What online store sells a selection ranging from card games to oil paintings to futuristic lamps? Run by BYU students, the Curio Pop-Up Shop sells students’ personally designed handmade products. Each year it is a wonderful opportunity for students to gain real-world experience and for everyone (designers and non-designers alike) to buy items which are both memorable and functional. Even at the end of this year’s Curio, students can begin planning and designing products to sell in the next year.
Each student not only designed but produced their own items, learning how to break into three-dimensional, real-life situations. “As a graphic designer, I do a lot of things with my computer, but I’m rarely making things with my hands,” says student Claire Jenkins. “It was a fun opportunity to see what we could do outside of Adobe Suite!”
Most students agreed on the most valuable lessons and skills they gained from the experience— learning how to market and craft their own products, bringing them out of a purely conceptual world. “I created a Printed Gingerbread House Ornament,” says student Mallorie Davis. “I had to do many, many test prints, go to different printing centers to see where I got the best deal and the highest quality, and I had to make many revisions to the product.”
Each item customers received was not only crafted from skilled designers but was unique and personal to its artist. “I created ceramic houses that were both decorative and functional—the idea is that it could stand on its own or be used to create a cozy ambiance by placing tea lights inside or burning incense,” says student Emmaline Jackson. “My dad loves to burn pinion and cedar incense in our house during the winter months. I thought it would be fun to create a piece to go with that tradition and share it with others!”
Other items created by students include rings (blended from stone and wood), head scarves, Christmas tree ornaments, paper collages, and jewelry dishes. Design students also managed the website and orders, adding practical and business skills
Stretching beyond the traditional classroom experience, the Curio Shop is another way the Department of Design has provided students opportunities to learn skills in a real-world environment. Rather than simply learning more conceptual ideas or trying out different forms of design, students have been able to step out of the computer screen and learn business and life skills that can only be gained through experience.
For all involved, the Curio Shop is a special opportunity for growth and the excitement of creating something totally unique and special. Describing the shop, Jackson says, “It’s like an exhibit that comes once a year but made up of things you can actually buy and keep!” At Christmastime both those who purchased or were gifted items from the Curio Shop, as well as those who created them, participated in something bigger than themselves.
The upcoming year will offer the same growth opportunity for design students as they can take their turn bringing their ideas into reality and giving them new homes around the country. Like no other classroom assignment, Curio is a special way for students to step out of their sketchbooks and computers and into a real world market where concepts and doodles come to life.
