The Industrial Arts and Method Foundation (IAMF) is a Florida-based foundation that promotes innovation in industrial design education and provides scholarships to cover tuition and related expenses to students enrolled in programs for industrial design.
We chose the phrase "industrial arts and method" to capture the essence of the design process utilized at schools supported by the foundation. The process takes inputs from both industry and the arts and applies a design methodology to elicit both far-reaching idea generation and tangible solutions.
Because of our deeply-held belief that we learn through expressing, the IAM process goes beyond ideas to rapid prototyping. A prototype also enables us to engage in the design critique; practitioners to engage in an authentic dialogue with students.
A key component of our process is "Bionics". Bionics draws from the simplicity, efficiency, functionality, and beauty of design in nature and applies these principles to the design of everyday things. Bionics uses natural design analogs to transform products and industry.