Resumé

Teaching Experience:

Design Instructor 2004 – 2006
Raffles Design International, Mumbai, India
Instructed –
- Introduction to Product Design: introducing students to current designers & companies, brainstorming, conceptualization
- Product Design 1: teaching proportion, drawing techniques, rendering, graphic layout, drafting, Industrial Design history
- Design Theory: introducing students to ideas about consumer psychology, behavior, and satisfaction plus branding
- Ergonomics: discovering hand and body ratios to products
- Color: learning theories and principles and applying knowledge to creative projects and problems
- Model making 1: basics of constructing using simple methods – cutting, gluing, sculpting, and creating 3D forms
- Furniture Design: building a practical understanding of ergonomics, materials, furniture history, & original concepts
- Sustainable Design: discovering new uses for green & recycled materials, constructing low impact design concepts
- Lighting Design – materials: utilizing opaque to transparent materials to create moods for unique environments
- Electronics Design: learning how to design for the competitive market segments of electric products
- Transportation Design: becoming skilled at rendering, clay modeling, proportion, interiors, exteriors: cars, jet skis, & buses
Other Responsibilities -
- Assisted in the opening of a new branch/college of their company in India
- Designed the studio tables and chairs for all the departments and coordinated with the furniture manufacture

Adjunct Lecturer 2001 – 2003
University of Michigan, Art and Design College, Ann Arbor, MI
- Taught ‘Introduction to Industrial Design’: drawing and model making (clay, wood, plastic & metal) for Product Design
- Led students in exploration to identify their own form language as well as training them how to design for a consumer
- Conducted four major projects, each emphasizing design as a process
- Focused on the basic design skills: drawing techniques, layout, balance, form language and presentation skills

Design Instructor 1998 –1999
College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI
- Developed and implemented three individual curriculums for introductory Industrial Design courses
- Taught drawing, rendering, graphic layout, drafting, materiality, history, ergonomics, sculpting and model making
- Assisted students in creating projects that they were passionate about that also met course requirements
- Created a weekly forum for classmates to discuss what good design is today & why
- Directed and advised students in their design projects
- Held weekly critiques, teaching the students the fundamentals & etiquette of how to critique their fellow students work

Design Instructor 1997
Academy of Art of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- Introduced basic concepts in Industrial Design to first year students
- Educated students in the fundamentals of drawing, sculpting, model making, color, and form language
- Created design projects using paper, cardboard, metal, clay & plastic
- Taught students about fundamental design movements and historically pertinent designers
- Instructed students on how to critique work, present their models & ideas
- Coordinated with Chair of ID to create new ideas for innovative foundation courses

Professional Experience:

Owner, Founder & Creator 2007 - present
Labyrinth Bed & Breakfast + Summer Snowflake Boutique, LLC, Leelanau County, MI
www.labyrinthbnb.com & www.summersnowflake.biz
- Visionary for this sustainable lodging endeavor
- Creator of the boutiques philosophy: empowering women, highest quality craft, and supporter of sustainable livelihoods
- Designs one of a kind fashion accessories and housewares
- Designer and administrator of both websites
- Sells one of a kind craft merchandise from India, Mexico, and Michigan
- Business manager: marketing, public relations, finances, and management

Designer Principal Designer and Owner 2003 - 2004
Sprout 2D + 3D, LLC, Ypsilanti, MI
- Designed one of a kind fashion accessories and housewares
- Provided services such as Graphic Design & Industrial Design
- Consulted with Fisher-Price, Altair Engineering, and local small businesses
- Mentored Industrial Design Students through internship program

Designer & Design Academy Coordinator 2001 – 2002
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI
- Designed interiors: instrument panel, doors and center console
- Created foam core models, directed clay modelers, illustrated ideas, marker rendered presentation drawings
- Worked with marketing department to create storyboards that illustrated how new possible features worked
- Explored new trends Color and Materials department – Sent to Chicago to the Merchandise Mart to discover new trends
- Participated in consumer focus meetings & brainstorm sessions
- Created image boards for marketing to communicate the essence of the consumer of the F-250 in Alias Studio Paint
- Designed comprehensive curriculum for designers and clay modelers
- Entrusted to startup a educational department under the VP of Design
- Created a lecture series with experts in the fields of Design & Engineering
- Created a seminar series to enhance problem-solving skills
- Developed a comprehensive process to evaluate designer’s skill levels & core competencies

Senior Industrial Designer 1999 – 2001
Altair Engineering, Troy, MI
- Managed team of designers, assigning projects and tasks
- Served as a Lead Designer for a full size city transit bus
- Coordinated, brainstormed, and problem-solved with all departments on multiple aspects of bus project

Summer Intern 1998
Graves Design, Princeton, NJ
- Assisted designers in the creation of products for Target
- Designed products through sketching and model fabrication
- Completed sketches, computer renderings, pattern making/sewing

Staff Designer 1994 – 1997
Fisher-Price, East Aurora, NY
- Determined product form, function, and manufacturing process consistent with the strategic design direction & met key margin considerations
- Designed & sculpted/fabricated prototypes: wood, plastic & fabric models
- Created innovative products for infants to 3 year olds
- Designed Products: ABC Refrigerator Magnets, Peek-a-boo Butterfly, Safari Nesting Animal Train, and Clutch Ball

Staff Designer 1991 -1994
Hasbro, Inc. – Playskool Baby, Pawtucket RI
- Served as primary designer for plastic toys
- Designed using illustrations, engineering drawings and made prototypes
- Met team targets for product cost and manufacturing
- Designed: Dinosaur Toothbrush, Breast Pump, Sesame Street Pacifiers, Stroller Tray, and Fun & Fruity Bottles and Pacifiers

Education:

Master of Fine Arts 1998 - 2000
Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Enrolled in both Fiber and 3D Departments (Industrial Design)
- Independent Studies - focus included ecological PD and sustainable living
- Created unique weave structures using a computerized Cranbrook loom
- Researched and created artifacts which dealt with sleep, intimacy, nesting, and comfort utilizing ‘Biomimicry’ concepts
- Thesis focus was ‘water’ as a commodity, product and a necessity
- Displayed thesis work at NYC’s International Furniture Fair as part of Cranbrook’s 3D department show
- Thesis work was featured on the Wallpaper website

Konstfack, Stockholm, Sweden 1998
- Studied Textile Design including woven and print techniques

California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco, CA 1997
- Attended classes: Woven Textile Design, Metal Forming, and Casting

Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI 1992 – 1994
- Continuing Education Courses: Furniture Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Architecture

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Toy Design 1987 - 1991
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY
- Associates Degree, Fashion and General Illustration

Computer Proficiencies: Proficient with Apple & PC: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Outlook, Photo Editor, PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Dreamweaver

Languages Studied: French, Italian, and Hindi

Portfolio and References are available on request

Projects by Lisa Perrine Brown