Entrepreneurial Product Development

EPD is one of UIC Design’s senior capstone classes. In this year-long emersion in entrepreneurship, students in the school of design do everything from developing a product for manufacturing to launching a kickstarter campaign. The class delves into the relationship – with manufacturers, customers, and creative partners – that a design entrepreneur cultivates to bring their ideas to life. By the end of this course students gain an appreciation for the creative freedom and also the colossal responsibility of driving independent creative projects from inception to fruition.

This year EPD partnered with Uncommon Goods to develop project briefs on the topic of mindfulness. Working directly with buyers and product development, the class came to understand what is required to design a product that fits into retail and wholesale business models.

See all of the class campaigns on Kickstarter Magazine

See all funded campaigns from this and prior EPD classes on our Kickstarter EPD page

Instructor:

Ted Burdett

Students:

Melissa Arias

Katie Bewley

Alden Garcia

Anastasiia Grishina

Yunjung Heo

Giovanna Herrera

Sunkyung Lee

Sammy Lien

Bryce Mathews

Spencer Melgreen

Nurul Hana Mohammed Rafee

Daisy Ruiz

Kat Rumas

Graham Voetberg

Alexis Woo