My name is Larissa.  I teach design workshops for youth in Cleveland. 

Over the years I’ve had the chance to work with over 500 students.  I see so much talent and a huge desire to learn more. Design work is exciting and challenging. Going through all the steps — from brainstorming, development, iteration, to final concept — creates a huge sense of pride.

How do we keep the momentum going?  

Before any class I teach is over, I've made a point to leave specific resources for students to explore if they want to learn more about design — blogs, books, youtube videos, and a list of top college programs. But I had yet to find a resource for the middle school age group that hit all the right criteria. It had to be something that’s not “little kiddie”, not overly technical, and not a dry textbook. In order to really be useful, it needed to speak to teens directly, be fun, a little goofy, and build skills that are used in the professional creative industry.  

Sketching a new reality. 

In December 2015, I was successfully funded through Kickstarter to bring the RICOspace Designer's Book to reality.  I'm very grateful to all of the people who helped make this happen.  I began the process of turning my teaching activities into book that could be used independently.  And, many months later, the completed sketchbooks were on their way to backers both at home and around the world. 

It's been a monster of a project.  But the result is something I'm proud of and look forward to sharing with more and more people. 

 

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The design projects in this book help improve following skills:

  • Analytical skills
  • Verbal, written and visual communication skills
  • The ability to brainstorm without judgement
  • The ability to prototype and revise ideas

These skills transfer directly to almost any other profession.  As a teacher, I provide structure, encouragement, and space for critique and development.
At the heart, this design book is about sharing your voice and addressing problems you care about.  

My book is geared for the 11-14 year age group. I saw a need for this group to have a cool resource that they could use independently. The projects are straightforward and fun enough to engage the younger crowd too, though they will want to team up with an older sibling or parent to work through some projects.  And if your teenage years are behind you, this book is creative and weird enough to be fun for the older set as well:)