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Founder & Industrial Design Consultant
Nickel Design
Feb 2021 - May 2022 (1 year 3 months)
Industrial design consultant for several clients, including ExtraLight, a lighting design & manufacturing company, based in Panyu (Guangzhou). I advise ExtraLight design team on how to improve their designs and better match the design languages of their customers: PHILIPS, PANASONIC, IKEA, XIAOMI, SIMON, OPPO… I also coach the in-house design team (6 industrial designers) regularly & in cooperation with the in-house Design Director.
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Co-founder & General director Asia
Sequoia-studio
Jun 2010 - Feb 2021 (10 years 8 months)
Sequoia-studio, still based in Hong Kong and China is growing up, and opened a design studio in France for its European market. In 2013, the definition of its offer is strengthened and reinforced to Sequoia-studio, agency of value creation through industrial design. And so more and more efficiently support multinational companies, SMEs/SMIs, but also start-ups which are creating new products/concepts.
Industrial design practiced by Sequoia-studio is thought to be a real investment, enabling sustainable profits for companies (consumers' satisfaction and loyalty, enhanced brand image), through creation or product innovation, or reflection upstream of projects (consulting services) or performance improvement (coaching service).
• Define objectives and strategies of development and expansion for the agency in Asia and Europe,
• Coordinate the communication strategy of the agency (Asia & Europe),
• Develop client's portfolio in Asia and Europe,
• Define & Establish the product development strategies of our clients,
• Make the market analysis & Define trends and consumer needs for the design teams for each project,
• Manage the design projects in Asia with the design team,
• Manage the follow-up of the projects for our clients in Asia,
• Define & Establish the consulting and coaching audits for our clients, and bringing them short, middle and long term solutions,
• Manage the creative design workshops for the design teams of our clients in Asia,
• Advise our clients on their product developments on their markets (matures and developing).
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Co-founder & Associate director
Quo-Industry
Jan 2009 - May 2010 (1 year 4 months)
The creation of Quo-Industry is following a meeting between two entities with a common desire to develop and manufacture together products with strong values of identity and use : Sequoia-studio and a Japanese industrial client.
Quo-Industry becomes a research lab in Design and Innovation, but also a manufacturing platform to offer more relevant design solutions, at the manufacturing level, but also at the purchase and product usage levels for end-users.
Quo-Industry's motto: using strategic industrial design to create new product concepts for the home appliance and electronic consumer goods.
• Analyze the product usage & Rethink products from their core functions,
• Identify & Define the consumer's purchase process & extrapolate newer models,
• Analyze the purchase and usage process, & Define a marketing strategy to define distribution channels (strengths and weaknesses),
• Estimate & Manage costs (tooling, investment, patents…),
• Conceive & Deploy a communication and sale strategy,
• Prospect targeted distribution networks,
• Prepare & Manage Shipment and Intellectual Property.
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Co-founder & Associate director
Sequoia-studio
Jan 2008 - May 2010 (2 years 4 months)
Sequoia-studio is a Hong Kong and China based agency that offers industrial design solutions to SMEs/SMIs and large international groups.
Sequoia-studio offers full product creation and innovation services centered on the specifics requirements of its clients and their markets, with design used as a strategic development tool.
To maximize the reach and effectiveness of this support, Sequoia-studio also offers services in Consulting and Coaching in design to develop and reinforce creativity in companies.
• Define the internal and external communication strategy of the agency,
• Define the prospects portfolio in Asia and Europe,
• Manage the design office in China and its in-house European design team,
• Establish the market analysis and define the trends and consumer needs for the design team for each project,
• Manage and do the follow-up of mock-ups / prototypes in Asia,
• Manage the follow-up between the design studio and the factories of our clients,
• Define and establish the consulting and coaching audits for our clients, and bringing them short, middle and long term solutions,
• Define & Deploy product development strategies for our clients,
• Manage the creative design workshops for the design teams of our clients in Asia,
• Advise our clients on their product developments on their markets (matures and developing).
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Industrial Designer
Zoo Design - Interforce Group
Apr 2006 - Jan 2008 (1 year 9 months)
Zoo Design / Interforce Group is a group based in Hong Kong and China, which imagine, design and manufacture consumer goods (electronic and home appliance products) mainly for big retailers (USA and Europe for the most part).
• Identify the styles and market trends, as well as consumer needs,
• Hand sketching/3D development/3D rendering of projects,
• Illustrate and render presentation of product concepts,
• Design consumer electronic and home appliance products for: THOMSON www.thomson.com, RCA www.rca.com, WALLMART www.walmart.com, GENERAL ELECTRIC www.ge.com, JENSEN www.jensenmobile.com
• In charge of technical and technological monitoring and its applications to designs,
• 3D modeling and rendering coach for in-house junior designers.
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Freelance Industrial Designer
Freelance
Aug 2004 - Mar 2005 (7 months)
Before leaving for China, I established myself as a product and graphic freelance designer as I had some nice opportunities. Finally I continued my activity for almost 2 years, before leaving for China. It was a very enriching experience, which helped me later to establish my own company.
Some examples of missions:
• Accessory designs for boats for RIVA www.riva-yacht.com
• Odysseo laptop range design concepts for TOSHIBA www.toshiba.com
• Gas stove for Campingaz www.campingaz.com
• Graphic design strategy consultant for AXA for it's diploma for general agents,
• Graphic design of the new IFAG diploma for general agents of AXA France www.axa.fr
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Product Designer (internship)
Fritsch Durisotti
Sep 2003 - Dec 2003 (3 months)
Fritsch – Durisotti is global design agency, with a keen experience of boats and nautical transports / products.
• Redesign of Whiteshark brand identity (sport motor boat range of KELT),
• Boat design for KELT www.whiteshark-boats.com
• New security camera in subway corridors for the RATP www.ratp.fr
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Industrial Designer (internship)
TBWA\Corporate
Jun 2002 - Sep 2002 (3 months)
The Brand Company is mainly a branding and graphic design agency, of international dimension, who also provides transport and product design services.
• Team working on the new interior design of the Atlantic TGV (310 000 Euros of budget):
• Design the fold down tray, luggage racks, and bike storing design elements,
• Define the color gamut definition,
• Responsible for the follow-up of the seats with RECARO www.recaro.com
• Design a booth for ORANGE to demonstrate the power of UMTS www.orange.fr :
• Concept design, material suggestions,
• Rough illustrations for presentations.
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Industrial Designer (internship)
IDA
Jan 2002 - Feb 2002 (1 month)
IDA is a product design and architecture agency based in Paris.
• Design of a range of modern urban furniture,
• Design a new modular bathroom concept.