Hello my name is Jason.
I’m an industrial designer focused on driving business growth through unexpected design and thoughtful product innovation. Since earning my BFA in Industrial Design from UW–Stout in 2016, I’ve spent the past eight years designing consumer products across a wide range of categories and materials.
Core Interest:
I love creating—whether through music, art, or design—and I’m most energized by projects that connect with my personal passions. Working in the pet industry has allowed me to combine my design experience with inspiration from my two best friends, Miso and Lou, using empathy to create better stories and experiences for pets and their people.
I enjoy leading creative teams, challenging conventional thinking, and developing thoughtful, sustainable designs that are better for people, pets, and the planet.
Ethos:
Be kind to others, Honesty, Integrity, Accountability, Tenacity, Live healthy, continuously improve.
Leadership Skills:
Managing and leading teams
Process Development - Timeline creation/management, process development and management.
New material development
Empathic design research
Design Sprint + Problem Framing
Quantitative market research
Visual brand language design
Technical Skills:
Rapid Ideation Sketching + Prototyping
Adobe CC - Photoshop, Dimension, Illustrator, Premiere, Indesign
3D design - Solidworks, Blender
Rendering - Adobe Dimension, Keyshot (Render + animation), Sketchfab. Blender
3D printing + Slicing - Cura, Lulzbot, Makerbot, Form Labs
Apple - Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Garageband
Microsoft - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Teams
Deeper dive
In addition to design, I am an avid outdoor explorer, an animal lover, and a musician.
The Great Outdoors:
Growing up in rural Wisconsin shaped my appreciation for animals and the natural world, and continues to fuel my passion for sustainability. I’m happiest outdoors and hope to spend more time camping, trail running, and exploring new interests like mountain biking.
My Pets are a big part of my life.
For the last 3 years, I have spent nearly every day with my dog. Together we shuttle to and from the corporate headquarters to design pet products.
Louie Dog
Lou is my best friend, adventure partner, play enthusiast, and experienced office dog. Working in the pet industry means she often gets to join me—and has become a trusted product tester along the way. Lou plans to keep traveling by my side, inspiring plenty of fun ideas wherever we go.
Music:
Music has always been one of my favorite creative outlets. What started as playing acoustic guitar at home evolved into performing regularly after moving to Bozeman, Montana. There, I formed Bear Spray Akimbo and later Meteor Twelve, playing more than 20 shows, collaborating with the local music community, and spending countless hours writing and recording.
After moving to California, I started Dish Fire as a solo outlet—a place to revisit old songs, experiment with new ideas, learn new instruments, and develop my recording and production skills without the constraints of a band.
My latest project, Hypno Toads, brought me back to performing after a three-year hiatus. What started with a Craigslist post grew into a five-piece band blending rock with psychedelic, folk, blues, jazz, and metal influences. In our first year, we played seven shows throughout the San Diego area—and we’re still making noise.
