- Michael Prince
-
This article is about the American industrial designer. For the Egytian author, see Michael Maurice Prince.
Michael Prince, President of Beyond Design, Inc.
Michael Prince (born 1963, Rochester, New York) is an industrial designer and the founder of Beyond Design, Inc., a product and strategic design consultancy located in Chicago, IL. Beyond Design has grown to become one of the leading industrial design firms in Chicago.[1] Beyond Design, Inc. has experience across diverse markets including work for Trane, Dremel, Rayovac, Remington, Jarden (Sunbeam Products, Oster, and Mr. Coffee), Sony, and Culligan.
Contents
History
A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in Industrial Design, Prince worked for independent design consulting firms and corporations, including Anderson Design, Sony, Thomson/RCA, Joss Design, and he had two summer internships at IBM, before starting his own company.[2]
Prince’s goal with Beyond Design was to bring an innovative process to product development. The technology available to designers and engineers was beginning to expand with the increased use of Pro/ENGINEER and the development of Solidworks in 1993,[3] and he believed it created the perfect opportunity to start a new firm—focusing on young talent with strong potential. The company name, Beyond Design, was chosen in part because of the new millennium, but also because the firm goes “beyond” the basics in all areas of product development. Prince wanted a timeless name that would clearly define the vision he had for his company.
Entrepreneur Ventures
The Ultimate Hanger®, 1997 Silver IDEA Award.In 1996, with his entrepreneur spirit, Prince launched a line of consumer storage and organization products made out of recycled material under the name "Ultimate Hanger®", which later went on to win a Silver IDEA Award. Other Ultimate Hanger® products were created to complement the product line and include the Ultimate Belt Hanger and Ultimate Tie Hanger. In 1998, Prince sold the brand to St. Louis based Contico International, now part of Katy Industries, Inc.[4]
BuzzBrush® 2-in-1 Computer Cleaning AccessoryThis entrepreneur adventure was followed shortly by the collaboration with Eitan Weiner-Kaplow to found Way Beyond, LLC and introduce the Da Vinci Writer™ Stationery Set, which allowed the user to create the same mirror writing style of left-handed Leonardo da Vinci.[5]
Currently, Prince is expanding his entrepreneur ventures with the development of the BuzzBrush®, a two-in-one computer keyboard cleaning accessory and LCD screen cleaner, and its future sister products. He has launched the new line of computer cleaning accessories under the company name BuzzCo, LLC.[6] The products are designed to prolong the life of your computer and other electronic products, as well as make them more sanitary and healthier for the user. The BuzzBrush® was recognized as a Finalist in the 2011 IDEA Awards.[7]
Personal life
Prince currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two children. He is an active member of IDSA.[8]
References
- ^ http://www.idsa.org/content/content1/design-chicago
- ^ http://www.idsa.org/content/content1/student-mentor-directory
- ^ http://www.solidworks.com/sw/656_ENU_HTML.htm
- ^ http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=KATY.OB
- ^ http://www.lefthandzone.com/site/684713/product/B17
- ^ http://www.buzzbrush.com
- ^ http://www.idsa.org/buzzbrush%C2%AE
- ^ http://www.idsa.org/michael-prince
See also
Categories:- American industrial designers
- Living people
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
