The Bachelor in Design encourages students to explore their creative side, using different technologies and incorporating the latest trends into their designs. To bring together four years of practice and theory, the Bachelor in Design includes a final project where students present a design to an audience of faculty members, fellow students and talented designers.
We caught up with Edoardo and Sebastián to hear about their experiences designing Untz Untz, the sound system for the final project presentations. The sound system facilitated a smooth presentation of the final-year design students’ projects, allowing them to showcase their work seamlessly while providing the opportunity to talk about their projects through a microphone.
How did you become involved in the design of the sound system for the final projects for the Bachelor in Design?
We were contacted by Edgar González, associate dean of design at IE School of Architecture and Design, in order to build this sound system since we had already made some speakers for our material and applications course with Adjunct Professor Lucas Muñoz Muñoz. Edgar offered us the opportunity to build a large sound system funded by the university, and we couldn’t wait to get involved.
We were contacted by Edgar González, associate dean of design at IE School of Architecture and Design, in order to build this sound system since we had already made some speakers for our material and applications course with Adjunct Professor Lucas Muñoz Muñoz. Edgar offered us the opportunity to build a large sound system funded by the university, and we couldn’t wait to get involved.
What were your initial thoughts when you received this unique assignment?
There were different emotions when we received this unique assignment. We felt proud and excited to get chosen to perform this task, and also because we both are very passionate about music, it was a great opportunity to put our skills to the test.
On the other hand, we were also aware that we had a certain responsibility since we were working for clients, in this case, our own university and dean, so we certainly felt pressured to make the best out of this project. We both had experience building speakers, but never at this big scale, so it was daunting but exciting.
What were the key considerations you had in mind while designing the sound system to enhance the overall project experience?
While building this sound system, we had to consider where the speaker would be placed, and in what context—how would the speaker be used? We were given instructions by IE University that the speaker should have a microphone feature to use in presentations and also that it should be movable. In terms of aesthetics, we wanted to match the vibe and essence of the IE School of Architecture & Design floor and make the speakers fit the environment.
Could you tell us about the design process?
At the beginning of the process, we first looked for inspiration from speakers who we both find interesting and unique. This process was not that difficult, since we both have very similar tastes when it comes to speakers.
We both wanted something simple and highly functional. After this, we sketched out our ideas and talked with Edgar to see want could be improved and be done differently in order to see if we were going in the right direction. After this, we started the process of building the speaker in the Fab Lab with the guidance of our fabulous Fab Lab coordinator, Lorena.
Were there any major challenges you encountered and how did you overcome them together?
As with every design project, you always have to experiment and fail in order to achieve a successful outcome. At first, we had to repeat a lot of different woodcuts which hadn’t worked, which caused us a lot of stress because we were working with a limited budget and also little time. We both knew that we would eventually come to a successful result, but we had to be calm, patient and most importantly maintain a positive attitude.
Lastly, reflecting on the project as a whole, what were the most rewarding aspects of designing the sound system?
It was very rewarding to see the sound system work for the first time and see it in the context we imagined, in the Design Studio. We were excited to share this project with our peers and give them an opportunity to play and share music while studying and create an atmosphere.
We also were very satisfied with how it was used during the final project presentations, as it gave the presentations a more formal approach. It was also great to showcase the speaker in front of an audience filled with great designers.