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Welcome to my website! My name is Natalie Crenwelge, and I am studying to be a Industrial Designer at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I am a proud Texan who believes that no product is ever beyond improving. With a fine arts background, I discovered my true passion involves designing objects to be at the highest level of beauty and function. I believe people deserve honest products that excel beyond their initial purpose. When an object functions flawlessly and looks amazing, it can create a new experience of enjoyment.
Throughout my life, I have been drawn to people and spreading positivity. I have had the chance to interact with many different people through volunteer work, both in and out of school, and offering assistance whenever I have the chance. I was a member of The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden's Teen Leadership Council for three years, where I served as President and Vice President two of those years. Now as a Resident Assistant for SCAD, I enjoy assisting people in any way I can and making connections with residents and my fellow staff. I love helping people. What does this have to do with design? I want to design consumer goods that people can use every day. I want to bring people joy when they use my products, even in the smallest of ways, because I believe the happier people feel, the more good things they will do throughout their lives. It relates to something as simple as the "Pay it Forward" movement. I am a very positive person and believe I can spread that positivity through the products I design. Bringing a little bit of happiness and joy, or at least taking away some of the stress that comes with using certain products, can help users feel good and become their best selves. I strive to create an experience that people can have every day that leaves them feeling happy as a result of the products I design. I use a range of mediums from wood and metal to clay and fabric. I aim to be fluent in all materials, so I have the skills to create exactly what I design and never compromise. I did not intend to have a career in the arts, much less product design. I was planning on flowing into the same high school as everyone else and, most likely, the same college. It would have been a very safe choice. My dad suggested I audition for the arts magnet high school in Dallas, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. My parents enrolled me in a portfolio class where I joined more prospective students. It was a risk because the other students had already been training for 2 years when I finally joined. I applied to Booker T. in addition to my "feed-in" high school because I thought, "why not?" I was accepted. Now, having to choose between the safe, feed-in school that all my friends and brother would be going to, and the new creative and intimidating environment of an arts magnet school, I chose to attend the art school. Again, it was an honor to even be accepted to an art school, so I thought, why not? Four years later I started to look at colleges. I was not sold on going the fine art route and was looking at going to culinary school. However, in my concentration for an AP 3D class, I combined my interest in cooking, pop art, and functionality to create functional objects that looked like food. I paid attention to fine details and how the user would be interacting with my product. One day my teacher suggested I might be good at product design since I based my thinking around making my pieces user-friendly over everything else. So, here I am. In my series of making decisions because of “why not?” I ended up finding my true calling. None of it was intentional, but it was all for the best. I am loving every minute of it. |
Enjoy a collection of my first products that inspired me to be a Product Designer.
Baked Potato Bean Bag
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Ice Cream Sandwich Bench
Banana Peel Coat Rack
Eggs and Bacon Porcelain Earrings
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Fried Egg Bath Mat
Pancake Bed, Bacon Blanket, Pad-of-Butter Pillow
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