Program Overview: 

Honda Design for Makers introduces Michigan Career and Technical Education (CTE) students to industrial and product design through a two-week, tuition-free summer program hosted in CCS's Product Design studios. Participants learn design thinking, prototyping, and fabrication, 3D printing, and digital modeling tools. The experience helps students connect technical skills to creative career pathways in advanced manufacturing.

Course Description:  

This exclusive, two-week program-fully funded by the Honda Corporation-is designed for elite high-level makers who are ready to bridge the gap between "building" and "designing." While you already know how to use the tools, this course will challenge you to think like an Industrial Designer.

In a high-energy, collaborative environment of just 16 scholarship recipients, you will move beyond hobbyist projects and enter the professional world of product development. Using the same principles that drive Honda's innovation-efficiency, sustainability, and user-focused design-you will identify a real-world problem, ideate a solution, and build a high-fidelity functional prototype.

What You Will Be Introduced to 

Design Thinking: Move systematically through Empathy, Definition, Ideation, Prototyping, and Testing.

Problem Scoping: Learn how to identify "pain points" and design products that people actually need, rather than just things that are cool to build.

Rapid Iteration: Practice "failing fast" by creating low-resolution mockups to prove concepts before moving to final materials.

Professional Documentation: Build a digital design portfolio that tracks your project's evolution from a napkin sketch to a finished product.

The Pitch: Present your final prototype to industry experts, articulating not just how it works, but why it matters.

Who is eligible

Credits/Non-credit

Non-Credit

Instructor: 

Anthony Reale

Course Days and Dates:

M-F, June 15-26

Note: June 19th is Juneteenth holiday

Course Times

Morning Session:  9am -12pm

Lunch Break: 12pm-1pm  (meals included for students, instructor and TA)

Afternoon Session: 1pm-4pm