The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) has appointed Charles Austen Angell as its new board chairman. On May 1 he began his two-year term along with six new directors.
"We're living in one of the most exciting eras of design with designers playing a larger role in shaping the world around us. Our members are at the forefront of industrial design, interaction design and user experience in almost every industry, and they expect IDSA to be an organization that reflects the rising role of design leadership," Angell commented. "We need a strong society more than ever to shine a light on the best the design community has to offer and to create the connections and relationships that benefit all designers."
Angell is the founder of Modern Edge, a strategic industrial design firm based in Portland, Ore. Modern Edge is known for original work in the fields of health and wellness, mobility, home products and experiential environments. As president and CEO, he oversees all Modern Edge projects, from client contact through human factors research, design refinement, product and program management, market positioning and customer experience.
Before founding Modern Edge, Angell served as director of design research and innovation for Intel Corp. His independent design experience spans projects in Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia. He has worked with Intel, 3M, John Deere, Harley Davidson, Ford, BMW, Kawasaki, SC Johnson, Gillette, P+G, Fiskars, St. Jude, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Baxter and many others.
In service to the profession, Angell has taught industrial design at Purdue University, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale and the University of Minnesota. He also was among the original trustees for IDSA's Design Foundation, a public charity in support of design education and social responsibility, and he chaired IDSA's 2012 International Conference. Through his numerous speaking engagements, publications and teaching, he is committed to making valuable contributions to industrial design and to the people who benefit from it.
Angell earned his bachelor's in industrial design from Purdue University and served as design lead for a Purdue master's engineering grant to develop passive restraint systems for General Motors.
New Directors for IDSA's 2013 Board of Directors
Treasurer/Secretary: Marianne Grisdale
With more than 20 years of experience in product design and development, Marianne Grisdale was IDSA's Housewares Section chair as well as creative manager for TEAMS Design USA. Her role with TEAMS Design focuses on brand management, user insights, human centered design, strategy development and design management. During her career, she has received numerous awards, including a Silver IDEA. She has led projects for diverse accounts, such as Jarden, HoMedics, Kimberly-Clark, Canadian Tire, Bosch, Fiskars and Siemens. Grisdale has a bachelor's in industrial design from the College for Creative Studies.
Chapter Vice President: Julie Heard
Julie Heard is a founding partner at Mixer Design Group, a product development consultancy dedicated to helping technology companies design innovative products and unique brand experiences. She received a bachelor's in fine arts in industrial design from the College for Creative Studies in 1991. IDEA, G Mark (Japan), American Product Excellence (APEX) and CES Innovation awards have recognized Heard's work. She holds several design and utility patents.
At-Large Director: Andrew Hartman
Andrew Hartman is design director for new business at Philips Design. He is responsible for directing multidisciplinary design and research teams that identify customer needs and desires, translating these into tangible design qualities that lead to meaningful, branded product experiences. Hartman's design career began in 1989 as a product designer at Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Since then, he has worked throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S. on projects ranging from designing mobile phones, navigation systems, mobile computing, flat television to health-care solutions. Hartman holds a bachelor's in product design from NC State University and postgraduate certification from Domus Academy in Milan, Italy.
Western District Vice President: Jason Belaire
Jason Belaire has 20 years of experience as a product designer, industrial designer, product developer, product manager and product photographer for high-profile global clients in the outdoor industry. His specialties include industrial design services, product management, graphic design, packaging design and lifestyle photography. He has designed and led national and international product development efforts for companies such as The Lafuma Groupe, Sierra Designs, Ultimate Direction, Kelty, Slumberjack, Wenger Swiss Army, Mountainsmith, Browning Camping and Cabela's. Products he has designed have earned Backpacker Magazine Editors' Choice Awards, Camping Life Editors' Choice Awards, Explore Magazine's Best Gear Awards and Urban Climber Gear Guide Awards.
Southern District Vice President: Chris Parke
Chris Parke is a senior product designer for Newell Rubbermaid - Irwin Tools in Huntersville, N.C. Over the last eight years, he has played a key role in the development of many hand tool products and power tool accessories for both Irwin and other brands such as Lenox, Rigid, Craftsman, BernzoMatic and Shure-line painting products. In addition to product development with Irwin, he has used his P.O.P design background to help develop unique innovative displays and packaging for Irwin's global products and customers and also with the rebranding of Irwin Tools in 2009. The latest display that he collaborated on recently received a Golden Indian from the Global Association for Marketing at Retail POPAI. Parke holds a bachelor's in fine arts from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Midwest District Vice President: Michael Prince
Michael Prince is founder and president of Beyond Design, a design consultancy located in Chicago. He has spent over 25 years using his product development and marketing expertise to create viable and memorable solutions for a global audience. As an entrepreneur, Prince launched an award-winning line of consumer storage and organization products and established the brand Ultimate Hanger that he sold to Contico International in 1998. Prince is an expert in design for manufacturing and has brought that to Beyond Design-making it one of their core competencies for the past 17 years. His firm's design awards include IDEA, red dot, Good Design, the Appliance Design magazine EID Award, Spark Design, Pentaward, International Design Award, CES Innovation and I.D. magazine. Prince earned his bachelor's in industrial design from Syracuse University.