Industrial Design Collaborates with BREEO

It’s the flagship event of the Jefferson ID program: the Annual Industrial Design Sprint Project. Recently, students from all levels of the ID program participated in the 23rd annual Sprint Project. The Sprint Project is a week-long intensive in which ID students are divided into cross-year teams (freshmen through graduate students) and for an entire week work exclusively the project brief provided by an outside company.

This year’s client was BREEO Smokeless Fire Pits, an industry-leading company that manufactures an extensive line of design-driven outdoor cooking products. The students’ mission for the week was to create the next generation of BREEO cooking equipment for open fire food preparation. The student teams began by exploring international influences, referencing cuisines and cooking techniques from various cultures in an effort to appeal to a variety of demographics and culinary styles.

The teams benefitted from extensive face-to-face meetings with the in-house design staff from BREEO which included two Jefferson Industrial Design program alums: Chris Boehmer (BsID ‘13) and Rick Griscom (BsID ‘12). At the project kickoff, the BREEO team began by detailing the unique design process that the company uses to create new products that make a meaningful difference for their users. Three days of focused research and ideation on the project then began, guided by the Jefferson ID faculty. At the mid-point of the week, the BREEO team returned to provide input and direction for further development. At the conclusion of the 7 days, the BREEO team returned one final time to assess the work and provide critique on the final designs that each team developed.

The results of the project included new product designs for the outdoor cooking of everything from tandoori cuisine to gaucho-style steaks. The students gained valuable experience working within realistic constraints and rigorous deadlines, and they each now have an distinctive portfolio project that evidences real work for real clients.

Industry engagement is one of the cornerstones of the Jefferson Industrial Design program and for the 23rd year in a row, the Sprint played an important part of delivering on that promise.