PRODUCT INNOVATION
& DESIGN INSTRUCTOR
Dear Guest Speakers,
Thank You!
2025-26
Footwear & CMF Designer
Industry: Footwear, Graphic Design
Portfolio
Industrial Designer & Kickstarter
Industry: Cosmetics, Stationery, & More
Portfolio
Muralist & Entrepreneur
Industry: Murals, Cars, & More
Portfolio
Principal Packaging Designer
Industry: Medical Packaging & More
Work
Sr. Packaging & Design Coordinator
Industry: Medical Packaging
Work
You Asked!
They Answered:
QUESTION #1
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QUESTION #3
QUESTION #4
ANDI NOVOA-GREFF
Industrial Designer
Altitude Refillable Ballpoint Pen
Finis Luna Monofin
Finis Mermaid Swim Caps
KVD Liquid Lipstick
Snif Bottle & Packaging
Legend of Zelda-inspired enamel pins on Etsy
Those are just some of them — Some were limited edition or holiday and some are still being sold today! More to come!
Altitude Refillable Ballpoint Pen
Finis Luna Monofin
Finis Mermaid Swim Caps
KVD Liquid Lipstick
Snif Bottle & Packaging
Legend of Zelda-inspired enamel pins on Etsy
Those are just some of them — Some were limited edition or holiday and some are still being sold today! More to come!
I grew up in Houston, Texas in a lower-income middle class family. I have two parents and three siblings— so we were a family of six, struggling pretty hard. I did however have financial aid to attend a private middle and high school which helped me prepare for college (the high school I went to was an all-girls catholic college preparatory high school). In high school, to recieve my financial aid I had to do interviews with the donors every year to confirm I was still a good fit and interested in continuing my education at my high school, and also had to do work-study after school, which meant I helped teachers clean their classrooms, helped grade papers, stayed late to organize student work, and overall earn my time for financial aid. This meant that I didnt have much time or space for extracurriculars like sports, theatre, or music. I did, by my senior year, take more art classes and participate in choir because it didn’t require time after school. When I got to college I was super prepared to manage college AND part time jobs. By my third year of university (University of Houston) I was managing going to school, and three part time jobs, so that I could afford to get and maintain a 1994 honda accord (in 2011-2012), as well as buy my supplies for studio. In college, I didn’t have much time for social things with friends because of the amount of work I did as well as the courses I was taking. I took a year off of university to attend community college late evening classes so that I could continue to work, but was able to finish my senior year a year later and won awards for my final design (though i didn't get to graduate with my original classmates and friends). I was so proud of finishing and all the hard work I put in alongside work. When I finally got out of college I worked for a year in my city at a professor's company, and used what I earned to get ahead on my student loans and also to pay for entry to some competitions for some of the work I had done in college and at work. One of those competitions was Red Dot design Award. Another was IDSA Women in Industrial Design — this one helped me exhibit my work and get connections to be able to move to California and work for Finis, Inc. a swimming company in 2014-2015! The rest is history!
Do what you love while you have time. I know that in high school and college sometimes helping our family with money and working part time can interfere with being able to do fun things for ourselves and for our future, but remembering to find joy in the potential to create and also to create can actually turn out amazing. The resilience and doing what you can with the time and resources you have can create beautiful results in art and design. An instagram is free— creating found-art or having ideas is free, don’t filter your ideas out and just try things out, post them online, share them with friends and family, you never know who you might connect with over your creativity and art.
Stay energized! I know school can be boring or tiring, but legit the real world is more tiring! Try to find the thing, the grain of hope that motivates you! I can show ya’ll some YouTube videos of paintings I painted when i was in high school all by myself in my room late at night, because I wanted to create and make art, but had no way of getting to friends houses because I had no car or family who could take me anywhere! Being creative and using bursts of energy to have fun is a way to bring hope when things feels crazy or chaotic.
Do what you love while you have time. I know that in high school and college sometimes helping our family with money and working part time can interfere with being able to do fun things for ourselves and for our future, but remembering to find joy in the potential to create and also to create can actually turn out amazing. The resilience and doing what you can with the time and resources you have can create beautiful results in art and design. An instagram is free— creating found-art or having ideas is free, don’t filter your ideas out and just try things out, post them online, share them with friends and family, you never know who you might connect with over your creativity and art.
Stay energized! I know school can be boring or tiring, but legit the real world is more tiring! Try to find the thing, the grain of hope that motivates you! I can show ya’ll some YouTube videos of paintings I painted when i was in high school all by myself in my room late at night, because I wanted to create and make art, but had no way of getting to friends houses because I had no car or family who could take me anywhere! Being creative and using bursts of energy to have fun is a way to bring hope when things feels crazy or chaotic.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. This website is intended as a resource, not a statement of fact. I make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content and assume no liability for any actions taken based on the information provided.