Industrial design students impress professional clients after completing an ambitious semester-long collaboration project

Rochester, New York – Each spring, the Metaproject course at RIT’s industrial design program turns the design studio into something that feels far closer to a professional workshop than a college classroom. Over the course of one semester, students are challenged by a real client, pushed to move beyond the obvious, and expected to deliver thoughtful product concepts that reflect both creative exploration and practical purpose. This year’s cohort, working under the prompt “what is safe?”, produced a wide range of ideas that stretched across personal expression, emotional meaning, and functional problem-solving. By the end of the term, the students not only impressed their instructors—they won over their professional partners as well.

For Bennett Hu, the experience began with a desire to tap into something deeply personal. A fourth-year industrial design student from Vashon Island, Washington, Hu entered the class hoping for a chance to explore concepts with more abstraction than typical studio assignments allow. The prompt led him to look backward, toward a familiar childhood ritual: marking height changes on a wall or a doorframe. That simple tradition sparked his concept, “Strata,” a hybrid storage tree and stadiometer designed to make the recording of life’s physical and emotional milestones part of everyday living.

“My product is a take on how people mark their height on a door frame or wall, recording how much they’ve grown throughout childhood,” said Hu. He described the piece as something that “archives connections to family, home, and identity” through its form and purpose. For him, the project became not only a design exercise but an exploration of memory and belonging.

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Hu’s idea resonated strongly with this year’s industry client, earning him one of two co-winner spots in Metaproject 16. “Strata” will be showcased at the 2026 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City this May—one of the highest-profile stages a student designer can reach. The other co-winner, Agneya Kulkarni, also impressed the jury with a concept selected for the same exhibition.

Reflecting on the experience, Hu said, “This experience helped me to think very deeply about the essence of a product and the subtle ways that its design could influence how people think or interact with each other. Being able to communicate a very abstract idea to a real-life client is really good practice for the types of things that I’ll have to communicate and when I’m working professionally.”

The Metaproject course has long aimed to provide exactly that kind of professional-level practice. Conceived and developed by Josh Owen, Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design and director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies, the course pairs students with an industry partner each year. The collaboration challenges them to think not only like designers but like researchers, communicators, and problem-solvers—roles they will take on after graduation. Owen structures the course around the Vignelli philosophy that “Design is One,” encouraging students to unite aesthetics, function, and clarity in any product they create.

“This year’s partnership has been unique in that the question posed to the students—what is safe?—is both practical and deeply personal,” Owen said. “I have seen students assert their value systems in this project in a way that is more palpable than in years past. It has been provocative and exciting.”

For Metaproject 16, Owen invited Gardall Safe Corporation to serve as the industry collaborator. The company, known for its high-quality safes and security devices, is led by RIT alumni Elizabeth and Spar Patton—both graduates of the industrial design MFA program. The partnership brought a special layer of connection to the experience, linking current students with mentors who once stood in their shoes.

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“Connecting current design students with alumni is like providing them with family they never knew they had. It is a privilege to broker professional relationships in this way,” Owen noted. “The benefit is a trust that creates opportunities for all.”

For the Pattons, returning to campus in a mentorship capacity felt meaningful and invigorating. They witnessed the Metaproject program’s influence years ago when they were students, and stepping into the role of client brought that journey full circle.

“We really appreciated the thoughtful work that came out of Metaproject and we are grateful for the opportunity to contribute as industry partners that help foster the same opportunities we were exposed to and enjoyed so much when we were students,” said Spar.

Elizabeth echoed that enthusiasm. “We were very impressed with the quality of work, professionalism, and curiosity with which the students approached the project. It’s exciting to see what new designers come up with.”

As in every Metaproject cycle, the semester ended with a formal jury session where the client reviewed the body of work and selected designs for potential development or exhibition. Alongside Hu’s “Strata,” several other concepts stood out for their creativity, technical skill, and thoughtful responses to the theme of safety.

The selected designs from Metaproject 16 include:

• “Care Chair,” designed by Diya Das
• “Cloak,” designed by Edward Elliot
• “Strata,” designed by Bennett Hu
• “Capsule,” designed by Emma Kobelia
• “Candle Lantern with a Timer,” designed by Agneya Kulkarni
• “Sorted Medicine Cabinet,” designed by Lydia Pringle
• “Branch,” designed by Jason Wu

Each project brought its own interpretation of safety—physical, emotional, environmental, or social. Some students explored how lighting can comfort or protect, while others examined routine household interactions that could be made more supportive or secure through design. The variety of concepts reflected the complexity of the prompt and the diverse ways students approached it.

While only a handful of designs will move forward to ICFF, the broader educational value of the course was felt by every participant. Students left the semester with experience in professional communication, iterative development, and presenting to a real client—skills that often take years to form outside the classroom.

For many of the students, the value was also philosophical. The question of safety led them to think about vulnerability, identity, and the emotional contours of functional objects. It pushed them to consider not only what a product is but what it means.

As planning begins for next year’s Metaproject, Owen and the Vignelli Center continue to nurture the idea that collaboration between students and industry shapes stronger designers—and stronger design communities. And for this year’s participants, the work they created will remain a significant milestone in their journey from student to professional.

More information about the annual design challenge can be found on the Metaproject website or by emailing Josh Owen at [email protected].