'Geaux Design' Conference Presents Opportunities to Students

The School of Architecture and Design hosted its first 'Geaux Design' conference last weekend.

To learn more, read this article from the Vermilion: https://www.thevermilion.com/news/inaugural-design-conference-inspires-s...

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Industrial Designers Society of America Student Group held its first ever “Geaux Design” Conference on Saturday. “It’s chaotic since it’s our first time,” Devin Catalon, a UL Lafayette student, said. “But it’s good to get an opportunity to network with other designers.” The event, attended by various UL Lafayette students and guests from the University of Houston, ran from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and showcased UL Lafayette’s architecture and design program. It included speeches from key speakers, an opportunity for students to network and share ideas as well as student portfolio reviews.

“We’re going to be showing (University of Houston) our studio, giving them a chance to see what we do here,” said Adam Feld, assistant professor of industrial design at UL Lafayette. “We’ve gone to them for 10 years and now they’re coming here for a little bit. We’ve got presenters and alumni from Baton Rouge, Hasbro Toys and our own Professor Malinowski. It should be a good day.” Jerome Malinowski, a UL Lafayette professor of industrial design and program coordinator and member of the team that designed the first Ford Mustang, was the event’s keynote speaker. He discussed his vast experience as a designer, specifically his work in Tokyo for Panasonic Corporation, and instructed attendees to always “have faith” they’ll get a job in the competitive design market.

Another speaker was UL Lafayette School of Architecture and Design graduate Damien Mitchell, 27. He is the owner of his own industrial design and handcraft company, “Damien Mitchell Design Co.” His speech included a breakdown of his experiences both before, during and after graduating from UL Lafayette; motivation for industrial design students; and insight into his self-owned business. “I was in Fletcher Hall a lot between 2008-2012,” Mitchell said. “I was originally going to show y’all all of my work but I figured this would be better. I’m gonna tell you about my failures and successes over the past few years…hopefully you can use them in your own rise to the top.”

Mitchell discussed the 30 prototypes he tested for a wallet he was designing in a memorable moment of his speech.

“Although they were being handmade, I didn’t want them to look that way. You have to be very critical of yourself, which is something that is hard to do. But when you learn how, you’ll probably end up with 30 prototypes as well,” Mitchell said. In addition to listening to speakers, attendees were able to take a trip to the Lafayette Science Museum and view the work there. Benjamin Beaugh, UL Lafayette alumnus and Hasbro Toys designer, was an additional guest speaker at the museum. “I came here to see what architecture and design is all about. It seems pretty cool,” Spencer Kinross, a UL Lafayette student who recently switched his major, said.