Innovation Workshop CEDIM

This coming November/December I've been invited to teach a course on Innovation (Innovation I) at CEDIM (Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseño de Monterrey), in Monterrey, Mexico.

Monday November 23 to Friday December 4th of 2009

No weblink yet, but will post it and any course outline/material as soon as is available.

CEDIM main site here (In Spanish)

R

Footwear Design for Industrial Designers Course

Now teaching a 4th Year Minor Projects course at Carleton University, School of Industrial Design (Footwear Design for Industrial Designers) in Ottawa.

Course info here -

http://ides4301.blogspot.com/

R

Design Droplets Interview now posted

Designer Q&A Interview now posted to Design Droplets

PORTFOLIO

Please contact me at r@rkuchinsky.com to recieve a PDF copy
*Available for Interested companies only, please. Thanks


CV PDF

Please contact me at r@rkuchinsky.com to recieve a PDF copy of my CV.

SKILLS

BRAND BUILDING AND CREATIVE DIRECTION
Focused on creating effective integrated brand and product synergies through branding development, product design DNA creation and applied multi-disciplinary planning.

DESIGN MANAGEMENT
Excellent team manager focused on encouraging task based performance, strategic exploration and personal creative development. Effective team leadership and management with the ability to build teams, coach staff, and direct many projects simultaneously.

FOOTWEAR DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Creative product development from product line and brand building to design brief to sketch to sample. Outstanding quick concept sketching ability and 3D thinking, with the skill to explore many exciting possibilities. Direct experience creating innovative products across a wide variety of categories including performance and lifestyle footwear. Complete development capability including technical, material and manufacturing knowledge, footwear pattern review and sourcing. Extensive experience in Asia with footwear development and production practices.

CURRENT ACTIVITY

THE DIRECTIVE COLLECTIVE
Principal/Directive Creator
Jan 2007 – Present
Founder and Creative lead of a progressive new design consultancy, providing strategic solutions from concept to production and implementation. The Directive Collective is focused on footwear and lifestyle product with integrated brand design and realization.
www.directivecollective.com

CEDIM (Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseño de Monterrey)
Visiting Professor, Innovation I
November/December 2009 (Two Week Course)
Learning is the process of creating, acquiring, and transmitting an idea or concept, in order to modify the behavior to adopt that idea or concept. Therefore, new ideas are essential for the learning process. Course content will focus on innovation methods, related methods of innovation and the processes and methods of creating new ideas.
www.cedim.com.mx/

CARLETON UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
Sessional Lecturer, IDES 4301 Minor Projects A, Footwear Design for Industrial Designers (0.5 Credit 4th year Course)
Fall Term 2009
This course will provide students with exposure to the technical and creative skills required for athletic footwear design. It is designed to expose students to all of the practical phases and deliverables commonly executed by a practicing, professional athletic footwear designer. The course is structured into short phases and deliverables that follow the process from sketch to spec through 3 applied short projects. Focus will be put on time management, process, and meeting technical and creative requirements for all deliverables.
www.ides4301.blogspot.com/

FIRST PULLOVER
Founder
July 2005 – Present
Footwear Design/Development blog, offering a unique industry insight and perspective through revealing the behind-the-scenes methods and processes, from footwear concept to production.
Print version, First Pullover ‘The Book’, currently in development.
As featured on TrendHunter, Core77, Luxist, Business Week Design (online), Josh Spear Coolhunting
www.firstpullover.com

CORE77
Moderator and Contributor for footwear, design employment, projects and portfolio forums.
www.core77.com

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

DX / DESIGNERS IN THE CLASSROOM
Design Educator
Fall Term 2008
Guest Design Educator, organizing and leading a Gr. 5 project to bring design theory and practice to the classroom through a 10 week program (4 hours per week) organized by the Design Exchange (DX), in an effort to raise awareness of how design touches our lives everyday. Footwear focused project allowed students to explore the complete design process from target market development to concept design and prototype making.
www.dx.org

HUMMEL INTERNATIONAL A/S
Footwear Director
May 2004 – February 2007
Directed all creative and strategic activities to coordinate development and production of performance teamsport (football/indoor) and lifestyle footwear products.

Responsible for all product lines and business unit P&L including design, development, sourcing, production and costing. Established hummel footwear DNA and product best practices, reporting directly to CEO. Lead category designer for all categories, and direct manager for all footwear design and development staff. Responsible for all department resources, budgets and schedules in liaison with marketing and sales departments to meet sales and time targets, create and plan new product launches and develop support materials. Approx. 160 days/year experience in Asia.
www.hummel.dk

POWER ATHLETICS LIMITED
Product Line Manager (Athletic Sport/Sport Lifestyle), Senior Designer
August 2001 – March 2004
Creative Direction, design and development of an International product line of athletic footwear, reporting directly to VP/GM. Design responsibilities included trend/color forecasting, footwear design, graphic/packaging design, and development trips to Asia. Approx. 200 days/year experience in Asia. Management responsibilities included line building, project management, writing design briefs, supervision of design/development team, recruitment and hiring, and liaison with key accounts. (Responsible for 2 collections per year, approx. 600 SKUs annually)
www.powerfootwear.com

DESIGN WORKSHOP
Freelance Industrial Designer
August 2000 – April 2001
Contributed to projects developing a wide range of concept design directions, functional solutions for client presentation.

DESIGN WORKSHOP
Industrial Designer
May 1999 – August 2000
Designed and developed a wide range of projects from concept to CAD geometry including client/supplier liaison and coordination. Projects included packaging, kiosk, consumer electronics, high- tech optical equipment, graphic and web design. In addition, designed, developed and implemented a complete corporate identity revision including website
www.dwcanada.com

AWARDS

2007 Volvo SportsDesign AWARD Nominee, Personal Design, at ISPO, for hummel 8.4 PIO FGX

2005 Nominee for Footwear Collection of the Year, Global Sportstyle Award, ISPO 05

2005 Nominee for Designer of the Year, Global Sportstyle Awards, ISPO 05

2001 LG Electronics Design Competition, Honorable Mention, connecTOUCH

2001 Life By Design Competition sponsored by Dupont Canada, Finalist, THIN Kettle

2001 Carleton University Medal in Industrial Design

2001 Carleton University School of Industrial Design, Professor’s Award for
“Outstanding Skill and Knowledge in Design”

1996 Carleton University Gerhard Herzberg Entrance Scholarship for academic achievement

1997-1999 Carleton University George Fierheller Scholarship

EDUCATION

Carleton University, School of Industrial Design
B.I.D. (Bachelor of Industrial Design) Co-op, Hon.
1996-2001
Dean's Honor List student 1996-1999
GPA: 10.6/12 (A)

INTERESTS

Vintage automobiles, mid-century modern funiture and design, fashion design, cooking, visual art.