Gerry Christensen
While currently in Detroit, “by” was founded in Chicago, 2003 as an Interdisciplinary design studio with a concentration in making, design (industrial, furniture, graphic) and Illustration.
The focus of my studio is to develop original designs that implement my interest in how object communicate, and sustainable design. The latter is done by combining traditional hand craft methods, with locally outsourced manufacturing processes and resources found within the area.
While this combination is a means to making a physical object. What drives my design process regardless of task, is my belief that each object or project has a unique story to be told, requiring its own individual solution. Questions, observation, and discovery, is an important step taken by me to build a consistent narrative that allows for endless conceptual development. But, it is the combination of recognizable symbols and forms that will communicate the story within the final solution.
Aside from working in my own design and maker studio, I am also an educator. My pedagogy is an extraction of my experience as interdisciplinary designer and artist who believes design starts with curiosities, which brings questions. But, great design occurs when observation, discovery, and reasoning are combined to conceptualize and develop a solution unique to the questions being asked.
Downloads:
Professional:
Teaching:
Philosophy behind my teaching: Teaching Philosophy.
Examples of my student's project: Students Work.