Michelle has spent the past two years in Art Center’s undergraduate Product Design program, fulfilling her passion to design, research, and solve problems with unique solutions. She is excited to enter the gradID department to further expand on those skills and focus on human centered design coupled with strategic and business thinking. She holds an M.S. in political science from UCLA.

http://mcheng.prosite.com

Margaret Frye built her creative foundation in the jewelry design and metalsmithing program at the University of Texas. Before commencing Masters studies at Art Center, she honed her material awareness and structural sensibility as a jewelry and softgoods designer, as well as an art fabricator in several prominent NYC studios.  Margaret has also dedicated much of her time as an arts educator to several non-profit organizations, including the Brooklyn Public Library, Architecture and Design Museum, and 826 Organization. Regardless the situation, she brings with her an enthusiasm for user-driven design and a passion for discovery.

With his background in Engineering and Architecture from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Mark has an appreciation for sound engineering, intelligent assembly, and precision in design. Curiosity in the diverse fields of design led him to the movie industry where he fabricated props for major motion pictures. As a student in Grad ID he is interested in brand development and intelligent business models, and believes that good design has the potential to generate positive social change.

Annette graduated with honors from Georgetown University with a Japanese major and Art minor. After graduating, she was a financial analyst at a Harvard Medical School affiliated hospital where she oversaw a multi-million dollar budget. She then transitioned into marketing and project management at Digitas where she managed digital marketing programs from concept to execution for Procter & Gamble. Annette is excited about combining both her business and creative passions in her industrial design career.

After receiving a film degree from NYU, Alexander Livingston worked for a decade producing media in New York City, mainly honing his talent in non-fiction television.  He is eager to combine the acquired, creative skills of making moving pictures with designing products and interface at Art Center College of Design.  Livingston is inspired by the simplicity and honesty found in systems of nature, and believes that the crucial conversation of our coming era is that of what, how and why we design our world.

From the best of both worlds – Renee was born in the Philippines and grew up in California.  The contrast of the two worlds helped her appreciate the value and impact of design at an early age.  Renee’s studies at University of California, Berkeley, which emphasized design and ecology, influenced her passion in expanding a user’s awareness of where, why, and how goods are delivered to the public.  She is also champion of empowering learning experiences through design.

After a 20 year career in architecture, Rich wanted to bring his sustainable design experience to a broader audience. An avid outdoorsman and endurance athlete, he also wanted to integrate his passion for adventure sports with his professional life. Industrial design satisfies these goals while also allowing him to pursue his love of making things. An avowed modernist, Rich strives for clean designs that balance the needs of both the user and the market.

Thomas founded and owned his own automotive accessory manufacturing business. He then attended Art Center with a major in Advertising.  He interned at The CARLAB working on product planning and advanced strategy projects for major OEM manufactures while conducting an in depth research project on alternative fuel vehicles. He then decided to enroll in Grad ID to learn how to integrate human centered design into the development of future automobiles.

A native Argentine raised in California, Mariana del Carmen Somma is fueled by her love for making, designing and exploring.  She has a background in architecture, high-end hospitality design and various mediums of fine art.  Her passion for being hands-on led her to woodworking, metalworking and CNC fabrication, where she decided to pursue a career in industrial design.  Mariana is eager to make an impact through her design and strives for innovations that contribute to society.

Federico is passionate about designing products and systems that enable people to increase their mental clarity, have more focused interactions with others, and use resources more efficiently. He enjoys using a combination of analytical and creative thinking, a sensitivity for human behaviors, and an understanding of technology. He has developed these abilities by receiving a BS in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, working as an engineer, and practicing his long-time favorite discipline – meditation.

The annual Formula E racing season for 2012 has begun. Last week the M3 class began by reviewing the rules, processes, best practices and getting some hands on experience with some of the cars from the archive.

The following thumbnails represent a collection of final posters from the end of spring term 2012. The project task was to redesign the ubiquitous grey metal studio stool for the gradID environment. The process included needs analysis, iterative concept development and functional prototype delivery. All in 14 weeks.

Clicking a thumbnail will open a larger image including a caption identifying the designer.

“Know thyself to know others, for heart beats like heart.” -Chinese Proverb

One of the core philosophies of the Grad ID program is to practice human-centered design. Through research and observation, students practice the art of discovering insights into human behavior. This term, M2 Grad ID students were tasked to understand the human needs present within an educational environment by first understanding their own behavior in order to design a stool (a simple seat without back or arms) intended for use in the Grad ID classrooms. Each of the student designs is a candidate for being produced to outfit a Grad ID classroom.

Guided by faculty members Andy Ogden, Stan Kong, Dice Yamaguchi, and Wook Kim, the students labored through 14 weeks of iterative design and after having gone through a tremendous amount of learning, not only about furniture but also about the design process, the students were able to manufacture amazing prototypes that represented their vision regarding the future of design education at Grad ID.

The final design of the Grad ID stool has yet to be determined but in holding true to the evolutionary design process, the Summer term of 2012 will be dedicated to experimenting with the prototypes to further refine the designs. Stay tuned to find out what kind of stool will be used to educate the industrial designers of tomorrow!

The Formula E project is an annual Summer event for GradID at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. The class is randomly assigned teams of two. The assignment is to develop a racing vehicle powered by one 16 foot X 3/16 inch rubber strip with radio controlled steering and breaks.The process combines the exploration of materials, automotive engineering, and a thematic design concept, which drives the team’s design strategy, brand identity, racer design and all of the graphic presentation elements. The race event consists of Concours d’elegance (theme judgement) and three challenging race courses.

After graduating from Cornell, Alexandra worked for US Ergonomics as a private contractor doing product testing for clients, ergonomic consulting and workplace assessments. Alexandra conducted ethnographic design research as an intern for OMHU, a product design company in New York that focuses on designing beautiful and helpful aids for daily living for older adults. Alexandra loves working with and learning about the people who she is designing for. She is now attending Art Center College Design for her Masters of Industrial Design.

Lance is a socially conscious forward thinker, with a passion for innovation. Lance’s experience encompasses corporate interior design, home design, business  management and volunteer social assistance in developing nations. His innovation experience includes International Red Cross health fairs, U.S. embassies, skyscrapers in the Middle East, corporate environments for Fortune 500 companies and electrical service delivery systems. Lance believes in design as a tool for social change and global humanitarian progress.

A designer without borders – Leticia was born in the US and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. Growing up in the most crossed border in the world helped her understand cultural synergy. Her interest is in designing for everyone and surpassing the challenge of diversity. As a young designer she has already experienced a variety of industries like medical, packaging and furniture design. Leticia holds a BS in Industrial Design and decided to join the gradID program to expand her skills and learn about the business  and marketing aspects of design.

Andy Cooper graduated in 2011 from Stanford University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Engineering: Product Design. He is excited to be at Art Center College of Design now to build upon his undergraduate studies and to enhance both his skill set and strategic thinking. While he is a native Californian, Andy has enjoyed his studies abroad and looks forward to traveling the world with all of the knowledge that he gains as part of the gradID program.

web.me.com/agc

Anastasia Hanan graduated in 2003 with a B.F.A. in Theater from NYU, and has been working in television, fashion and accessories for 10 years. Anastasia’s aesthetic imperative is to infuse compelling visual narratives into the mix of contemporary design. She created the Fall 2012  in-house collection for Glamhouse jewelry. She designed a sustainable materials and natural dye collection for Payless’ stores’  Zoe and Zac “Green” line. As Tarina Tarantino’s head jewelry designer, she created licensed collections for Kid Robot, Sanrio, Barbie, and couture pieces for Tarantino’s celebrity clients Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Hillary Duff.  Her designs have been featured in magazines such as W, Elle, Vogue, Seventeen, Cosmo Girl, and WWD. In 2011 she received the prestigious Two Ten Scholarship for Footwear Design

www.anastasiahanan.com