Michael Hoefler

I speak with my hands. My parents are Deaf and American Sign is my first language. I have never personally experienced the world through silence, I have, however, experienced it vicariously in my upbringing; which is why I am such a visually driven person. My parents are strong and independent. The term ‘disabled’ was never a part of my vocabulary growing up. Our family vacations were always spent fixing our house, installing a new kitchen or building a fireplace and not at the beach. Although I did not appreciate it at the time, my mandatory inclusion in all of this has naturally led me to adopt their ability to problem solve.



I take things apart all of the time. I see an object and automatically assess how it is manufactured, how it is used, what it is made of and in what way I could make it better if I were to rebuild it altogether. My parents endowed me with the skillset that allows me to communicate with my hands and create with them as well. So it is only natural that product design is my passion and livelihood. Design is my most effective means of communication; my hands and mind working in tandem are my tools. It is also the experience that drives my desire to understand and design products – they are tools that make our lives easier, gadgets that get us from one destination to another without flinching and objects that serve as both function and beauty in our everyday life.