Q. Of the experience you have gained managing different projects and teams, how does that contribute to managing a diverse team like ROBRADY?

Q. What do you think is the most important part of the design process?
In the last question I spoke a lot about making mistakes. I think failure is a hugely underrated part of the design process. The key is “failing early and often” and then building upon those failures to generate a positive outcome. The key is not making the same mistakes twice. This sounds really negative, but in practice its how design gets done. You try something, it doesn’t work/fit/feel/look right, and so you make an adjustment and try again. Soon you have a solution that has been proven out during the design process. Then, when you implement this solution your chances of success are far greater than if you didn’t go through this iterative design process. The biggest challenge is understanding that this is not a linear process. Many times an early failure sends you off on a completely different track. Most designers understand this intuitively but most business people want to know why we didn’t just do that the first time?

Q. What do you like and dislike about your design related education? Was it worth it?
My educational experience is a bit unique. I entered Industrial Design school right out of high school in 1990. The first two years of my education were a blast. I was like a sponge soaking up everything I was being taught. But by my third year I was starting to struggle with figuring out how all of this stuff was going to come together and create a meaningful career for me. Right about that time I landed a summer job that turned into a 16 year career. In 2009 I returned to ID school to finish my last year and get my diploma. That was a terrific experience! I really enjoyed sharing classes with the up and coming generation of designers and learning about the way they view the World. My biggest frustration was how little real world experience design school provides towards preparing students to enter the workplace. So yes, it was worth it but not for the obvious reasons. The skills I learned in school have more to do with what I took out of the experience than what was on the curriculum. I just wish I had had that revelation 18 years ago!

As Design Manager at ROBRADY, Donovan manages the daily activities of the studio. He came to ROBRADY from Techtronic Industries, where he was the brand manager for the Ryobi TEK4 line of electronic tools. Prior to that he built and managed the in-house design team at Griffin Technology, the world’s largest Apple accessory brand. Donovan has an Industrial Design degree from Auburn University and has spent the last 18 years building and managing award winning design teams.

Fun Fact: During a school assembly in 4th grade I was misbehaving with some friends by making chicken clucking sounds while the Principal was talking. She heard me and called me up on stage to make my sounds for the whole school in hopes of embarrassing me and teaching me a lesson. Armed with a microphone, I went to town and the whole assembly quickly degenerated into a cacophony of barnyard sounds and laughing. After spending the rest of the day in the Principal’s office I was then assigned the lead role in the upcoming Christmas play.

Q. What do you think is the most important skill to have in order to compete in the graphic design field?

There are a few other skills I think are extremely important, and also help you in your collaboration. Time management is key, if you can’t juggle multiple projects, and stay on deadline, then neither can your team. Communication can be the difference between a client making a good decision and a bad decision, or your design team hitting the mark, you have to be able to say why you did what you did, or communicate the needs of the project to other designers in order to succeed. And, finally, their is the ability to adapt your style to needs of the client or project. A product geared towards women fifty-five and older shouldn’t look like it was designed for 18 year old men. Sometimes compromises need to be made in your personal style to create a successful design.

Q. What do you take inspiration from?
Everything. But no seriously, everything. Whether it be a color palette from a photograph to a design style used for a product package, I find it everywhere. It tends to really get influenced based on projects I am currently working on, but I am constantly on the lookout for interesting designs, interfaces and user experiences that work and that don’t work. I have also found that I have been learning more from things that fail than from things that succeed. Sure, everyone knows the experience of un-boxing an Apple product is clean, simple and well designed, but what about their competitors, how do they do it and what makes them as successful, or less successful, this generally leads to better ideas on how to succeed, but not just be another ‘me too’ product. The other thing I like to do when looking for inspiration for a specific project is look at things in a completely different market space, designing for print? Look for inspiration in the digital realm, and vice versa. Competitive (same market space) and comparative (different market space or medium) research can lead to more differentiated concepts.

Q. What products or designs have really impressed you lately?
Well, we have been doing a lot of packaging recently, and I have seen some really sweet designs during our research. One of the ones that sticks out to me is the Beats line of headphones by Monster. I think the branding is well done, and very consistent across the products, from the packaging to the in store POP. Also the packaging fits the price points of the product. The expensive Pros package feels like a $400 product belongs in it while the lower end $100 tours maintain the feel of high end even though they use different materials. Also they didn’t miss any details in the product that ties it all together, from the red cables to the laser etching its all a cohesive brand experience. I think they really hit the mark.

I was born in Silver Springs Maryland in ‘78. I have lived in Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware and Florida. I am a Graduate of the Ringling School of Art and Design with a BA in Graphic and Interactive Communication, with a minor in Photography. I have been a member of the ROBRADY team for almost eight years and am currently the Graphic Design Director.

Fun Fact: I was taught to throw a football and play chess by a midshipmen in the Navy that my family sponsored when we lived in Maryland. I throw a decent football and I have a terrible late game in chess.

“The series of events throughout Florida provides an educational venue for investors and financial advisors to learn more from emerging growth companies’ leadership as well as the ROBRADY research to reality process,” said Matt Leiter, director of ROBRADY capital.

ROBRADY design has been successfully developing world-class products for over two decades and ROBRADY capital is passionate about leveraging this experience to develop world-class companies.  “For the past several years ROBRADY capital, our capital division, has been providing alternative investment educational opportunities for our portfolio of emerging growth companies. Now we want to open this information up to the community.”

ROBRADY’s “Roadshow” series grants entrepreneurs and investors even greater access to the company’s product insight, business relationships and associations.

For more information about the “Roadshow” series, including locations of the events throughout Florida, contact Matt Leiter at capital@robrady.com.

As Design Manager at ROBRADY, Donovan manages the daily activities of the studio. Donovan came to ROBRADY from Techtronic Industries, where he was the brand manager for the Ryobi TEK4 line of electronic tools. Prior to that he built and managed the in-house design team at Griffin Technology, the world’s largest Apple accessory brand. Donovan was drawn to ROBRADY by their ‘Research to Reality” capabilities: “I ran across ROBRADY after reading an article about their work on the XTools products and knew I wanted to be a part of their team. I was impressed by the level of innovation and detail that they applied to their projects and the fact that most of their work involved taking products all the way through to production. I like to see products I work on successfully launched into the market and ROBRADY has an excellent track record of doing just that.” Donovan has an Industrial Design degree from Auburn University and has spent the last 17 years building and managing award winning design teams.

Jason Garvale has joined ROBRADY’s Graphic Design team. Garvale came to ROBRADY from Sarasota Magazine, where his responsibilities ranged from publication design to client collateral. He also has done freelance work in the area. After attending Syracuse University, he worked for a multi-service design firm in Los Angeles. Jason was excited about joining the ROBRADY team for the breadth of opportunities available: “I knew I wanted to become a part of ROBRADY for one main reason, balance. After touring the facility, I was amazed at the level of projects generated in-house from concept to completion. ROBRADY is unlike any design studio I’ve been involved with so I knew I would be challenged and ultimately become a more well-rounded designer. The balance of learning from, and contributing to, the success of the company was a huge draw for me to join”.

ROBRADY design is a multi-disciplined product design and development studio that offers its multinational client base—including General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Dell Computers, Parker Hannifin, AT&T, Merial and Volvo Penta—progressive industrial design, mechanical design and engineering, graphics /packaging / GUI / web and eCommerce design, market research, brand and retail development, complete rapid prototyping and production program management. ROBRADY design stresses comprehensive speed-to-market product solutions by collaborating to identify the greatest areas of opportunity and producing innovative designs to deliver profitable product solutions. ROBRADY delivers design, production and capital solutions to their clients in support of their research to reality philosophy.

ROBRADY was represented by Michael Spieckermann and Claus Fischer of Innovative Bikes (db0 distributors) located in Ludenscheid, Germany. Innovative Bikes distributes the db0 throughout Germany and neighboring countries. Their website is http://www.innovativebikes.de.

The Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country‘s highest distinction in the field of design. It is known as the “Prize of Prizes”. This year, the organizers of the Design Award of the Federal Republic of announced a record number of entries – over 1,500 products were submitted for the competition. 25 winners in the product design category and 24 winners in the communication design category received the Design Award.

ROBRADY design demonstrates its commitment to sustainable design solutions through CEO Robert Brady’s appointment to the board of Advisors of Stealth Electric 4×4 Vehicles, the company’s Green Business Partnership certification and recent accolades from The Green GOOD DESIGN program and The Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Sarasota, FL, (PRWEB) November 3, 2010 – ROBRADY design, a vanguard of innovative and ecologically responsible design solutions for over two decades, has a portfolio that covers multiple industries and a client base that covers the globe. As the company continues to grow, so does its active and demonstrable commitment to sustainable, green design solutions.

In October, CEO Robert Brady accepted a seat on the board of advisors for Stealth Electric 4×4 Vehicles. Stealth, an Atlanta-based company, produces utility vehicles such as the Commander and the 64-volt Apache which are geared for the outdoor enthusiasts from hunters to golfers. “I’m excited to be part of the Stealth team,” says Brady. “They are constantly pushing the limits and redefining what electric 4×4 vehicles can be.”

On the corporate level, ROBRADY design received certification from the Green Business Partnership (GBP) in July. The GBP was initiated through a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to Sarasota County and has over 125 local members. Certification from the partnership recognizes those companies, business organizations and local governments that literally make environmental responsibility part of their business.

And ROBRADY’s dedication to sustainable design continues to garner acclaim in the U.S. and abroad. Last month, the studio won both a Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany and a Green GOOD DESIGN™ Award for its work on the innovative db0 electric folding bicycle.

The Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany is particularly distinctive because it is conferred only on products that have already proven their marketplace excellence by having won previous awards. More than just a high honor, the award provides recipients a means for demonstrating long-term success of their designs and brands.

Similarly, the Green GOOD DESIGN™ award, a specialized edition of the GOOD DESIGN™ program, emphasizes the importance of sustainable design and promotes international awareness of those companies doing the best job in sustainable design for the environment.

One of the largest and most prestigious design awards in the world, the Red Dot is a mark of excellence that serves as a preview of products to come. This year’s competition saw 180 awards issued among a pool of over 3,000 contestants from over 50 countries.

Andy Morrison, CEO of Wizard Machines, maker of the Rescue Wizard, approached ROBRADY with the concept for this life-saving tool unlike anything on the market. Leveraging mechanical and industrial design expertise, the studio exceeded the concept profile, delivering a device with great humanitarian and commercial appeal. Aside from obvious rescue applications, the Rescue Wizard could be indispensable for road crews, the forestry service, the military and outdoorsmen as well.

Andy Morrison of Naples, Florida founded Wizard Machines in 2008. Morrison had the idea for the Rescue Wizard for over 25 years, but until recently, the technology did not exist to achieve his vision for a reliable machine that was both light and durable. Then, in 2008 he discovered a new rope that had all of the attributes of steel cable but at 10% of the weight. Around that time, the devastating Sichuan, China earthquake struck, destroying as many as 600,000 structures in just seconds. These two events motivated him to search for a firm that shared his vision for the Rescue Wizard. His search culminated in a collaboration with ROBRADY design and the founding of Wizard Machines. Morrison has invested the last two years and substantial personal funds to bring make the Rescue Wizard to reality.

ROBRADY design is a multi-disciplined product design and development studio that offers its multinational client base—including General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Dell Computers, Parker Hannifin, AT&T, Merial and Volvo Penta—progressive industrial design, mechanical design and engineering, graphics /packaging / GUI / web and eCommerce design, market research, brand and retail development, complete rapid prototyping and production program management. ROBRADY design stresses comprehensive speed-to-market product solutions by collaborating to identify the greatest areas of opportunity and producing innovative designs to deliver profitable product solutions. ROBRADY delivers design, production and capital solutions to their clients in support of their research to reality philosophy.

The Florida High Tech Corridor is highlighting entrepreneurs in the region that are developing innovative technologies with the potential to revolutionize the industry.  These “Faces of Technology” interviews appear on the Faces of Technology YouTube channel, where viewers can watch these dynamic individuals tell their own stories.  Each of these 16 professionals discusses how they are using technology to facilitate the growth and development of creativity in the region.

“These Faces of Technology profiles showcase the extraordinarily diverse high tech sectors in the region through the eyes of industry experts,” said Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.  “They stand as testaments to the Corridor’s potential to significantly impact entire industries, if not the world.  We are so proud that they call Florida’s High Tech Corridor home, and we salute their passion and commitment.”

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is an economic development initiative of the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Florida (UF) whose mission is to grow high tech industry and innovation through research, workforce and marketing partnerships. A partnership involving more than 20 local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs) and 14 community colleges, the Council is co-chaired by the presidents of UCF, USF and UF. The Council includes the presidents of two of the community colleges, the president of Florida Institute of Technology and representatives of high tech industry.

ROBRADY design is a multi-disciplined product design and development studio that offers its multinational client base—including General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Dell Computers, Parker Hannifin, AT&T, Merial and Volvo Penta—progressive industrial design, mechanical design and engineering, graphics /packaging / GUI / web and eCommerce design, market research, brand and retail development, complete rapid prototyping and production program management. ROBRADY design stresses comprehensive speed-to-market product solutions by collaborating to identify the greatest areas of opportunity and producing innovative designs to deliver profitable product solutions. ROBRADY delivers design, production and capital solutions to their clients in support of their research to reality philosophy.

The Rescue Wizard is a gas-powered, man-portable winch capable of pulling loads as heavy as 12,000 lbs. (5,443.108kg). Designed for simple operation under the hardest circumstances, the winch can be used where destroyed roads and tight fits make heavy machinery and vehicles unfeasible and when electric power is unreliable, impractical (e.g. in or near water) or even nonexistent. As such, the winch is ideal for emergency rescue workers, forestry personnel, road crews and the military. With the Rescue Wizard, ROBRADY has surpassed the concept profile, leveraging mechanical and industrial design expertise to realize Morrison’s vision for a life-saving device with great commercial appeal. Aside from obvious rescue applications, the Rescue Wizard could be indispensable for road crews, the forestry service, the military and outdoorsmen as well.

The International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®) competition is a celebration of the year’s most inventive and creative product and product concept designs. Of the entries submitted, the judges recognize Finalist, Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. This year the competition received the most entries since it began 30 years ago. Out of 407 finalists, 38 were honored with the Gold award; while 64 received the Silver award and 88 won the Bronze award. IDSA has partnered with the Henry Ford in Dearborn and all finalists from this year will go into the permanent collection of the museum.

Andy Morrison of Naples, Florida founded Wizard Machines in 2008. Morrison has had the idea for the Rescue Wizard for the past 25 years. Over the years, with every disaster, Mr. Morrison thought about that ideal machine but the technology did not exist to achieve the needs he envisioned for a reliable machine that was light and durable in nature. Finally, in 2008 he became aware of a new rope that had all of the attributes of steel cable, but with 10% of the weight.  At about the same time there was a devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China that collapsed as many as 600,000 structures in a matter of seconds.  Those two events motivated him to begin a search for a firm that shared his vision.  That culminated in his collaboration with ROBRADY Design, of Sarasota, Florida, and the founding of Wizard Machines. Morrison has invested the last two years and substantial personal funds to bring the dream for the Rescue Wizard to reality.

ROBRADY is well known for their design prowess in the electric scooter and super bike world, but this is their first foray into the electric bicycle market. Fritz Maffry of the Dynamo Group, who is currently reviewing the db0 3.0 for North American distribution, sees the bike as a breakthrough, with the “same caliber of design DNA as products from Apple or Sony”. Maffry has been reviewing the bike and commented that “a crowd gathered when we were on our test drives” and feels that ROBRADY and DK City succeeded in elevating the design game in electric bicycle market. The Dynamo Group, which specializes in commercializing breakthrough light electric products, is keeping an eye out for future collaborations of ROBRADY and DK City – as Maffry states: “Can’t wait to see what they have coming next”.

ROBRADY has several interactive displays planned for their booth this year. In addition to the db0 folding bicycle, they will be featuring their XTools floating fishing equipment, Identity Stronghold Secure Sleeves, and the Vectrix VX-1 Maxi Scooter. They will be reaching out to technology companies to offer design, production and capital solutions. Dickie Herbst, Director of New Ventures for ROBRADY, will be available Friday morning at the booth and is looking forward to meeting with technology groups in the Tampa Bay area. Matt Leiter, Director of ROBRADY capital, will be available Friday afternoon as well.

CoolTECH, hosted by the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, is annual event featuring a display of interactive experiences designed to showcase the coolest technology coming out of the Tampa Bay region and beyond. Attendees check out cutting edge technology, gain insight from industry leaders and take part in interactive voting for the coolTECH Awards. The event attracts hundreds of attendees from the technology and business community and has something for everyone including industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and students. CoolTECH 2010 will take place June 4 at MOSI in Tampa.

ROBRADY design is a multi-disciplined product design and development studio that offers its multinational client base—including General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Dell Computers, Parker Hannifin, AT&T, Merial and Volvo Penta—progressive industrial design, mechanical design and engineering, graphics /packaging / GUI / web and eCommerce design, market research, brand and retail development, complete rapid prototyping and production program management. ROBRADY design stresses comprehensive speed-to-market product solutions by collaborating to identify the greatest areas of opportunity and producing innovative designs to deliver profitable product solutions. ROBRADY delivers design, production and capital solutions to their clients in support of their research to reality philosophy.