Bio / Current Status

The beginning.

When I grew up I wanted to be an architect and an inventor. My mom will point out that I also wanted to be a cowboy and an astronaut. But I think it’s telling that from very early on I wanted to make things.

The beginning of an obsession.

My dad bought our first family computer when I was 12 years old. I was instantly hooked. He brought a copy of Photoshop 3.0 home from work, and the trajectory of my life was forever changed. I learned to code in Applescript, then TI Basic, then Basic, then HTML, then C, then C-shell scripting, then PHP and CSS. I learned Photoshop inside-out, and started into Illustrator, Quark, and InDesign. I would eventually work in IT for a small business and did graphic design freelance for several years, and my geekdom was only beginning!

College.

At Columbus College of Art and Design in 2001 I intended to be an illustration major. While there, I discovered “industrial design.” The more time I spent in ID classes, the more I loved it. I realized that my particular strengths–rapid sketching, sculpting and 3D conceptualization, mechanical design, and functional innovation–were the core competencies of an industrial designer. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in ID.

HP

In college, my internship at HP was heaven. I’d been following the consumer electronics industry closely for years, and this was like being a rockstar. The staff there was very kind and encouraging, and it was the first time in my life I was able to turn my ideas into realities. I worked 60 hours each week there, and learned everything I could. “Convergence” was the big buzz word at the time, and I took it to heart. Since then I’ve always believed that the future of computers isn’t computers at all: the future of computing is in intelligent objects.

Transition into reality.

I bought my noodles in college with money from freelance graphic design for various small businesses, and began making in-roads with industrial design firms like the Buzz Group (since closed), Teague, and Carbon Design, Coleman, and Yummy Media.

Black & Decker

As a staff designer at Black & Decker, I had the opportunity to work on about a dozen products from start-to-finish, during which I learned about project planning, manufacturing, cost, retail and marketing dynamics, and the importance of clear communication when working with foreign suppliers. At BDK I worked very hard to master CATIA V5, and contributed to documentation and training for other members of the team. I was fortunate enough to travel for one-on-one research with users, as well as focus groups and quantitative internet user research. I particularly enjoyed brainstorming and the rapid, free approach to ideation. I’m indebted to the BDK team for the guidance they provided, and the growing room they afforded me.

Wedlock

In June of 2003 I met a Hawaiian girl that worked in the coffee shop at the YMCA of the Rockies, where I worked as a K-3 daycamp councilor. In June of 2006 we were married, and life is beautiful. Marriage is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

Bose

Working at Bose taught me about design in the absence of excuses. It was challenging work, but also extremely fun and intellectually stimulating. It was hard to hide behind technical skill, as I was forced to spend my time on the difficult stuff of “real design,” for products that will be profitable for decades at a time. I gained a much greater appreciation for a type of design thinking that is totally new to me, and I think it will have a lasting impact on my design sensibilities into the future.

Consulting

Since February of 2009 I have been a full-time Industrial Design consultant working out of West Los Angeles. I am available for ideation, 2D rendering, 3D CAD, 3D visualization, design consulting, and software training services for Adobe CS applications and Luxology’s Modo. As an independent consultant, I’ve worked with a wide variety of major corporations in a number of product fields.

Teaching

Beginning in January of 2010, I have been working as adjunct faculty at Otis College of Art & Design in addition to my consulting work, teaching CAD fundamentals to industrial design students. I have been very happy with how fun and fulfilling it has been so far, and I hope to continue teaching as my career progresses.

Into the future.

I’ve told my supervisors that my career goals are to be creative and prolific, and that I will always choose the career opportunity that best serves these ends. On further thought, I’ve amended the list slightly. In addition to being creative and prolific, I want to create designs that are appropriate, thoughtful, and effective.