Design Life
Learning, Leading and Giving
Hi, I’m Max.
In 1979, I started my Industrial Design journey at San Jose State University and today, remain on a constant path of learning. Call it the growth mindset.
I’ve led both consultancies and corporate design teams in the pursuit of great design, building sustainable and supportive work places, and thinking ahead of the curve.
I currently share my knowledge and experience with students and companies in the pursuit of great work.
The 1 minute story below.
Lunar Design
60 + projects
35 + clients
65 + awards
Getting the basics down: Design and Leadership
Lunar (now McKinsey Design) represented the classic design consultancy where variety was what you made of it. There was a lot to be had! I was employee #10 when I joined as a designer in 1988. Working in their Palo Alto office, I soaked up what Silicon Valley had to offer.
a special time in Silicon Valley >
Lunar offsite reel
Motorola
Visualizing the future
Design is Strategic
After a solid 18 year run at Lunar, it was time for a new journey.
In 2004, the RAZR put the Moto brand on the map. Motorola also had tons of technical expertise in multiple product categories. With that, it was an easy decision to join Motorola’s Consumer Experience Design group. In 2006 I led a new team to visualize the future of consumer product experiences.
Hint Experience | Rhea Jeong
From Zero: A New Brand
During my last two years at Moto, Google bought and sold the company. I wanted to find a place where I could continue development of the forward looking experiences we started at Moto.
I joined Google to help build an ID team to support the ambitious goals of a new product line. I was also hopeful of creating new experiences with both HW and SW. The portfolio hit like a landslide in year one and they haven’t looked back since.
Pixel was launched in 2016
Pixel 7 | Jaeun Park video | Google
Design’s Future
Design’s biggest problem?
Guidance: Starting Early and Diversification
“Be an engineer” says mom, “it’s a great job.”
That statement was made in Middle School. Most people still don’t know what Industrial Design is. How will parents and kids discover the profession? The field also lacks diversity, maybe due to its unknown status? Possibly, but there’s more to it than that.
I hope to influence change in my current roles at San Jose State and Project Invent.
SJSU Art and Design
Working as an Industrial Designer
That’s Engineering right? No, Industrial Design. And yes, I had to explain to my family what kind of work I was going to do after college. Their support brought me a sense of independence and the feeling of trust.
That trust gave me the confidence to move forward full throttle. I also felt the pressure to do well. I did not want to let them down.
This is how I work: be committed, care about the work and people, and become a trusted partner.
21-21 Design site Japan for Pixel 4