Salt Lake Community College and Outdoor Product Design & Development Transfer Collaboration

SLCC Fashion + USU OPDD

Utah State University and Salt Lake Community College have entered into an articulation agreement that allows students completing their SLCC Fashion Design & Merchandising: Technical Apparel emphasis degree to transfer to Utah State University and apply to Outdoor Product Design & Development matriculation to the professional program. Required courses* can be found in the official transfer articulation agreement.

SLCC students will need to:

  1. Apply and be accepted to Utah State University the Fall semester prior their intended start date. Students applying in the Fall will be applying for the following Fall semester. Apply to USU.
    • Once accepted to USU, students will receive an A# which is required to apply to the OPDD program and the portfolio review process.
  2. Schedule a mandatory appointment with an OPDD advisor. Schedule here.
  3. Apply to matriculate into the OPDD program prior to the last Friday at 5:00 pm MT of USU Fall semester (A# required). Apply to OPDD.
  4. Submit a link to your online portfolio via Canvas (once accepted to the portfolio Canvas course during Spring semester) the Friday before USU Spring Break at 5 pm MT. Portfolio requirements can be found below.

Notification of acceptance into the OPDD professional program (junior and senior years) will be given in the Spring before registration for Fall semester. 

*SLCC students studying apparel and soft goods design will fulfill FCSE 3040 and FCSE 3140 credits and are not required to complete TESY 1200 or OPDD 2430 prior to applying, but can complete these elective courses upon admittance into the program at USU.

Professional Program Portfolio Guidelines:


Portfolio

Upon admittance to Utah State University and after submitting an OPDD application for portfolio review, students will be admitted into a Canvas course during the Spring semester and must provide the following as part of their portfolio:
  1. A web-based presentation focusing on a portfolio of your projects. This website should have tabs at the top to direct the review committee to the following materials:
  • Resume (see #2 below)
  • Ideology statement (see #3 below)
  • Portfolio of your projects (see #4 below)

Create this web site using Wix, Dribble, Cargo, PortfolioBox, Adobe Portfolio (keep in mind that your Adobe Portfolio account created with a usu.edu email will expire upon graduation), or similar that is easy for you to use. You may use the free version.

  1. Resume
  • Single page document
  • Includes correct formatting and contains appropriate content for a resume
  • Linked and/or tab in your web-based presentation/web site.
  1. Ideology Statement
  • Maximum of 250 words
  • An explanation of how, what, and why you create. Please share why you love to create while avoiding telling a lengthy history of why you like the outdoors. Explain why you choose the OPDD major.
  • Linked and/or tab in your web-based presentation/web site.
  1. Portfolio of your projects

Include three projects that demonstrate your ability to work through a design and development process. These projects may be from assignments you completed in courses you have already completed such as: OPDD1000, OPDD1050, OPDD1100, OPDD2420, OPDD2430, FCSE1040, FCSE2040, OPDD2040, TEE2030, TESY1030, or other relevant courses. At your discretion, you may choose to substitute any project(s) you completed during course work with project(s) of your own choice. The three projects you choose to present should show your best process, skills, and abilities. You may rework or improve any project completed previously to show your current progress, regardless of when you completed your project(s). Please indicate what software and/or A.I. tools were used to create any items in your portfolio.

(*In OPDD2710, you may choose any of your projects to expand or improve upon to include in your portfolio. You will also learn more about what makes for excellent portfolio content and structure.)

Four aspects/phases of the concept design process

Each of the three projects needs to show the following four aspects/phases of the concept design process. Each project must include:

  • Research
  • Ideation and creative exploration
  • Refinement and development of the concept
  • Finalization and visualization of the concept and/or prototype

Showcase and emphasize the skills and creativity that you have developed in courses you have taken or projects you have worked on. Please include examples of the following throughout your portfolio:

Product Line Management
Student demonstrates a clear understanding of product lifecycle, from conception to discontinuation. Content clearly casts the product's vision, using research to communicate market demand, key competitors, marketing strategy, and financial analysis.  Projects are supported by evidence such as market trends, opportunities for growth, user characteristics, and the product's profitability and competitiveness, and are supported by historic precedents, a mood board, and a concise design brief.

Product Design
Student shows creativity and problem solving in their design process. Several iterations of the solution to the design problem are documented through sketching with a clear and iterative path showing the evolution of the final product concept. Technical skills and design knowledge from the OPDD fundamental courses are present through the display of sketches, 2D illustrations, 3D models, and renderings. All software packages are used within the curation of the packet (Adobe products, Solidworks or Rhino, & Keyshot).

Product Development
Student demonstrates technical skills in prototyping and construction of products through their ability to work with diverse materials, processes, and tools. The development process is clearly and concisely documented through use of Tech Packs and technical drawings, 3D models, and photographs. A final prototype is tested to validate the solution.

Visual Communication
The packet is easy to navigate and has a clear visual presentation of the product creation process, which includes proper use of the elements and principles of visual design. Text and captions are concise and clearly explain the importance of the artifact and any necessary information. Visual elements are intentional and focused and help with articulating the story of the project.

Statement of Intent
The statement clearly details why the students wants to matriculate into the program, for which emphasis, and outlines their strengths. Statement is clearly written and organized, with no spelling or grammar errors, and stays within the word count.

Resume
The resume highlights strengths and applicable information; appropriate font and sized used; and balanced margins with eye appeal: Presented in single page format. Heading, objective, skills, experience, and education is covered in detail. The document layout uses appropriate choice of font, balanced margins with eye appeal, and includes no spelling or grammar errors.

Resources

Previous student work / senior projects and portfolios:
https://caas.usu.edu/opdd/seniors

OPDD Instagram Account
https://www.instagram.com/usuoutdoorproduct/

Examples of capstone projects at the OPDD Senior Exhibit: