Colorful household gadgets and intricate electronic devices demand attention at the Design Excellence Collection at the Krannert Art Museum in Champaign which ends Oct. 2.

Deana McDonagh, associate professor of industrial design and guest curator of the exhibit, said the main point of the exhibit is to demonstrate how the design of everyday things can shape a consumer’s daily experience. “I believe that products are not just functional, they actually enhance our mood, how we do tasks, and how we feel about everything,” McDonagh said.

The white walls are covered with brightly printed words like “tranquil,” “snuggle,” “focus” and “invigorate.” The first room of the exhibit is filled with a case stowing shiny, silver kitchen supplies, a hatbox-shaped toilet, a large bright red children’s toy-rocket and two silver mailboxes.

“The toilet is definitely unexpected. In modern art it’s not that much of a surprise, though. It just catches your eye,” said Katherine Kopchok, graduate student.

McDonagh said it has gained quite a bit of traffic and attention since opening in the summer. McDonagh hoped to put together a collection that would provoke and enlighten the public about the field of industrial design.

“It’s one of the best kept secrets in the field of art and design,” she said.

Upon entering the main room, a video runs, greeting the public and televising the stories of different designers in the field. On the right wall of the main room cases are lined up, each containing different everyday products like a white toaster or can opener.

Patrick Gietl, junior in FAA, who helped put together the exhibit, said these pieces are “where art and design come together.”

Another junior in FAA who worked on the exhibit, Philip Pupa, further elaborated on this idea. He said that industrial design is not done on a computer like engineering but that instead, there is an artistic element to the discipline: they sketch and sculpt their designs.

“It’s a marriage of form and function,” he said.

McDonagh said that there are three reasons for the creation of the exhibit: to raise awareness, to help industrial design students and to support research.

“From the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, you’re engaged in products,” McDonagh explained. “They are designed to do certain tasks. … I want to make the public, especially students, think twice when they go to buy a product in the future.”

The exhibit is also being used as a resource for students. Industrial design classes visit the exhibit to further aid students with their work. It also provides examples of products they could design in the future.

The collection is an initiative between the school of art and design along with the Krannert. McDonagh said she hopes to publish reports on the pieces and designers to further facilitate growth.

Another facet of the exhibit is to obtain alumni involvement. There are many pieces in the collection donated by alumni.

Greg Holderfield, an alumnus of the University, designed many of the products displayed. He has helped designed the Axim PDAs for Dell and toasters for Sunbeam. He also donated the original foam model of a toaster he designed to the collection.

“The world in which we live is actually shaped by the designers that graduated from UIUC,” she said. “It’s important to show how much impact these products have on (students,) and also how our alumni change our everyday experience,” McDonagh said.

Amelia Moore The Daily Illini

Women’s Razors from American Saftey Razor by Anthony Pannozzo and Will Wear, HLB, are part of the Krannert Art Museum’s Design Excellence Collection, which will be on display until Oct. 2.

Amelia Moore The Daily Illini

Mr. Suicide Bathtub or Sink Drain Plug by Massimo Giacon is a piece in the Design Excellence Collection at the Krannert Art Museum. The collection, which includes products designed by Rashid, Michael Graves, Ross Lovegrove, Teams Design, Herman Miller, SmartDesign and others, has been organized by McDonagh “to promote design excellence, designers, and manufacturers who are investing in design excellence.”