Resume

XIN CHEN

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

•  Had 3 fields’ design experience (Industrial design, Furniture design, UX design)

• Had 4+ years model shop experience for making prototypes (Woodshop, Metal shop, Model shop)

• Worked with 10+ types of wood, 5+ types of metal, and several types of plastics and other materials 

• Designed and made 20+ furniture and 8+ metal projects’ prototypes

• Developed 10+ industrial design projects with using Solidworks, Keyshot, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD (team project, furniture project, sports project, machine project, visual communication project) 

• Received 9 juried exhibits or competitions e.g. Des Moines Arts Festival

• Selected 3 finalists of furniture competitions, such as Pinnacle Awards and Student Competition

• Won 3 best of Show for the student creative exhibitions from Iowa State University

• 5 furniture pieces collected by a private client

• Successfully served with 2 sponsor companies and awarded 2 design honors from United Sports Brands Company

• Successfully collaborated with a colleague and awarded from the focus grant architecture project

• Awarded $4000 scholarship due to the excellent academic performance from Iowa State University

EDUCATION

Master of Industrial Design (MID), Industrial Design, Iowa State University (ISU), Ames, IA                        December 2019

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Integrated Visual Arts (Furniture and Metal Design), ISU, Ames, IA                    December 2017

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Fine Arts, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China                            June 2004

EXPERIENCE

Industrial Design Department, ISU, Ames, IA,          Aug 2018 – May 2019

Industrial Design Teaching Assistant, Assisted in teaching for 70+ students in industrial design history and Product realization classes for two semesters

•  Supported instructors: Assisted with course planning, materials, and teaching

• Advised students: Led the discussions; Answered questions during the office hours

• Managed class: Recorded students’ grades; Took attendance and recorded responses; Notified the information; Managed assignments and examinations such as proctoring, evaluating grade

United Sports Brands company (sponsored studio), a portfolio of leading, category-defining sporting goods brands, ISU, Ames, IA,          Aug 2018 - Dec 2018

Designer, Eyewear design and Self-defense product design

• Successfully Worked on two design tasks at the same time, Eyewear design and Safety tools project

• Effectively went through the industrial design process to design a final concept (Based on the design brief of the company provided, identified the design problem, researched users, market, and competitors’ products; Got insights from that; Determined criteria for designs, brainstormed ideas and refined ideas; Used Solidworks and Keyshot software to develop 3D models; Created physical prototypes of their designs)

• Used 6+ design techniques, methods, tools to explore, collect, analyze, understand information, such as design thinking, mind map, persona

• Created 4 presentations by using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign to demonstrate the design and the prototype; Presented the final design to the United Sports Brand company for approval

Vermeer corporation (sponsored studio), a manufacturer of industrial and agricultural equipment, Vermeer Applied Technology Hub, Ames, IA,          Jan 2018 - May 2018

Designer, Applied design brand language to Vermeer’s industrial product (Horizontal Directional Drill)

• Collaborated with a big team (20 people)

• Headed the seat team, provided 20+ designs, and used Solidworks, Keyshot made the digital and physical concept prototype

• Worked with the machine team, provided 5+ solutions for the opening problem

• Using design tools to research 3 related topics (understood the machines, operation, and using environment)

• Went through the design process for each section of the project (the user research; User testing, analyzing competitors’ products; Brainstorming ideas and creating models; Creating physical prototypes of the designs

• Created presentation by using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign to present the designs and demonstrate prototypes to Vermeer for approval

Art and Visual Culture Department, ISU, Ames, IA,          Aug 2016 -  May 2018

Art History Teaching Assistant, Assisted in teaching for 60+ students in Art history class for 5 semesters

• Supported instructors: Assisted with course materials and teaching

• Advised students: Led the students’ group discussion; Answered questions during the office hours

• Managed class: Recorded and evaluated students’ examinations; Took attendance and recorded responses; Notified the information; Managed and graded assignments

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Shenyang, Liaoning, China,                         Nov 2004 -  Jun 2011

Financial Consultant

• Established and maintained new financial accounts

• Built productive clients relationships and increased business

• Trained new consultants on effective service techniques

• Cold called local businesses to develop network and offer services

• Provided comprehensive assistance to help businesses adopt new services

AREA OF INTERESTS

Furniture design, Industrial Design (Product design, UX design, Problem solving), Metal design, 3D Modeling, Drawing, Painting

PERSONAL SKILLS

Design Thinking, Visual Communication, Storyboarding, Sketching, Rapid Prototyping 

Woodworking, Metalsmithing, Painting, Drawing, Photography 

SOFTWARE SKILLS

·     3D: Solidworks, C4D, Keyshot  

·     2D: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe XD, Adobe After Effects, Sketch 

·     Programming Language: Python (Basic)

·     Miscellaneous: Microsoft Office

LANGUAGE

English      Fluent        &        Chinese    Native

HONORS/GRANTS

2019    Design Awards, Self-Defense Tool, United Sports Brand, Ames, IA

2019    Honorable Mentions Design Awards, Eyewear Design, United Sports Brand, Ames, IA

2018    Best of Show, Apex Exhibit Student Juried Exhibition, Juror: Heather Johnson, director  of the Octagon Center for the Arts, ISU, Ames, IA

2017    Finalist, The 2017 Annual Pinnacle Awards and Student Competition, The International Society of Furniture Designers, High Point, NC

2017    Finalist, Emerging Artist, Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA

2017    Best of Show, Apex Exhibit Student Juried Exhibition, ISU, Ames, IA

2017    Valorie Kohnen Memorial Scholarship ($2,000), ISU, Ames, IA

2016    Finalist, Craft Forms 2016 (22nd International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft), Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA

2016    Focus Grant Project Awards, “Joyful Circle”, with Mark Moeckl, ISU, Ames, IA

2016    Best of Show, Studies in Creativity Student Juried Exhibition, “Happiness”, Juror: Larassa Kabel, ISU, Ames, IA

2016    Valorie Kohnen Memorial Scholarship ($2,000), ISU, Ames, IA

2015    Honorable Mentions, Art Inspired Juried Exhibit, ISU, Ames. IA 

2015    Finalist, Local Wonders Grant, Agriculture Arts Organization, ISU, Ames, IA