Enter the Open House Design Challenge 2017!

Win transportation to NYC to attend our 2017 Open House!

NOTE: THERE'S STILL TIME! WE'VE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE TO OCTOBER 27th!

Greetings Designers and Aspiring Designers!

We know that lots of you want to come to New York City to attend our November 10th Open House and Info Session, but we also know getting here can be a major expense. So today we’re proud to announce our second annual “Open House Design Challenge”—a chance to help you out with airfare to New York City, expert portfolio reviews and application coaching from esteemed faculty, along with other surprises while you’re here!

The theme of this design challenge is ingenuity. When we look at applicants to the Products of Design program, we look for potential, we look for point of view, and we look for something amazing. Ingenuity is made up of all of these ingredients, so that’s your challenge!

CHALLENGE QUESTIONS (pick one)

A. Sketch what you hoped the iPhone X would have been before you saw any of the leaks

B. If Tesla and T.J.Maxx launched a new initiative together, what would it be?

C. Sketch an app for animal shelters to increase pet adoption rates

D. Design an umbrella for use in crowded areas

E. Design a service that helps the formerly incarcerated rejoin society

HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS

STEP 1:

Pick your Challenge. We have 5 different design challenges for you to choose from. Select the one that most appeals to the kind of design you’re interested in, and dig right in.

STEP 2:

Prepare your entry. If you draw, draw something. If you build, build it and then photograph it. If you diagram, diagram it, and if you can mock-up mobile apps, do that, and then send us a comp. This isn’t a skills competition—really it’s going to be the best idea that wins—but by all means use all of your talents to put together the best entry possible. Each entry must consist of 1 image (jpg format; 1920 px wide) along with a 2-paragraph description of your idea.

STEP 3:

Compose an email (details below) where you'll enter your contact information, paste in your 2-paragraph description, and attach your image. (Important: Be sure to put your last name in the file name of your image. For instance, if your last name is Porticalis, name your file porticalis.productsofdesignchallenge.jpg

PRIZES
The winner will receive up to $750.00 reimbursement in airfare or train fare to New York City to attend the Products of Design Open House on November 10th. (We will not be able to provide accommodations, food, or other compensation, so participants will be responsible for those costs.) The three (3) runners up will each receive portfolio reviews and application consultations via Skype during the month of December.

DEADLINE
All entries must be received by 12:00 midnight EST at the end of Friday, October 27th. We’ll let the winners know the following week, so you can plan your NYC weekend!

JUDGING CRITERIA
Judging will be done by current students and select faculty of the MFA in Products of Design program, and all entry reviews will be “blind” (all participant names, gender, country of origin will be hidden). Entries will be judged on creativity, execution, and ingenuity.

ELIGIBILITY
This challenge is open to person's interested in attending the 2017 MFA Products of Design Open House. There is no requirement that participants and/or winners formally apply to the program to be a part of the class of 2019. However, in the spirit of this contest, we ask that only those with a genuine interest in learning about the culture and pedagogy of our MFA program enter the contest. (Limit 2 entries per person.)

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

You will be sending your work in a simple email to the following address: openhousedesignchallenge@sva.edu

The subject line of your email must be: OPEN HOUSE DESIGN CHALLENGE ENTRY: YOUR NAME. (Be sure that you replace “YOUR NAME” with your actual name!)

In the body of the email, you must in the information below, in the following format:

- - - - - - -

NAME:
CITY:
COUNTRY:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
THE DESIGN QUESTION I ANSWERED IS:
HERE IS THE 1-PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION OF MY DESIGN:

- - - - - - -

Finally, attach the jpg of your solution to the email, and be sure that the image is 1920px wide. (We will not accept DropBox. GoogleDoc, or WeTransfer links. You must attach your image to the email.)

Have fun, good luck, and we hope to see you in NYC in November!