The Impossible Network 019: From Designing The Past To Inspiring The Future - Lucia DeRespinis
Guest Overview
A Pratt Industrial Design Alum and Professor, a former George Nelson senior designer, a career spanning over 60 years, creator of the iconic Dunkin Donuts logo and timeless products that still sell in high-end design stores, this week’s guest is 91-year-old, Lucia DeRespinis.
Lucia's life could not be described as easy or predictable. Moving home as a child every two years, her father dying when she was fourteen, being only one of 2 women in an industrial design class of 62 men in 1949, building a career in design in male-dominated 1950's New York, losing her husband at age 40, and bringing up child as a single mother, Lucia's life force should inspire anyone to defy what society defines as possible.
At 91-year-old Lucia is still a Professor at Pratt, passing on her wisdom, teaching design thinking to a new generation of talent, and in doing so re-calibrating our perception of age.
I hope you enjoy this deep dive into design, abstraction and life lessons with Lucia DeRespinis.
What we discuss:
- Lucia’s early life where change became the norm
- Her father’s influence on her design and building skills
- The impact of her father’s early death
- How chance or serendipity led her to a course on Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in 1949
- Being one of only two women on the course of 64 men
- How she confronted gender stereotypes in her first role
- Her path to becoming a senior designer at top design studio George Norman
- Her experiences at the World Fair in the USSR in 1960
- The impact of her husband, Lou’s early death
- Her answers and insights into Elaine’s design questions on abstraction and 3D
- Pratt’s approach to design
- How Dunkin Donuts Logo was born
- Her views on AI and the future of design
- Her perspective on the educational imperative
- Our quick fire questions
- And the Impossible Question
Links in show
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