minor details 40 - Derek Cascio
Jan 28, 2019
Derek Cascio, assistant professor and co-founder of 4th Law Labs, shares his intriguing transition from animation to industrial design, emphasizing the value of mentorship and networking. He discusses the impact of social media on young designers and critiques the overly idealistic 'save the world' mindset in industrial design. Derek also dives into the importance of balancing traditional teaching with innovative, hands-on experiences, highlighting a project that merges design and education through a gamified board game.
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How Childhood Media Shaped A Career
- Derek traces his design spark to Transformers, Toy Story and the Art of Star Wars book that pushed him toward concept art and industrial design.
- He left RIT, worked in his family's pharmacy, then shifted to MassArt where he treated school like a job and doubled down on making connections.
Treat School Like Work And Stack Opportunities
- If a school or program doesn't fit, leave and find something that does; treat college like a job and push yourself hard while you're there.
- Build overlapping opportunities—student orgs, jobs, internships—that feed each other and expand your network.
Two Job Offers And A Crash Course In Engineering
- Derek landed two jobs in one day after his internship hustle and chose both opportunities, launching his professional ID career.
- His first major role at Color Kinetics taught him manufacturing and engineering fundamentals in a fast-paced environment.
