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Industrial Designer / Creative Director
Ben LaBelle
San Diego, CA
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About
Hello. Some people call me the ‘USB Flash Drive King,’ others call me, ‘Sketch Demon’ or ‘Ben the Pen’. Regardless of my nicknames, over the past decade, my designs have consistently sold millions of units every year. From USB Drives; safety gear; medical testing equipment; military radio; toys, and more -- my track record of delivering products from sketch to market is undeniable. Working in a variety of design capacities from Blue-Sky/Think Tank sessions, to redesigns for long selling product lines, I have the experience to adapt to any project within today’s ever-changing environment on tight deadlines.
In addition, my prolific ideation sketching and strong engineering skills set me apart from the pack, as these two traits are not commonly paired together. With these skills, I have specialized in strategic industrial design solutions for small and big business that ranges from concept to prototype to photo-realistic CAD and tooling, all the way to production. I have also been able to work closely with engineers and inventors in need of viable and reliable solutions.
I am currently seeking to join a larger organization or company in order to find more job satisfaction while providing stable and consistent work flow while allowing me to do what I do best: Industrial Design. -
Education
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Bachelors of Science Industrial DesignCalifornia State University Long Beach2001
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Experience
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Senior Industrial Designer / EngineerCarabiner.comSan Diego, CAMay 2019 - Present (5 years 6 months)Click Senior Industrial Designer / Engineer Design lead for industrial design and engineering in development of carabiner based products - multi-tools, protective cases, electronics, cell phone accessories, camping equipment, sporting goods. Industrial design and engineering support in client meetings and brainstorm sessions including: - Ideation sketching for strategic problem solving, breadth and depth - Solidworks CAD modeling for tooling ready CAD of injection molded housings - Prototype construction and development for proof of concept - Photo-realistic Keyshot renderings for marketing materials, packaging, and investor review - Tech Pack Development for factory Request For Quote (RFQ)
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Industrial Design EngineerIVD VisionCarlsbad, CAAug 2018 - Present (6 years 3 months)Lead designer working on user interaction and customer experience, UX/UI, ergonomics and usability, function derived forms, design aesthetics, DFM, user testing and evaluation. - Industrial design support in brainstorm, engineering and client meetings - Strategic problem solving through research and collaborative sketch exploration - Solidworks CAD modeling for renderings and engineering reference for tooling - Photo-realistic Keyshot renderings for marketing materials, client, and grant proposals - Prototype construction for proof of concept and client meeting
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Director of DesignIdem Group Inc.Lake Forest, CAJan 2013 - Present (11 years 10 months)Head of product design and new business development for electronics manufacturing, specializing currently in consumer electronics, Bluetooth speakers, power packs, USB products, hard drive enclosures, and innovative new products. * Industrial Design and engineering support in client meetings and brainstorm sessions - Ideation sketching for strategic problem solving, breadth and depth - Solidworks CAD modeling for engineer and tooling ready CAD of injection molded housings - Prototype construction and development for proof of concept - Photo-realistic Keyshot renderings for marketing materials and packaging - Travel on behalf of company to clients in Silicon Valley and New Jersey
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Director of Industrial DesignSan Diego, CAJun 2001 - Present (23 years 5 months)Industrial Design and Product Development Studio providing innovative design solutions and strategy through a focused and iterative process, while seamlessly blending function and form. Specializing in supporting small land large companies in consumer electronics, and engineering firms from concept to prototype to CAD and tooling all the way to production. Also providing viable, lean, and reliable solutions for speed to market for investors, engineers, and inventors.
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Designer / InventorMonkeyTail GearSan Diego, CAJan 2016 - Jun 2019 (3 years 5 months)Design and Product Development - Research and evaluate new MonkeyTail product concepts according to market trends and appropriate mechanism usage - Design and develop products via sketching and CAD development - Create prototypes for user testing and buyer approval for proof of concept - Work with engineering and factory to achieve golden sample for production - Design and develop packaging for appropriate sales channels and markets Sales - Attend trade shows, frame deals, and follow-up with sales calls, sample kits, and deal closing - Maintain daily sales channels - website orders and shipping, follow up with current customers, and cold calling potential customers based on targeted marketing - Maintain and update CRM database daily - Re-order inventory as needed, packaging, and marketing materials - Create promotions and schedule sales events Marketing and Social Media - Create relevant targeted content to educate and advertise toward targeted demographic on a weekly/daily basis - Video capture, video edit, and create presentations for social media blasts - Organically grew followers on Facebook to 14K and Instagram to 2K
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Senior Industrial DesignerInova DesignOceanside, CAJun 2016 - Feb 2019 (2 years 8 months)Worked on conceptual designs and development of new product concepts for professional camera housings, clean food storage systems, water cooler systems, water flow regulatory valves, and Apple iWatch cases for aquatic use. - Industrial design support in client meetings and brainstorm sessions - Ideation sketching for strategic problem solving, breadth and depth - Solidworks CAD modeling for tooling ready CAD of injection molded housings - Photo-realistic Keyshot renderings for marketing materials and packaging - Prototype construction and development for proof of concept and fit testing of parts - Daily maintenance of development schedule with clients, factories, protoytpers, and internal/international teams - Travel on behalf of the company, work on and offsite with client, engineering team, and Inova team members
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Senior Industrial DesignerMindflow DesignCarlsbad, CAOct 2014 - Dec 2018 (4 years 2 months)Responsible for conceptual design and development of new product concepts, redesign of existing products, and creative, strategic problem solving for specialized uses for clients in medical, healthcare, and military applications. - Industrial design support and lead in presentations and client interfacing during meetings, reviews, and brainstorm sessions with work performed both on and offsite - Research design trends, competitive markets, ergonomic data to create relevant presentations and mood boards to set form and function goal reminders for alignment with team and client - Prolific breadth and depth sketching in team environments and independently - Prototype construction for function and proof of concept in various levels, materials, and processes - paper, foam-core, wood, metal, plastic, 3D printing, model making and assembly, paint, and logos - Maintain communication with teams, including international teams with relevant time frames - Client presentation creation and presenting with Microsoft and Adobe Suites
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Industrial Design ConsultantThe Design Academy Inc.San Diego, CAJun 2012 - Jun 2014 (2 years)Concept generation and idea development, predominantly Think Tank/Blue Sky skunkworks style brainstorm sessions - Eastman Materials Project: Exploration of new materials and processes for potential industry and consumer uses. Final sketches and prototype models presented for further developmental studies and possible products. - GE Oil and Gas Project: Vibe Scout involved the exploration of a wearable diagnostic tool for collecting vibration data for field operatives in the energy, turbine, and heavy machine industries. Emphasis is on hands-free, wearable options for maximum efficiency and productivity
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Creative Director, USAAvio CorporationIrvine, CAJan 2006 - Dec 2012 (6 years 11 months)Managed design and development for electronics manufacturing specializing in cables, computer peripherals, USB flash drives, data storage, hard drive enclosures, and innovative new products. While working with AVIO, provided industrial design support, attended meetings with clients, maintained development with factories in Asia at all hours to maximize schedule. Also traveled on behalf of company to client locations including Taiwan and Silicon Valley.
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Senior Industrial DesignerEwing Design GroupLaguna Beach, CAMay 2007 - Dec 2010 (3 years 7 months)Designed and developed multiple products in the medical, consumer electronics, and sport industries such as: golf swing trainers, safety knives for Spellbound and Taco Bell, a cricothyrotomy device for performing in the field, and a full line of power cords and electronics for Stanley and Westinghouse.
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Senior Industrial DesignerEVS Sports and Lift SafetyRancho Dominguez, CASep 2009 - Nov 2010 (1 year 2 months)Created the R4 Race Collar concept by noticing a gap in the line-up between the more rigid neck braces and softer neck rolls. The philosophy for the R4 was to bring the 2 worlds together to create a product that would be light and low profile yet offering absorption and protection. The R4 has been well received with great reviews and customer appreciation. http://www.ppsmoto.com/motocross-gear/neck-braces-evs-r4-best/ Worked with the design team on a variety of products including: The Axis knee brace, R8 Pro's carbon fiber inserts, motorcycle helmets, neck supports, knee braces, roost and chest deflectors, bags, gloves, causals, graphics, and packaging. Designed a hard hat system, knee supports, rugged gloves, safety vests, graphics and more for EVS's sister company, Lift Safety, which produces high-end, professional safety equipment for heavy industries such as oil and construction.
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Senior Industrial DesignerIcon Development Group Inc.Torrance, CAJun 2001 - Jan 2006 (4 years 7 months)- Designed and developed products and graphics in medical, packaging, consumer, promotional goods in healthcare, sports, novelty, and gift sectors. - Managed sales leads, ran trade shows, conducted follow up sales for in-house designed products for the wine packaging and promotional goods industry. - Oversaw brainstorm session, projects, and daily work for interns and junior designers, while providing and skill-set development.
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Helmet Developer and DesignerParts Unlimited Inc.El Cajon, CAApr 2003 - Dec 2004 (1 year 8 months)Helmet developer in charge of all the helmet lines for ThorMX, Icon Motorsports, and Z1R. Developed one of the first pink helmets for street and scooters, Harley helmet graphics, street bike graphics. Managed freelance artists for artwork on helmets, jackets, casuals, and gloves. Traveled to factories in South Korea to tighten timelines from 18 months late to on-time deliveries.
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Industrial Design InternCatalyst Strategic Design - HuntingtonHarbor, CA1999 - 1999- Ideation sketching for Football/Soccer safety gear
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Industrial Design InternPivot Design GroupTustin, CA1999 - 1999Concept development for exercise bicycle seat for gym equipment including: sketching, creating closed cell foam molds, fabrication of jigs for seat prototyping and ergonomic testing, graphic design, mass prototype construction
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Industries
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Skills
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Elsewhere on the Web
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On Coroflot@benlabelle, member since 2008
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Following 13
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Followers 2
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