Growing Industrial Design in KC: Drawing Connections

At Kansas City Design Center, we believe great design happens when different scales and disciplines come together. This semester, we offered Industrial Design for the first time as part of our studio program. Industrial design brings a focus on the human experience, shaping how people use, understand, and connect with the world around them. Read more about our current studio project on our website.

We’re proud to have 11 industrial design students this semester whose fresh ideas are enriching the work across the center and helping build a stronger industrial design presence in Kansas City.

A major highlight this fall was hosting Andreas Bell, who, though originally from Germany, studied industrial design at the University of Kansas before going on to lead TEAMS Design USA. During his talk, Andreas shared how he developed his design thinking and how sketching has remained a constant thread in his practice, a way to explore ideas, communicate clearly, and refine solutions that truly serve people. His presentation reflected TEAMS Design’s belief that good design is purposeful, empathetic, and grounded in understanding the needs of those who use it.

We’ve also been collaborating with several local industrial design organizations to expand our reach and opportunities. Along with our design consultant Jonathon Kemnitzer from KEM STUDIO, we’ve received valuable input from the Industrial Designers Society of America local chapter, Gil Manilo at Garmin, and Dimensional Innovations. Their support has helped shape the student projects and connect students to the design profession as they consider their next move entering their final year of college.

On November 7th, we hosted a Sketch Jam student competition to showcase sketching skills. We had a great turnout to cheer on the students, and we loved welcoming design professionals and other students into the space. It was inspiring to see so much creativity and community energy in one place.

As we continue to grow industrial design at KCDC, we’re excited about its potential to advance design that serves people and improves everyday life in Kansas City and beyond.