Just trying to make stuff suck a little less

Like many industrial designers, the thing that sparked my interest in the field was frustration with existing products. Do vacuums and coffee grinders have to sound so unpleasant? Does that school bus really need to make my lungs hurt when it passes me as I ride my bike? Does that minivan have to look so, um, practical? Can't we do better?

Sure, in the big picture, these are petty annoyances, but doesn't that mean they should be easy to fix? I'm not holding my breath for the world to embrace peace, equality, or even liberty and justice for all. I just want the tools I use to do what they are supposed to without a lot of fuss, and the objects and environments I interact with to make intuitive sense, and maybe even put a little smile on my face. Because why not? From a designer's perspective, it's not that hard. It just takes a little bit of empathy and a little bit of attention to the way a place or thing makes us feel.

I'm interested in working with people who feel the same.

After nearly a decade designing mass-market, consumer hard goods, I'm well-aware of the logistical, financial and even political and social constraints that can result in products that are "good-enough." With the practical understanding that cost will almost always be a primary factor in most purchasing decisions, my interest is in designing great-looking, user-centered products that embody a (genuine) brand-story that also addresses concerns about social and ecological sustainability, ethical corporate behavior and a broad view of what it means to be a stakeholder.