FINALIST - "Jot Chair" - Rick Lewis - Palo Alto, CA

Rick Lewis is a co-founder of the Palo Alto, California design studio seven02. Rick is focused on design and user experiences that engage, inspire and satisfy people. Our memories, aspirations and everyday experiences inform the things we use and the things we make.

The goal of seven02 is to maintain a balance between commercial work (practice) and experimental work and teaching (theory). Rick’s commercial work spans a wide range of industries from start-ups to international companies including Avery, Fujifilm, Livescribe, Logitech, Medtronic, Moen, Nokia, TeaSpot, WD-40 and Western Digital.

Experimental design projects include the Luna Light + Air door featured in the 2005 International Milan Furniture Fair. In 2008 Rick’s design of the one or a bunch vase was launched as a seven02 product and can be found at a variety of retail stores including MoMA and online at www.oneorabunch.com.

Prior to seven02, Rick worked at the studios of IDEO, frogdesign, Philips Design Eindhoven/NL, Designworks/BMW, and Henry Dreyfuss Associates. Rick’s work has been recognized over the years through satisfied clients, numerous patents, and international design awards such as the Good Design, Spark, IDSA, ID magazine, G-Mark, IF, Forma Finlandia 2, and Braun Prize.

In addition to his responsibilities at seven02 Rick is also an Adjunct Professor in Industrial Design at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco and has taught at Stanford University and the Design Academy Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Rick received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and BS in Industrial Design from the University of the Arts.


FINALIST - "Clarity" - Ross McCoy - Las Vegas, NV

Born February 10th 1981, in Wichita, Kansas. Ross McCoy grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Ross graduated from Kansas State University with a Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design in May, 2008. Ross' thesis project was Organic Design: Composite Materials in Furniture Design.

During his studies he assisted in a variety of student lead software classes and mentored numerous classmates in the use of 3D and graphic design software.

Ross was the winner of the 2007 SOURCE Awards Student Lighting Design Competition.

He studied Glass Design at Denmark's International Study Program during the summer of 2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Ross currently works as a Freelance Furniture Designer and as an Architectural Designer and 3D Visualization Artist at Klai Juba Architects Las Vegas, Nevada.


FINALIST - "W Lounge Chair" - Daisuke Nagatomo & Minnie Jan - New York, NY

Originated from Japan, Daisuke Nagatomo graduated from Meiji University in Tokyo, and decided to pursue his passion of architecture at Columbia University, where he received master degree in advanced architectural design. Concentrated on computational science and digital fabrication, Daisuke successfully developed building design with innovative structural system. Daisuke began his career in the metropolitan New York area with architecture firms, including TEN Arquitectos and Design Office for Research and Architecture. He also co-taught graduate studio at Pratt Institute (New York).


Minnie Jan received Bachelor of Architecture from University of Southern California, and she continued to pursue in the field of architecture at Columbia University, where she obtained master degree in 2004. Under the multi-cultural influence, Minnie is particularly interested in the relationship between space, scale, and human comfort. She currently holds a designerposition in FXFOWLE Architects in New York, where she concentrated in sustainable building development, including projects in Dubai, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Co-founded MisoSoupDesign in 2004. Minnie and Daisuke dedicate their practice on researching material property, systematic strategy, and re-evaluate functionality. Both being USGBC LEED accredited professionals, they are aware of the direct connection between environment and limited resource, and the concept of their design constantly incorporates new ideas with minimal wasted material. With the aid of digital technology, they began to apply the systematic way of thinking in furniture design, and discover the surprising moment when form meets function.

MisoSoupDesign has received numerous design awards, including honorable mention in Biennale Miami 2005, 1st prize in ACADIA competition 2007 and FEIDAD design merit award 2008. Their work has been published globally, including Frame magazine, Tatlin, L’arca, and Interior magazine in Taiwan


VIEWER'S CHOICE - "Y Shift Chair" - Louie Rigano - Providence, Rhode Island

With a strong interest in furniture design, Louie Rigano is currently a junior pursuing a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design and a concentration in Environmental Responsibility at Rhode Island School of Design.

With a background in ceramics, Louie has studied traditional pottery techniques and Japanese aesthetics in Kyoto and Osaka, Japan.

He is currently in Rome, for five months of independent study and travel as part of RISD's European Honors Program. Louie is from New Jersey and is twenty years old.