Davin Stowell
Encyclopedia
Davin Stowell is the founder and CEO of Smart Design
, a multi-disciplinary design consultancy. An expert in strategic consumer product design and planning, Stowell steered the design directions for a number of clients including: OXO International
, Hewlett-Packard
, Johnson & Johnson
, Gillette and World Kitchen
.
The OXO Good Grips line he created in 1989 introduced the concept of Universal Design
in everyday products. He has received more than two dozen awards, including the IDSA
/BusinessWeek
"Design of the Decade Gold Award," the American Society on Aging American Gold, the first Arthritis Foundation
Award. The OXO story is currently used as a design management case study in the MBA program at Harvard University
.
Stowell studied industrial design
from Syracuse University
. He opened his own design office in 1978, which became Smart Design
in 1980. Stowell is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America
, the recipient of numerous patent
s, and his work is featured in museum collections worldwide.
Smart Design
Smart Design is a multi-disciplinary design consultancy established in 1980 by Davin Stowell, Tom Dair, Tamara Thomsen, Dan Formosa, and Tucker Viemeister. The firm employs 120+ people in its three locations - New York, San Francisco, and Barcelona . Their approach to solving design challenges...
, a multi-disciplinary design consultancy. An expert in strategic consumer product design and planning, Stowell steered the design directions for a number of clients including: OXO International
OXO International
OXO is a manufacturer of kitchen utensils, office supplies, and housewares based in New York City.-History:OXO was founded by Sam Farber, an entrepreneur in the housewares industry...
, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
, Gillette and World Kitchen
World Kitchen
World Kitchen, LLC is a kitchenware products maker and distributor based in Rosemont, Illinois. The company began as the Corning Consumer Products division of glassmaker Corning.-History:The division was spun off from Corning in 1998 and purchased by Borden...
.
The OXO Good Grips line he created in 1989 introduced the concept of Universal Design
Universal design
Universal design refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to both people without disabilities and people with disabilities....
in everyday products. He has received more than two dozen awards, including the IDSA
IDSA
IDSA may stand for one of the following.*Industrial Designers Society of America*Infectious Diseases Society of America*Entertainment Software Association, formerly the Interactive Digital Software Association*Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses...
/BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
"Design of the Decade Gold Award," the American Society on Aging American Gold, the first Arthritis Foundation
Arthritis Foundation
The Arthritis Foundation is the largest national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to the prevention, control and cure of arthritis, the leading cause of disability in the United States....
Award. The OXO story is currently used as a design management case study in the MBA program at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Stowell studied industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. He opened his own design office in 1978, which became Smart Design
Smart Design
Smart Design is a multi-disciplinary design consultancy established in 1980 by Davin Stowell, Tom Dair, Tamara Thomsen, Dan Formosa, and Tucker Viemeister. The firm employs 120+ people in its three locations - New York, San Francisco, and Barcelona . Their approach to solving design challenges...
in 1980. Stowell is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America
Industrial Designers Society of America
Industrial Designers Society of America is an organization of professional industrial designers primarily in the United States. Recently IDSA has started chapters in Canada and in China...
, the recipient of numerous patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s, and his work is featured in museum collections worldwide.