more than 1,000 of his peers.

“Four years later, things came full circle,” he said. “I was hired as an associate industrial designer, creating outdoor power equipment at Milwaukee Tool, in Brookfield, a year before graduation. I had the opportunity to complete two internships there during school, and I’m excited to return full-time and continue learning from such a talented design team.”

Christenson also won the Room & Board annual competition for his dresser, which he named Bellevue. The national furniture designer and retailer will reserve the right to manufacture his design.

Of this year ��. graduates, 77.4% were hired prior to graduation, while 99% of recent graduates were employed or furthering their education within six months of graduation.

How do you hope to make an impact in your field?

I want to design tools and products that genuinely improve people ��. lives. Industrial design sits at the intersection of creativity, engineering and empathy. If I can create products that help people work better, solve problems, and feel inspired by the tools they use every day, I’ll feel like I’m making a meaningful impact.

How has �� prepared you to work in your field?

�� . hands-on approach prepared me incredibly well. From sketching and concept development to CAD modeling and physical prototyping, the program constantly pushes students to think through real problems and build real solutions. The labs and studios gave me the chance to experiment, fail, iterate, and learn the full design process.

I completed two internships with Milwaukee Tool, where I worked with the power tool and outdoor power equipment design teams on concept development, prototyping and user research.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was how important it is to deeply understand the user and the job they’re trying to accomplish before designing anything.

What stands out about your �� experience?

The culture of making. At Stout, ideas quickly turn into prototypes. Whether it was sketching late at night in the studio, building models in the shop, or collaborating with classmates, the environment constantly encouraged creativity and experimentation.

What challenges did you face in earning your degree, and how did you overcome them?

One of my biggest challenges was balancing school, work, and entrepreneurship while putting myself through college financially. It required a lot of discipline and long hours, but it also taught me resilience and how to manage real responsibilities alongside my education.

Outside of school, I ran my own landscaping design and installation business called Hey Porter Landscaping. Balancing school and running a business taught me a lot about time management, customer communication and problem-solving in the real world. It also gave me a deeper appreciation for the tools and products I design.

What are you most proud of as you finish your degree?

I’m most proud that I followed something I was genuinely passionate about and turned it into a career. Starting school not fully knowing what industrial design was and finishing with a job designing tools I used to admire as a kid feels incredibly rewarding.

I’m really grateful for the professors, mentors, and classmates who pushed me to improve and supported my growth. �� gave me the environment to develop both creatively and professionally, and I’m excited to carry those lessons forward.

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Hired before graduation as an associate industrial designer at Milwaukee Tool Porter Christianson

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Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, �� . annual event exploring innovative design

giffeyt — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:25:40 +0000

Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, �� . annual event exploring innovative designgiffeyt May 7, 2026

Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design

Tom Giffey

Oshkosh Corporation, a leading innovator of purpose-built vehicles and a Wisconsin-based Fortune 500 company, will host the Fifth Annual Design Wisconsin event May 29-30 at its Global Headquarters in Oshkosh.

Design Wisconsin, presented by ��, is a showcase of the impacts of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin ��. culture, commerce, community and brand. The event typically draws several hundred design professionals and students annually. Admission is free, but organizers request that attendees register in advance.

In addition to serving as host, Oshkosh Corporation will be among the many Wisconsin and Minnesota companies that will display their designs and products at the event, which is held each spring at a different site. In the past, Design Wisconsin has taken place at Milwaukee Tool in Milwaukee, Trek in Waterloo, DELVE in Madison, and on the �� campus in Menomonie.

“We have an exciting lineup of speakers, workshops and exhibitors the embody this year ��. theme, ‘Innovation by Design,’” said Professor Jennifer Astwood, director of the industrial and product design program at ��, who is organizing the event with �� . Continuing Education & Conferences office.

Headquartered in Oshkosh, Oshkosh Corporation employs more than 18,000 people worldwide. Formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation, the company makes vehicles for defense, fire and emergency, commercial, and other market segments. Its products can be found in more than 150 countries under brands such JLG®, Pierce®, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh® S-Series™, McNeilus®, IMT®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™ Communications, Oshkosh® Airport Products, Oshkosh AeroTech™, Oshkosh® Defense and Pratt Miller.

�� Chancellor Katherine Frank speaks at the 2024 Design Wisconsin event hosted by Milwaukee Tool.

Designers and executives from Oshkosh Corporation will be among the featured speakers sharing frontline expertise that is actively reshaping how the world around us is designed, built and experienced. Design Wisconsin speakers will include:

Austen Angell, founder and CEO of Modern Edge Inc., a design and development firm at the leading edge of health technology and user research, and CEO of Epira.AI, which harnesses artificial intelligence to modernize how governments and citizens interact. Angell served as chair of the Industrial Designers Society of America and was inducted as a Fellow.
Chad Smith, senior director of engineering at Oshkosh Corporation, leads advanced technology development across autonomy, active safety, electrification and innovation by combining deep engineering expertise with emerging technology leadership.
Jason Sadler, a 1994 �� industrial design graduate, is a visual development artist with more than 30 years of experience in the animation industry. His clients include Apple, Netflix, Disney, Blue Sky Studios and Locksmith Animation.
Rob Wurm, senior industrial designer at KI Furniture, has spent the past decade designing commercial contract furniture. Over his career, he has developed products and design strategies for companies such as Michelin, Hershey, Kimberly-Clark, and Kohler, and has designed power yachts for Cruisers Yachts and Palmer Johnson.
Nyko de Peyer is product expert team lead at Vizcom, an AI-powered design platform. A trained car designer, he worked at Local Motors on projects including the Rally Fighter, the world ��. first co-created vehicle, and the Strati, the world ��. first fully 3D-printed car.
Mark Charniak, director of engineering at Oshkosh Corporation, where he leads efforts that bring early-stage innovation to life through cross-functional collaboration.
Jesse Gander, industrial design tech fellow at Oshkosh Corporation, specializes in user experience across high-performance, mission-driven vehicles.

An exhibitor speaks to attendees at Design Wisconsin in 2024.

In addition to these featured speakers, Design Wisconsin will include product showcases, panel discussions, networking opportunities, student portfolio review sessions and workshops.

While participating organizations are still being confirmed, organizations that have taken part in Design Wisconsin in the past include Ashley Furniture Industries, DSG Outerwear, Emerson, Fiskars, Generac, Gulf Stream, Harley-Davidson, Kohler, Mercury Marine, Milwaukee Tool, Polaris Industries, National Presto Industries, Room & Board, Sherwin-Williams, Spectrum Industries, Trek and more.

Complete information on Design Wisconsin, including registration details, the event schedule, and accommodations, can be found on the Design Wisconsin website.

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Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design Audience at 2025 Design Wisconsin event at ��

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B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

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Jennifer Astwood

Teaching Interests: DES 331 – ID3: Product Interface Design (2 sections) DES 231 – ID2: Ergonomics DES 205 – Design Drawing and Concept Visualization ART 256 – Slip-Casting for Designers and Artists DES 231 – ID1: Product Form and Visualization DES 333 – Professional Practice DES 405 – Advanced Presentation Techniques DES 431 – System, Environment, and Context DES 432 – Theory, Society, and Application DES 712 – Sustainable Design Practice SUST 432/632 – Global Sustainability Experience in Design & Manufacturing

Professional Interests: Skills: Creative Problem-Solving Freehand Sketching/Rendering Sketch Model Making Project Management Sewing

Full Name: Jennifer Astwood

Job Title: Associate Dean / Professor / Program Director

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Area of Expertise: Industrial Design Product Design

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Design Department

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Curriculum Vitae: Jennifer Astwood CV (146.85 KB)

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Degree: M.F.A. Art & Design

University: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Degree: B.F.A. Industrial Design

University: University of Illinois Chicago

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Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishings

goersab — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:23:42 +0000

Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishingsgoersab April 15, 2026

SOAD Senior Show on May 8, part of Stout ��. Spring Showcase, celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors’ creative works

Abbey Goers

A smart indoor herb propagation system; an intuitive commercial device to help bystanders in the event of a seizure; a robotic solution for transporting landscaping materials; a portable, easy to clean dish system for college students; adjustable, telescopic ski poles; a contemporary doll.

These are a handful of the solutions and concepts crafted by industrial and product design capstone students at ��. Among the design solutions are Jace Johnson ��. product to help musicians create music faster and more effectively, and Aaron Hoyt ��. dynamic collapsible sofa for a younger generation seeking to save space in smaller home settings.

Both students originally came to �� for different majors – Johnson for animation and Hoyt for graphic design. They were introduced to industrial design through friends and events, like Fashion Without Fabric.

“The combination of thinking of new creative ways to solve problems, along with building and testing things with my hands, was what really sold me into the program,” Hoyt said.

Now, as they work to complete their capstones’ 3D full-scale models, Johnson and Hoyt are looking forward to presenting their creations at the School of Art & Design Senior Show, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 8, part of �� . Spring Showcase lineup of events.

Stout Spring Showcase

Join us for weeks of events that celebrate ��'s polytechnic research, creativity and innovation.

SOAD Senior Show celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors across 12 degree fields, as they take over Micheels Hall and the Applied Arts building, welcoming the community to see what the polytechnic advantage is all about.

Dreamr: A portable, intuitive product for all music creators

Johnson, of Sturgeon Bay, is treating his product as an “ideas generator,” with core music equipment that musicians of all talents need to be successful, from people who are just starting to musicians on the road who get an idea for their next song.

“I was inspired when watching people who make music. They must set up four to six pieces of equipment before they get to start creating. That takes time away from creating and can take you out of your creative flow and lose all the progress that you have made,” Johnson said.

While generating product names with his grandma at Easter, Johnson landed on Dreamr. “I like this name because it allows the user to think of this as a device to get their ideas out and ‘dream’ of anything that they want. I also think the branding for this product will be very fun to create,” he said.

To understand what type of product he needed to design, Johnson interviewed people representing a spectrum of musicians and music producers – from those who make music in their bedroom to producers who have worked with some of the biggest artists in the world. He looked into products by companies like Moog Music, Arturia, Teenage Engineering and Telepathic Instruments.

“This helped give me perspective on what pieces of equipment are essential to starting the process of making music,” Johnson said. “I am taking into consideration the ideas of Dieter Rams (a designer who uses the philosophy of ‘less, but better’) and only using what the user needs to be successful.”

In his interview with Godwin Agbara, an Eau Claire-based indie-alternative artist who records under the name Yomchi, Johnson learned three important considerations in creating Dreamr.

“It needs to be portable. With traveling and playing gigs around Wisconsin, Godwin needs a product that can be used in any room and place,” Johnson said. “It needs to be able to be used repeatedly. One-third of products are used once and forgotten after the first month, so making a high-quality product that can withstand that one-month threshold is essential. Lastly, it needs to be intuitive. Godwin admits he is not the most versed artist out there, so an effective product needs to allow the user to know what everything does right out of the package.”

Configuring each component to fit within his product design was challenging. “Getting the drum pad, keys, and audio interface in one product is very hard, and trying to lay out how it can be most efficiently used has been a challenge,” he said.

But after talking with Professor Andy Janetski and deconstructing current real-world products, such as a handheld keyboard and audio interface, Johnson found a way to effectively fit everything into Dreamr, giving his product a more realistic feel.

Critiques from his capstone classmates also led Johnson to make Dreamr more portable for the user. “I was so stuck on making it a two-octave product that I overlooked the obvious – it was too big for a normal backpack. That small critique has helped me immensely,” said Johnson, who will 3D-print Dreamr ��. outer shell and spray paint it, giving the appearance of a marketable product.

Modular seating for modern homes

One of Hoyt ��. two big design passions is making furniture. During his initial research for his capstone project, Hoyt noticed that most of the furniture he saw was bulky and heavy, especially for someone in a small living space.

“I found that the vast majority of young individuals aged 20-30 are moving about once a year,” said Hoyt, of Menomonie. “Younger individuals are more likely to rent smaller spaces because of the high price of larger houses. My general audience is young professionals who are likely to live in smaller spaces within urban environments.”

His original three-section furniture design was centered around the idea of adaptability, collapsibility and space management, with sections that can be split into reconfigured seating modules, including a singular seat and a smaller couch.

“I looked into how we interact within our own spaces, and what kinds of things people choose to buy for their spaces. Visiting showrooms and furniture stores was very helpful to see what ��. currently on the market, as I got to chat with a couple of people in sales who knew what was selling and what wasn’t,” Hoyt said. “There ��. a lot of design inspiration in the DNA of this project stemming from timeless classics and trendy. What caught my eye were Brazilian sling chairs from the late ’60s, and stylish modern furniture from DUPE, a brand from California.”

Hoyt also researched materials, ergonomics and human factors. He created prototypes and conducted user testing to gain insight into what ergonomic details are most important for younger demographics.

During a mid-project class critique, a classmate suggested that Hoyt needed to be more granular and visualize one singular space. “This gave me better insight on dimensions and functional elements,” he said.

“Diving into the user, contexts and environments that my product will be used in has given me so many factors and ideas to keep in mind for my final product,” he said. “I’ve found young people ��. spaces to be more dynamic and divergent than older demographics, leading me to explore ideas of modular armrests and even side table options.”

Hoyt ��. build will consist of three main areas: metal work, wood work and fabric work. He has set up the appropriate manufacturing files and will start cutting patterns and sewing the upholstery. He will use a CNC router to cut out wood components, so he can piece together the hinging mechanism that allows the product to collapse.

Additional Spring Showcase events

Saturday, May 2, 6 p.m.: Stout Fashion Show, showcasing innovative capstone collections from fashion design and development seniors.
Tuesday, May 5: Research Day, celebrating the research and creative work of students, faculty, and staff from all fields.
Thursday, May 7, 6 p.m.: Stout Game Expo (SGX), western Wisconsin ��. largest game developer exhibition.
Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10: 4th Annual Unspooled Film & Animation Festival, dedicated to showcasing the very best in independent filmmaking.
Wednesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 28: Murals in Menomonie, featuring the Walldogs, is a collaborative group of community organizations bringing in international mural artists.

�� . School of Art & Design offers bachelor ��. degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, as well as an M.F.A. in design. �� also has a new program in game and media studies.

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Inspiring Graduate: Porter Christenson, B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

Hired before graduation as an associate industrial designer at Milwaukee Tool

May 21, 2026

Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, �� . annual event exploring innovative design

Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design

May 7, 2026

Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishings

SOAD Senior Show on May 8, part of Stout ��. Spring Showcase, celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors’ creative works

April 15, 2026

SOAD Senior Show on May 8, part of Stout ��. Spring Showcase, celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors’ creative works Industrial design capstones, Jace Johnson

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Room & Board furniture design competition carries �� students’ work from classroom to catalog

giffeyt — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Room & Board furniture design competition carries �� students’ work from classroom to cataloggiffeyt March 17, 2026

Decade-long partnership with Minneapolis furniture retailer creates real-world production possibilities for industrial & product design seniors

Tom Giffey

A decade-long partnership with Room & Board, a national furniture designer and retailer, has helped �� industrial and product design majors refine their skills under professional mentorship. Now, for the first time, a piece of furniture designed as part of the annual competition is available from Room & Board, creating a possible path for more Blue Devil creations to reach the retailer ��. catalog.

The competition is the brainchild of 2010 �� graduate Brian Linehan, a Room & Board merchandise and design manager. “The design competition started as an experimental exploration and turned into a pathway for future interns, full-time design hires, and a great way to stay connected to the community,” Linehan explained.

Originally envisioned as a group project, the program evolved into an individual competition that tapped into students’ growing awareness of – and passion for – the Room & Board brand. Winning designs have continued to improve as the competition has focused on specific product categories, ranging from lighting and storage to organization, media and bedroom furniture.

Micah Loder / Submitted photo

“These days it seems like all the students know exactly who they are designing for,” Linehan said. “Students come to the project kick-off with concepts already in their heads and questions they’re eager to get answers for. It ��. really been an amazing transformation.”

This year ��. competition was particularly special because it came as Room & Board was adding a coffee table designed by 2024 industrial and product design alum Micah Loder to its catalog.

Loder, now a research and development engineer at Dura Supreme Cabinetry in Howard Lake, Minnesota, said it was “incredibly surreal and rewarding” to see his class project, which he called Carver, become a real piece of furniture.

“I was really just overjoyed Room & Board saw the same vision I did when they saw the table next to their line of products,” Loder said. “Knowing any customer could walk through a Room & Board showroom and think the same thing I did when I first mocked it up: ‘This would look sweet as an accent in my living room.’”

�� alum Brian Linehan of Room & Board, left, discusses furniture designs with student Porter Christenson, right, as classmate Loyal Prach look on.

Competition bookends winning student ��. experience

The competition is part of the capstone course for soon-to-graduate industrial and product design majors. In keeping with �� . polytechnic approach — which encompasses applied learning, industry collaboration and career-focused experiences — the competition poses the real-world challenge of designing a piece of furniture that not only looks good but could potentially be manufactured and sold.

“Most capstone projects are geared towards inventing a new idea, creating something that changes the world, or embraces an exciting new manufacturing process,” Linehan said. “This project is really about form development, rather than re-invention. It definitely requires students to flex a less familiar muscle and stay within a tighter set of parameters.”

Industrial and product design senior Porter Christenson of Minneapolis said figuring out which conceptual risks to take with his design was the biggest challenge of the project.

“I spent a lot of time studying furniture trends and trying to understand how those trends could fit within Room & Board ��. visual brand language,” he said. “Large companies usually have a very established design language that they stick to pretty strictly, so there ��. always a balance between respecting that identity and pushing it forward.”

So, Christenson did his homework, interviewing Room & Board salespeople as well as staff from other furniture showrooms. “One of the decisions I ultimately made was to introduce rounded corners into the design,” he said of his dresser, which he named Bellevue. “That was a bit of a risk, because Room & Board is well known for their more defined, sharp-cornered forms.”

�� Lecturer Andy Janetski, right, and Professor Jennifer Astwood, center, look at student Jace Johnson's designs during a visit to Room & Board headquarters in Minneapolis.

The risk paid off: Earlier this semester, the Room & Board team chose Christenson ��. design as the winner. He received a $2,000 cash prize in exchange for Room & Board reserving the right to manufacture his design. Two other students were also honored: senior Loyal Prach of Milwaukee received $1,200 for his design, Edmond, while senior Aaron Hoyt of Menomonie got $700 for his design, Alberg.

“I was most excited about the possibility of the furniture actually being produced,” Christenson said. “One of the first things I wanted to do was tell my mom, because she loves Room & Board furniture. Being able to share that moment with her made it even more meaningful.”

In fact, Room & Board has bookended Christenson ��. �� experience. As a high school student touring �� with his mother, he was introduced to industrial and product design seniors working on the Room & Board project. He also learned about the university ��. partnerships with firms such as Milwaukee Tool. As someone with a childhood desire to be an inventor, the possibility of designing tools strongly appealed to him.

“Four years later, things came full circle,” he said. “I completed two internships at Milwaukee Tool, accepted a job offer at my dream job designing outdoor power equipment there a year before graduation and won first place in the Room & Board project. There ��. even a possibility that the piece could make it into their catalog, which is incredibly exciting.”

�� alum Reid Guse, right, a designer at Room & Board, gives feedback to a student in a �� classroom.

Professional mentors give in-classroom critique

This year, the project kicked off with a class visit from Linehan and fellow �� alum Reid Guse, a designer at Room & Board. A couple of weeks later, in mid-February, the pair returned to the �� classroom for a critique of the students’ in-progress designs. With them this time was another Room & Board designer, �� alum Andrea Meisner.

Founded in 1980, Room & Board is 100% employee owned and has 1,100 employees at its Minneapolis headquarters and at stores and delivery locations nationwide. The company focuses on timeless design and sustainable production, and more than 90% of its furniture and décor are created by American manufacturers.

During the on-campus critique, the three professionals offered feedback on the full-scale cardboard prototypes and digital renderings the students had created. The critiques focused not only on aesthetics but on practicality and cost: Simplifying a construction process or swapping metal elements for lighter-weight wood, for example, may make the difference between a design being feasible or not.

“As a team, we intentionally split up, to ensure we are giving a range of feedback. Design is subjective, and there are no right answers,” Linehan explained later. “We don’t hold back in the critique and make sure we don’t sugar-coat our feedback.”

The process helps reinforce a critical skill in the young designers, Linehan said: Learning to believe in your own decisions and stand by them.

Christenson mixed his own instincts with feedback from the professionals. At the mid-project critique, he recalls, Meisner asked him to try standing like his dresser, which at the time had relatively stocky legs. He found himself with his feet wide and planted, like he was braced for an incoming tackle. It was a funny moment, he said, but it made him recognize that the mid-century modern aesthetic called for a design that was less heavy and defensive.

“After that realization, I pulled the legs inward, made them slimmer, and refined the proportions so the dresser felt lighter and more consistent with the aesthetic I was aiming for,” Christenson said.

�� students and faculty members examine a coffee table designed by 2024 graduate Micah Loder, which is now being produced by Room & Board.

Prach, whose media cabinet design won second place, also found himself making significant design changes throughout the project. Room & Board ��. design language, he said, was more minimalist than his own approach. The process taught Prach to be adaptable and pushed him outside his comfort zone.

“Early on, I had to consciously step back from over-designed concepts and refine the piece down to one or two intentional focal features,” Prach said. “Instead of relying on surface complexity, I explored proportion, material breaks and subtle detailing to create visual interest. That shift pushed me to grow as a designer and better understand how restraint can strengthen a product.”

The mid-project review helped Hoyt refine the details of his modular shelving system, which took third place. “(The designers) encouraged me to explore different configurations of the base design,” he said. “This led to me coming up with a tall shelf, media shelf and coffee table trio.”

Lecturer Andy Janetski, who teaches the capstone course, said hearing directly from professional designers is valuable for students. “There ��. a massive amount of creative energy thrown at it,” Janetski explained. In return, he said, the students receive “feedback that ��. not academic in nature.”

For the Room & Board designers, the competition provides an enduring connection to their alma mater, where their design passions were first fueled. In fact, Guse, a 2018 alum, said taking part in the Room & Board competition as a student helped pave his own professional path.

“My interest in furniture design really solidified in the last two years of undergrad, which ended with the Room & Board competition and an internship at Room & Board the following summer,” Guse said.

�� students enter the Room & Board headquarters in Minneapolis, where they presented their furniture designs.

Competition culminates in site visit

Just a week after the mid-February critique session, the 17 students’ designs were transformed based on feedback and sometimes feverish work. On Feb. 19, a busload of �� seniors carried posterboard displays and one-eighth scale 3D-printed models of their designs into the Room & Board headquarters in Minneapolis. There they presented their designs to a cross-section of the company ��. staff, including their three �� alumni mentors.

The Carver coffee table, designed by 2024 alum Micah Loder. / Photo courtesy of Room & Board

Once their presentations were concluded, the design students received a behind-the-scenes tour of the headquarters, where among the products displayed was the coffee table designed by Loder. Seeing a fellow Blue Devil ��. design brought to life provided inspiration to the soon-to-be graduates.

“Winning this competition reminded me that I truly love what I do. It reaffirmed that the craft itself is what I enjoy most: the thinking, making and the constant refinement of ideas,” said Christenson. “In design, craftsmanship is really about the care and attention you bring to solving problems and shaping details.”

Such details are evident in the Carver coffee table, made in New Hampshire from sustainably sourced wood. The table is available on the Room & Board website.

The fact Room & Board is producing one of the �� competition ��. designs is encouraging for the future of the partnership, Linehan said.

“We are excited about the opportunity to present Micah ��. 2024 project as part of our assortment this year, and I am optimistic we can find another path forward with future designs,” Linehan said.

Industrial & Product Design

All Industrial & Product Design News

Inspiring Graduate: Porter Christenson, B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

Hired before graduation as an associate industrial designer at Milwaukee Tool

May 21, 2026

Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, �� . annual event exploring innovative design

Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design

May 7, 2026

Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishings

SOAD Senior Show on May 8, part of Stout ��. Spring Showcase, celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors’ creative works

April 15, 2026

Decade-long partnership with Minneapolis furniture retailer creates real-world production possibilities for industrial & product design seniors Winning table design at Room & Board

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Hero Caption: A student in ��'s industrial and product design capstone class hangs furniture designs before a classroom critique session.

Jennifer Astwood

Full Name: Jennifer Astwood

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�� forms partnership with Alquist to adopt industry-leading 3D concrete printing technology

giffeyt — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:00:00 +0000

�� forms partnership with Alquist to adopt industry-leading 3D concrete printing technologygiffeyt March 10, 2026

University among first in Midwest to integrate concrete printing into polytechnic programs

��, Wisconsin ��. ��, and Alquist, a pioneer in 3D concrete printing (3DCP) technology, are proud to announce a strategic partnership that brings Alquist ��. industry-leading, proprietary 3DCP printing systems and supporting curriculum to �� . campus.

This collaboration marks a significant step forward in applied learning and workforce development, positioning �� as one of the first universities in the Midwest to integrate 3DCP into its construction management, technology education, and industrial and product design academic programs. The relationship will help build the workforce infrastructure required to scale robotic construction nationwide.

“This partnership with Alquist aligns directly with our mission to deliver applied, career-ready education,” said �� Chancellor Katherine Frank. “By bringing 3DCP technology and curriculum to our students, we’re preparing them to lead in a rapidly evolving construction and manufacturing landscape.”

Alquist, which is based in Greeley, Colorado, is a leader in 3D concrete printing technology, offering scalable solutions for residential, commercial and infrastructure construction. Through its curriculum, licensing programs, and robotics systems, Alquist is transforming how communities build and grow.

The partnership includes:

Integration of Alquist ��. 60-hour 3DCP curriculum into �� . curriculum, designed to certify students in the operation and application of 3D concrete printing technology. The curriculum will also enhance �� . ability to offer continuing education opportunities for working professionals in aligned areas such as architecture, construction, engineering and industrial design.
Installation of Alquist ��. proprietary 3DCP print system within �� . construction lab, enabling students to gain real-world experience with robotic printing and sustainable construction materials.
Collaborative research and development focused on climate-specific concrete mixes and scalable additive manufacturing solutions for infrastructure and housing.

“As 3D construction printing moves from experimentation to national deployment, the workforce must evolve alongside it,” said Zachary Mannheimer, founder of Alquist. “We’re not just installing printers on campuses, we’re building a long-term talent pipeline that gives students direct access to the tools, software and real-world processes shaping the future of construction.”

The initiative will be housed within �� . Center for Advanced Manufacturing & AI (CAM-AI), which supports manufacturers and other businesses by leveraging the expertise of �� faculty and staff and the university ��. industry-standard laboratories and equipment.

“CAM-AI already provides additive manufacturing, advanced 3D printing technologies and AI to its external partners. The addition of Alquist ��. system will expand the lab ��. capabilities to include large-format concrete printing,” said Seth Hudson, executive director of Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement at ��.

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Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design

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Hero Caption: Workers inspect 3D printed concrete. / Photo courtesy Alquist

Seth Hudson

Seth Hudson was announced as the new leader on Thursday, July 28, by Chancellor Katherine Frank. He will direct �� . Discovery Center, including the Manufacturing Outreach Center, Stout Technology and Business Park, and a comprehensive range of industry, applied research, technical assistance and technology transfer efforts of the university.

Hudson has bachelor ��. degrees in political science and economics from the University of Southern Maine.

"I am looking forward to growing �� . existing partnerships in order to expand the relationships between students, faculty, staff and Wisconsin ��. business community,” he said.

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PHOTO ESSAY: ‘Good Design is Invisible’

goersab — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:30:00 +0000

PHOTO ESSAY: ‘Good Design is Invisible’goersab January 7, 2026

Industrial & Product Design students combine engineer-thinking and artistic expression

Abbey Goers

The warm, sweet, earthy smell of fresh sawdust, the roaring sound of bandsaws and ventilation hoses, and the shush-shush-shush rhythm of sandpaper on wood grain greet you as you walk down the long ramp tucked away on the first floor of the Applied Arts Building.

Tie your hair back and put on your safety glasses, because you’re about to enter �� . Process Lab. Each year, one thousand School of Art & Design students visit the Process Lab – a space for them to bring their creative concepts to fruition.

This week, industrial and product design students are building their final projects – “entryway assistants” – for their Product Form and Visualization course, led by Associate Professor Dan Neubauer.

Their entryway assistants need to at least hold one coat or other items their clients deem important. The project encompasses the full design process – market research, concept sketches, form studies, iterations, low-fidelity prototypes, and final models built of wood and metal.

“The unwritten course objective is the life skills that they’re building,” Neubauer said. Quoting design expert Don Norman, he adds that, “Good design is invisible,” meaning the “best designs are those that seamlessly integrate into our lives.”

Aaron Burnham agrees. “Most good designs we use, we don’t even notice. We don’t even think twice about,” he said.

Think of how often you enter and leave your home. How often do you hang up your coat or remove it from a hook to throw it on before stepping out into the cold? How often do you use an item as simple as a coat hook and not even appreciate its simplicity and utility?

Burnham ��. entryway assistant design is based on a link in a chain. “I was inspired by the simple shape and desire to create something that was sculptural and visually appealing, even when it isn’t being used as a coat hanger. It was important to me to create something that served multiple purposes, both functional and purely aesthetic,” he said.

He has two designs – one is 8 inches tall and the second is 16 inches. He initially thought of creating a 36-inch-tall chain link but went with the smaller sizes to keep it simple, while providing options.

Burnham is building the links of cherrywood and curved stainless steel pipes, with a chrome finish. The metal pipes are sunk into the cherrywood to join the two elements together.

The links are fixed to the wall via two posts inserted into the back of the link, so that it will sit out from the wall, giving it depth and making it appear as if the coats are floating as they rest atop the design.

Burnham researched CB2, a sister company of Crate & Barrel, but with a more eclectic vibe, he said. Many of CB2 ��. designs have Greek and Latin names, and Burnham is hoping to find a link – no pun intended – to the word “chain” as he decides on a name for his entryway assistant, which he ��. building for his fiancé, Hannah, and their home.

Across the lab, Alex Koszarek ��. freestanding 6-foot-tall oak-frame coat rack is designed for college students living in shared houses. The coat rack is 36 inches wide and 12 inches deep and can hold six jackets and six pairs of shoes. The sides of the frame are arched.

“My goal was to make something functional for tight, chaotic student spaces – something that would support coats, backpacks, shoes and other essentials without feeling bulky,” she said.

She researched IKEA as her design company, “focusing on their warm, organic aesthetic, and simple forms and clean lines that feel at home in any interior,” she said. She ��. waiting for inspiration to strike to name her design – possibly a Swedish name to follow IKEA ��. model?

To shape the coat hooks, Koszarek cuts and bends 16-gauge metal plates and mills out the oak frame, so the plates sit flush within. Working with Machinist Doug Stodola, she inserts countersinks to secure the plates to the frame.

She cuts and planes slats for the two shoe shelves and meticulously spaces the slats, forming a balanced latticework. Each shelf has a curved edge.

“The curved arch forms and layered shelves come from wanting the piece to feel friendly and easy to use,” she said. To create the arch forms, Instrument Shop Coordinator Deano Samens crafted a custom steamer for Koszarek – based on the concept of a garment steamer hooked up to a PVC pipe. The oak planks are placed in a pipe, which is filled with hot water. The wood is steamed for eight hours in a steamer. The planks are then clamped onto a curved wooden frame – crafted by Koszarek – to dry, forming the arch.

“Students learn that an idea might look nice on their laptop or sketchbook, but now the challenge begins of ‘how do you make it?’ How do you turn a concept into a real object?” Samens said. “That ��. the cool part about Stout ��. polytechnic model: Students are actively engaged in the making process.

“In their future careers, they may work with engineers who might say something can’t be done, but here, the designers can say, ‘Yes, it can. I’ve done it before.’ It ��. key that they learn their limitations here, as well as the steps they can take to succeed. These students have a grasp on what is possible,” Samens added.

The Process Lab is more than a wood shop. In one corner of the room, you notice heavy plastic curtains and the sharp smell of heat on metal. Inside the welding area, you don on a green flame-resistant welding jacket and helmet.

“The benefit of the Process Lab is that all the students are creating in one room. Everything they need to complete their projects is right here,” Neubauer said. “If I need to show or demo a tool, we can gather in one space. And if they need my assistance, I’m right here. We don’t have to walk across campus to another facility. Our classroom is right upstairs, and we come down to the lab when we’re ready for the build process.”

At a welding table, Jackson Killinger ignites a torch and practices connecting trial T-bars in preparation for creating metal shelving.

Having previously worked as a welder, Killinger ��. 83-inch-tall design is heavily constructed of metal. His entryway assistant mounts over the top of a window frame, with a wooden shelf that rests on top and another that rests on the windowsill. Two metal shelves sit at angles toward the base of the frame, serving as shoe racks.

His entryway assistant is inspired by Room & Board and Crate & Barrel designs, with clean, angular lines and a modern look. It is a gift for his wife, Caroline. As his client for the project, “She ��. given a lot of input to my design,” he said. Maybe he’ll name his design for her?

‘Engineer-thinking and artistic expression’

As a welder and woodworker, Killinger likes to work with his hands. “Industrial design allows me to be creative and use my skills. It ��. a good middle area, where I can have a reliable career,” he said.

Koszarek has always been drawn to hands-on problem-solving and creating objects that people interact with daily.

“Growing up, I analyzed how certain things were made, and I started thinking about how this thing could be made easier for interactions. Industrial and product design is a healthy mix between engineer-thinking and artistic expression, and that ��. what truly pulled me into the program,” she said.

On the flipside, up until about two years ago, Burnham didn’t know that industrial and product design was a career field.

“What drew me to industrial design was the fact that I would have the opportunity to work on projects that could create an impact on people ��. lives and solve problems that others might not recognize. I can work to understand people and apply that understanding in iterative and creative ways,” he said.

�� . School of Art & Design offers bachelor ��. degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design. �� also has a new program in game and media studies.

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Hired before graduation as an associate industrial designer at Milwaukee Tool

May 21, 2026

Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, �� . annual event exploring innovative design

Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design

May 7, 2026

Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishings

SOAD Senior Show on May 8, part of Stout ��. Spring Showcase, celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors’ creative works

April 15, 2026

Industrial & Product Design students combine engineer-thinking and artistic expression Industrial design, Process Lab project

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The School of Art & Design students have access to a wide variety of woodworking and metalwork tools and related equipment.

Dan Neubauer

Dan Neubauer is an Associate Professor of Industrial Design with over ten years of teaching experience in higher education. His academic and professional focus centers on sustainable design practices, specializing in the application and development of non-petroleum-based materials. Neubauer brings expertise in materials research, manufacturing processes, and furniture design, bridging innovative material exploration with practical, human-centered applications.

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Co-op Q&A: Izabelle Quade, Prent Corporation, Janesville

goersab — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Co-op Q&A: Izabelle Quade, Prent Corporation, Janesvillegoersab October 7, 2025

‘Making people ��. lives better is what I strive for.’

With manufacturing facilities around the globe, Prent Corporation provides custom thermoformed packaging solutions for medical devices, electronics and more for many of the world ��. leading Fortune 100 companies.

At Prent Corporation ��. headquarters in Janesville, �� industrial and product design student Izabelle Quade is seeing these solutions firsthand and applying skills she ��. learned to help design packaging during her product design engineering cooperative this summer and fall.

“Prent creates packages that house products that save people ��. lives in the medical field. Making people ��. lives better is what I strive for. From making something that someone can enjoy to something that changes their daily lives,” Quade said.

“It has been incredibly cool to see the process of packaging engineering from start to finish and all the tasks that must be done along the way.”

Quade, of Buffalo, Minnesota, was one of 24 �� students who received the university ��. 2026 Outstanding Cooperative Education and Internship Program Student of the Year Award. She also has an interaction design minor and plans to graduate in spring 2028. She would like to work in product development.

How do you hope to make an impact in your field?

Everyone needs the right tool for the job. I hope to design things that people can interact with and find satisfaction in.

No matter the industry I go into after college, I would like to make things that better people ��. everyday lives. Whether it ��. simply through how they feel about the products they use or how they interact with them, I want people to find use in the items that I help create.

What are your main roles as an intern with Prent Corporation?

As an addition to Prent Corporation ��. product development team, I assist in designing and redesigning thermoformed packaging. Thermoforming is the act of heating up plastic and forming it within a mold.

I have worked on designs for packaging for a heart replacement valve kit and catheter kits. I’ve also helped with the organization of our tool room and am assisting in the prototype lab.

I attend team meetings and company visits, gather customer details, edit drawings and assist other departments involved in the development process.

What do you enjoy most about your internship?

I enjoy the atmosphere of Prent Corporation. Within the hustle and bustle of our busy work hours, they value their employees.

People are very connected throughout departments and communicate easily. This is helped by the fact that each building is connected, allowing people to walk over to other departments with concerns they have. They also put on events for employees. I attended a baseball game between the Beloit Sky Carp and the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

What is challenging about your internship, and how do you face those challenges?

I found communication to be hard upon starting my internship. I worked through this by asking who others were and who I should reach out to in different situations. Most people I work with directly are housed in the same building. I can walk over and ask questions in a straightforward way. This decreases the response time and leaves less room for misunderstanding.

How will your courses and experiences at Stout help you make an impact in your career?

I believe that my courses at Stout will help me achieve my goals in the future. Fashion Without Fabric stands out to me the most when I think of my learning at Stout. Like many of my courses at Stout, FWOF challenged me to think outside the box.

PHOTO ESSAY: Behind the Curtain

We all fear and we all love...something. Take a peek behind the scenes of a legendary art school project: Fashion Without Fabric.

(FWOF is the School of Art & Design ��. crowd-favorite runway show, where hundreds of 3D Design course students work in teams to create unconventional fashions.)

Solutions can be hard to find, but taking a different way to look at them is always helpful. The FWOF assignment also represented the challenges that you must get past for the final result. Working with hard materials can be compared to working with hard people, hard circumstances, or simply with yourself. Learning to understand your strengths and weaknesses is the first step toward tackling any challenge.

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May 21, 2026

Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, �� . annual event exploring innovative design

Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design

May 7, 2026

Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishings

SOAD Senior Show on May 8, part of Stout ��. Spring Showcase, celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors’ creative works

April 15, 2026

‘Making people ��. lives better is what I strive for.’ Izabelle Quade at Prent Corporation

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Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at ��

giffeyt — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:14:06 +0000

Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at �� giffeyt July 15, 2025

Pros from Sherwin-Williams, Red Wing Shoe among presenters at fourth annual conference

Tom Giffey

More than 200 design professionals – many of them alumni working at prominent firms around the Upper Midwest – came to the University of Wisconsin-Stout campus recently for the fourth annual Design Wisconsin event.

�� – which has the only industrial design program in Universities of Wisconsin and is home to one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest – created Design Wisconsin to celebrate the impact of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin ��. culture, commerce, community and brand.

Even though �� is Design Wisconsin ��. founding organization, May 16-18 was the first time the event was brought to campus. Past hosts include Milwaukee Tool in Milwaukee, Trek in Waterloo, and DELVE in Madison. Bringing the event to Menomonie this year provided an opportunity to highlight the �� campus as well as showcase more student work, said Professor Jennifer Astwood, B.F.A. industrial and product design program director.

In addition to keynote presentations by numerous professionals, most of them �� alumni, Design Wisconsin included student portfolio review sessions, product showcases, panel discussions, networking opportunities and workshops.

Design Wisconsin benefits both students and professionals, Astwood said. “To me it was important that people not just hear about the companies, but also about some meaningful topics that speak to the industry at large,” she said. For example, one presentation from Matthew Gueller of Milwaukee Tool and Gregor Mittersinker of Loft Design focused on the use of artificial intelligence in the design process.

Also new this year was a panel discussion featuring talent from several companies – including Trek, Polaris and Ashley Furniture Industries – which focused on navigating the industry.

Next year, Design Wisconsin will once again be held off-campus: It ��. slated for Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh.

�� alum Kiki Redhead, global CMF and trend manager for Sherwin-Williams, was among the industry leaders at Design Wisconsin.

Exploring Color, Material, Finish

Several Design Wisconsin sessions focused on an area of industrial design known as CMF – color, material and finish – a cross-disciplinary approach that addresses the visual and tactile nature of products.

Among the CMF presenters was 2002 UW-stout alumnus Kiki Redhead, global CMF and trend manager for Sherwin-Williams. She described CMF as crossing boundaries between industrial design, graphic design, interior design, textile design and more. Design Wisconsin allowed �� students to network with professionals who work in the field, she noted.

“The students had an opportunity to find out what it really means to have a job where you actually develop color every day or develop different materials or create new finishes from scratch,” said Redhead, who leads Sherwin-Williams’ DesignHouse, a collaborative space in Minneapolis for the company and its industrial clients.

Before she was a leader in the industry, Redhead was a �� undergraduate who gained invaluable skills as an apprentice interior designer for a commercial construction company. “That really gave me a lot of real-world experience, and it was where I really started to apply color to projects and seeing them come to fruition,” she said.

As a professional, Redhead developed and trademarked her own trend methodology, and for a decade operated her own global trend agency, creating colors for everything from cars to cabinetry to cosmetics packaging to clothing. In 2018, she took her current job with Sherwin-Williams, where she combines qualitative and quantitative data to create eye-popping colors and finishes for customers.

Trek was one of the Wisconsin-based firms that took part in Design Wisconsin at ��.

Developing a ‘manufacturing mindset’

Among Redhead ��. DesignHouse colleagues and fellow Design Wisconsin speakers is Brynn Wildenauer, a 2018 B.F.A. industrial design graduate who is now a senior architectural color designer for Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. That division creates coatings used on appliances, metal building materials and other architectural products. In practice, this means that Wildenauer develops colorful coatings for everything from agricultural buildings to skyscrapers to sports stadiums: One of her most notable projects was working on a color-shifting effect pigment that gives a pearlescent sheen to the exterior of the Kai Tak Sports Park, a massive $4 billion complex that opened this year in Hong Kong.

Wildenauer said her �� education, which included an internship at Ashley Furniture Industries where she saw her designs prototyped, prepared her well for her career. “I really liked having that hands-on approach, and that helped me develop a manufacturing mindset,” she said.

In particular, Wildenauer recalls developing a keen interest in CMF after Professor Erik Evensen wrote that her “color sense seemed promising” on a mid-program review. “I really leaned into that, diving down into the materials that are chosen and why,” she said.

“I find that there are so many opportunities to make a statement with color, textures, finishes, etc.,” she continued. “When color is used in an intentional way, it can increase brand recognition by 80%, which demonstrates the impact of color.”

Wildenauer said she enjoyed returning to campus, something she does periodically as a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the industrial design program. “It ��. really cool to see how important this event is to all the students and those who have graduated from Stout or are heavily involved in Stout ��. programs,” she said.

�� alum Noah Anderson, senior footwear designer at Red Wing Shoe Company, took part in a keynote presentation at Design Wisconsin.

Bridging the gap between design fields

Noah Anderson, a 2013 industrial and product design alum and a senior footwear designer at Red Wing Shoe Company, was one of three alumni working at Red Wing who spoke at the conference. The trio, which included product developer Sarah Noll and pattern engineer Gina Thurk, delivered a keynote about the synergy between footwear and apparel at the Minnesota-based company. Designing shoes bridges the gap between industrial design and apparel design, as well as between what retailers term “soft goods” and “hard goods,” Anderson said.

Anderson said he was impressed to see how �� . design programs are preparing students for such collaborations in the professional world. “I felt encouraged to see specifically how apparel and industrial design were sharing a little bit more of a presentation at Senior Show,” he said. “It was really awesome to interact with students and to see the way that they are interacting with trends in the digital world as well.”

Anderson said he was well-served by his �� education when he began work at Red Wing Shoes in 2014. “I felt very prepared to present ideas, to be in front of the product team and embrace critique,” he said. “Going through the process of design was something I was really familiar with by the time I finished the industrial design program.”

In his career at Red Wing Shoes, Anderson has designed products for several of the historic Minnesota-based company ��. brands.

“It ��. always a new challenge,” Anderson said. “Every project includes new research, new trends and learning about new materials, which I feel like is really the source of what ��. interesting about designing for industry in general.”

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May 14, 2026

Canon selects �� for exclusive Explorers of Light program with award-winning cinematographer

Shana Hagan, ASC, has worked on everything from Oscar-winning documentaries to hit sitcoms

April 23, 2026

Animation, video seniors' short films featured alongside seasoned storytellers at Unspooled, May 9-10

Teen drama ‘Badge of the Dead’ and supernatural comedy ‘You Must Destroy’ among diverse lineup

April 21, 2026

Pros from Sherwin-Williams, Red Wing Shoe among presenters at fourth annual conference Design Wisconsin 2025 portfolio review

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Hero Caption: Design professionals offered their thoughts about �� students' work during a Portfolio Review at the Design Wisconsin event.

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Full Name: Jennifer Astwood

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Curriculum Vitae: Jennifer Astwood CV (146.85 KB)

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Degree: M.F.A. Art & Design

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Camp-Inn kitchen comfort: Industrial design students develop travel trailer solutions

goersab — Wed, 28 May 2025 12:50:00 +0000

Camp-Inn kitchen comfort: Industrial design students develop travel trailer solutionsgoersab May 28, 2025

Necedah-based camping company supports project with real-world application

Abbey Goers

Summer is approaching, and that means vacation time, with many Americans opting to camp in the great outdoors. And while camping offers a sense of freedom in nature, it often includes adapting to limited living quarters, including learning how to prepare and cook a proper meal.

This spring, �� industrial and product design students in an Ergonomics class developed kitchenette solutions for the Road Toad trailer, made by Camp-Inn, a leader in the niche market of compact teardrop travel trailers.

“Within our Ergonomics lessons, we look at different sized workspaces, such as the kitchen space in the trailer, to understand the human body and its full body movement in a limited space,” said Associate Professor David Richter-O’Connell. “The purpose of this project was for the students to be creative and have fun.”

Mackenzie Bruesewitz, Charlie Kalas, Darik Moilien, Lauren Mescher and Britton Bernhard present their Camp-Inn Road Toad kitchenette mockup

Camp-Inn, located in Necedah, supported the project by lending Richter-O’Connell ��. class a Road Toad model. The teardrop trailer, with a sleeping cabin that holds a queen-sized bed, offers storage space for gear and a kitchen area accessible from the outside rear of the trailer.

‘Projects having a real-world application’

The trailer was loaded into the hallway of the Applied Arts Building – an interesting temporary installation with a length of 11 feet 2 inches and a width of 60.5 inches for the students to reference during their two-week-long project.

Twenty-three students working in five groups designed kitchen spaces that needed to be geared toward a couple of retirement age or a young family. They researched personas, national camping data and created a multiday meal menu, with food, beverages and kitchen items needing storage, refrigeration and cooking.

They also needed to include a water supply and possible electrical supply, cooking surfaces, food preparation areas, and cleanup spaces, while paying attention to food safety and sanitation.

Charlie Kalas and Mackenzie Bruesewitz's sketches of kitchenettes

“In my college days, I remember working on projects that had a real-world application. Those projects gave me a chance to apply the engineering principles I learned in class. They verified the choice of my major and gave me confidence that I could be successful in my chosen profession,” said Craig Edevold, Camp-Inn owner and co-founder.

“I wanted to pass along a similar opportunity to �� students. I was pleased that the Ergonomics students are in their sophomore year. They are early enough in their college education that this experience may help motivate them in their studies and career,” he added.

Richter-O’Connell ��. class has worked with Camp-Inn in past semesters, using the company ��. floor plans as defined workspaces, and Edevold enjoyed seeing the students’ ideas and efforts, he said.

The Road Toad already has a complete kitchen solution. The model loaned to the class was a prototype designed for Camp-Inn employees.

New generations bring new innovations to camping

The Camp-Inn brand targets an older demographic: early retirees and empty nesters, who have more available time and more disposable income. About 98% of customers are over 55 years old. The Road Toad camper was designed about five years ago and was built as a lower priced, entry-level trailer.

Mackenzie Bruesewitz demonstrates the removable sink

“We anticipated that it would attract a younger demographic, due to its lower cost and lower maintenance. Its small size and light weight make it ideal for smaller tow vehicles, including hybrids and electrics. However, Road Toad trailers have resulted in less of an increase in younger customers than anticipated,” Edevold said.

“As a result, I wanted to see what expectations a younger generation would have in a camping trailer. What do they value in a camping experience? Do they value different features than the older generation?” he added.

The first student team to present their kitchenette mockup was:

Britton Bernhard, of Prescott
Mackenzie Bruesewitz, of Hammond
Charlie Kalas, of La Crosse
Lauren Mescher, of New Berlin
Darik Moilien, of Westby

“This project was a fantastic way to understand how people interact with products within their environment and make the best use of space given the Road Toad's sizing constraints,” Bernhard said. “I really appreciate Road Toad and Professor DROC for giving us the opportunity to work with the camper and push us to design the best possible kitchen or product for ergonomics and style.”

In their research, the group found that the number of camping reservations is increasing across the country, with a high number of millennials represented, and that one-third of families find camping with children to be more relaxing than other vacations.

Based on these demographics, they crafted a persona of a young father and his daughter. The father-character enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting and fishing, and wanted to introduce his child to camping.

The group ��. menu included six meals popular with kids, including mac-n-cheese, SpaghettiOs, a breakfast with eggs, bacon and applesauce pouches, and foraged berries for snacks.

Darik Moilien and Lauren Mescher demonstrate the stovetop

Their kitchenette mockup, built with cardboard, featured a power generator, a pull-out gas stove, a pull-out table with adjustable legs, extendable countertops for additional workspace, a dumpable sink with handles, a pull-out dishrack and storage for dishes, a cooler drawer, secured drawers with safety latches, a fold-away canopy, insect-repellent lighting, chairs and additional storage cubbies.

Their digital portfolio included materials such as wood, aluminum, tweed fabric, fiberglass, and a color palette that reflected the soft tones of a forest. They also offered ergonomic views, showing how the kitchenette space would allow for comfortable movements for people ranging in height from 4 feet 11 inches to 6 feet 3 inches tall.

After reviewing the five groups’ project submissions, Edevold saw how different generations have similar wants and needs in the kitchen area of a camping trailer.

“I liked many of the ideas to pull out or extend the work surfaces outside of the trailer body. This enlarges the workspace, allowing room for a second cook or a helper,” he said. “I also liked the ideas of mounting items to the inside of the hatch to easily access those items and move them out of the way, with no added effort.”

Ergonomic views of the kitchenette

Edevold added that he observed generational differences in preferences for a power supply and Wi-Fi availability, explaining that his experience has shown him that older generations use camping to disconnect from electronics and entertainment.

“From this project, it is apparent that younger generations plan to bring electronics with them,” he said. “In the past few years, both the Camp-Inn and Road Toad lines have seen an increase in requests for solar panels, lithium batteries and portable power stations. Generation X and the tail end of the Baby Boomers are more tech-savvy than the earlier Baby Boomers. The desire to bring along more electronics would explain this trend.”

The industrial and product design program is part of the School of Art and Design, one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest. It also offers bachelor ��. degrees in animation and digital media; fashion design and development; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, as well as an M.F.A. in design. �� also has a new program in game and media studies.

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Inspiring Graduate: Jewel Fredrickson, B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

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Inspiring Graduate: Jewel Fredrickson, B.F.A. Industrial & Product Designgoersab May 14, 2025

‘The number one goal I have is to design products that make a positive impact on people ��. lives.’

Inspiring Graduate: Jewel Fredrickson (’25)

Hometown: Boyd
Degree: B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

Before crossing the commencement stage for a second time at ��, Jewel Fredrickson was hired prior to graduation as an asset specialist at WB Manufacturing, in Thorp.

Jewel Fredrickson receives her diploma from Chancellor Frank.

She had earned her B.S. art education in 2020 and was teaching art at Thorp High School, when she decided to return for her degree in industrial and product design.

“I knew what to expect coming back. My previous experience gave me professors who I knew cared about me and wanted to see me succeed. I got the same experience in the industrial design program. The professors push you to create your best work, and classes are set up for real-world experience, whether it is classroom exercises or sponsored projects for industry companies,” Fredrickson said.

Fredrickson, of Boyd, earned her bachelor ��. in industrial and product design on May 10, along with 1,174 �� graduates.

At WB Manufacturing, Fredrickson will produce product renderings of casework, tables, desks, and tops, and prepare the rendered images for print and publications.

“The company was able to see through my portfolio and the work I created at Stout that I was the right candidate for the job,” she said.

“The number one goal I have is to design products that make a positive impact on people ��. lives through the products they use.”

How has �� prepared you to work in your field?

The most impactful experience I had at Stout that prepared me for my field was my senior fall semester sponsored studio project. I had the opportunity to work with a real company designing a new product for their current line. Throughout this experience, I was faced with deadlines, research, critiques, and working with engineers to understand and develop a quality product.

Jewel Fredrickson displays a collection of her designs in the Industrial and Product Design Lab.

The final part of this experience was to present all my work from the semester to a panel of professionals within the sponsor company. The entire semester gave me a realistic understanding of how the design process works, the importance of collaboration in a team and how to pitch designs.

What stands out about your �� experience?

The professors at �� are at a different level. I had such a positive experience with all educators, from general education to individual major professors. Educators here want students to excel in whatever field they are heading into.

They push you to do your best and make time to meet with you when any road bumps or struggles occur. And one cannot forget about the people who run the labs like �� . Materials and Process Lab and Fab Lab. Without the expertise of the people running those labs, projects wouldn’t get done and learning wouldn’t happen in the hands-on experience that Stout is known for.

During my art education degree, I received second place in the 2018 Fashion Without Fabric for our design “Garden of Eden,” created with Hailey Pfister.

Jewel Fredrickson celebrates at spring commencement.

What challenges did you face in earning your degree and how did you overcome them?

With my B.F.A. being my second undergrad, I came back to college older than my peers. I had to relearn how to socialize with college students. This, in turn, helped me develop better communication skills and inclusion practices to have both a productive learning experience for myself and my peers.

What are you most proud of as you finish your degree?

As I finish my degree, I reflect on the success I have had as an industrial design student.

Since day one, I came in with the goal to give this degree everything I’ve got.

The very first project I completed was a fan concept inspired by a bird of paradise flower. During the final phases of the appearance model, I had a runny paint job that was less than desirable. Instead of leaving the mistake as good enough, I took the weekend to sand off all the botched paint and repaint my model to a result I was proud of.

I carried that mentality with me through the rest of my degree and it earned me first place in a sponsored project, an Industrial Designers Society of America Student Merit Award nomination and a job before graduation.

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‘The number one goal I have is to design products that make a positive impact on people ��. lives.’ Jewel Fredrickson, Commencement

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