CSULB  Lecture Series:  Inspiring New Designers

Published on March 25th, 2015

RKS Chief Design & Innovation Officer, Scott Clear, had the honor of guest speaking at the Duncan Anderson Design Lecture Series at Cal State University Long Beach.

The discussion titled “Unexpected Innovation Through Design Leadership” outlined how designers can positively interact with large corporations. A series of real life case studies showed how RKS designers have brought innovation to new markets that corporate partners did not even know or believe were possible. Involvement from design brings a new perspective that opens up new doors to huge opportunities. This unique approach shows that greater innovation can be achieved by the application of design.

 

Through his career of building Brands by Design with Design-Led Innovation for many of the Fortune 500’s, Clear faced much discouragement and opposition from those who did not believe in the power of design. To this day he still hears “that’s not possible” on a regular basis. Clear uses this doubt as fuel and motivation to prove them wrong, and consequently increases their brand’s value, often times, by tens of millions. Clear shared tools and advice to push through the skepticism that all big thinkers are bound to face throughout their careers.

Scott shared both the highs and lows of his 30 years of experience in converting corporate leaders into strong believers in Design-led Innovation. The lecture inspired students who will soon take on careers in this industry to stay positive and never stop pursuing ideas that even experts believe are impossible. That is where the greatest reward lies.

“Design isn’t just about creating beauty, it’s also about creating market relevance with meaningful results.”

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About RKS

RKS is a design and innovation firm that creates solutions for clients that are relevant to the market, build the brand and create emotional connection. RKS services the full range of companies from funded startups to multinational corporations. Founder Ravi K. Sawhney cultivated a people-centric approach modeled from his work at Xerox PARC in the 1970’s, where innovative methods using psychology as an essential factor in design resulted in the first-generation touch screen graphic interface as well as many other breakthroughs. RKS came to national attention shortly after its founding by developing the production design of the animated Teddy Ruxpin, one of the greatest disruptive success stories in the history of the toy industry. Success followed success, with RKS being in on the ground floor of tablets with Alan Kay, Pocket Arcades with Sega and the game-changing dental whitening system for Discus Dental. Another milestone was the turnaround of MiniMed, developing a discreet personal insulin pump that allowed millions of diabetics to shed the stigma of being seen as “sick.” This inspired design took MiniMed from a declining $40M in revenue to $270M in three years, leading to its acquisition by Medtronic for $3.6B. The 1990’s brought a confluence of deep introspection and humanity, along with insights into how the work of Joseph Campbell and Abraham Maslow could inform design. This direction led to RKS Design’s highly acclaimed Psycho-Aesthetics methodology.
Scott Clear from RKS presenting in front of audience about design

CSULB  Lecture Series:  Inspiring New Designers

By RKS Design

About RKS

RKS is a design and innovation firm that creates solutions for clients that are relevant to the market, build the brand and create emotional connection.

RKS services the full range of companies from funded startups to multinational corporations. Founder Ravi K. Sawhney cultivated a people-centric approach modeled from his work at Xerox PARC in the 1970’s, where innovative methods using psychology as an essential factor in design resulted in the first-generation touch screen graphic interface as well as many other breakthroughs.
RKS came to national attention shortly after its founding by developing the production design of the animated Teddy Ruxpin, one of the greatest disruptive success stories in the history of the toy industry. Success followed success, with RKS being in on the ground floor of tablets with Alan Kay, Pocket Arcades with Sega and the game-changing dental whitening system for Discus Dental. Another milestone was the turnaround of MiniMed, developing a discreet personal insulin pump that allowed millions of diabetics to shed the stigma of being seen as “sick.” This inspired design took MiniMed from a declining $40M in revenue to $270M in three years, leading to its acquisition by Medtronic for $3.6B.

The 1990’s brought a confluence of deep introspection and humanity, along with insights into how the work of Joseph Campbell and Abraham Maslow could inform design. This direction led to RKS Design’s highly acclaimed Psycho-Aesthetics methodology.

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