We set up company talks which provides students with direct and unique interactions with professionals from industrial design centered companies and organizations. The most recent of these talks was with Puma apparel and footwear designers. For this event, we were joined by two RISD ID alumni: Lauren Arthur ‘06 and Jacob Garcia ‘12 who currently design major products at Puma. The speakers were able to tell students in detail their journey to becoming designers at Puma and their experiences working at the company.
Students were able to gain unique insights into the company culture and an inside perspective on what it means to be a designer there. They were able to ask questions like “Are you really not allowed to wear competitor products at work?” (apparently it’s frowned upon) and get an exclusive look at products not yet in the market (a privilege we only had after making sure no cameras were in the room!). Through this process, students were able to get a sneak-peek into the everyday details of being a designer at Puma which usually remain unseen.