Tag Archives: Educational Partnerships

ACCD reciprocity: Corporate partnerships seed design innovation and design careers

Meet the Clump-o-Lumps, designed by Max Knecht

Meet the Clump-O-Lumps, designed by Max Knecht

The day Max Knecht pulled a squid, a walrus, a deer and a bunny out of a bright green vintage suitcase is the day he landed his first big deal as a designer.

“It was a formal meeting in [Knock Knock company founder and CEO] Jen Bilik’s office,” recalls Knecht PROD 11, who was still a student at the time. “But bringing all those animal body parts in a suitcase broke the seriousness.”

These were no ordinary plush toys. An imaginative take on swapping identities, Knecht’s bright-colored animals had a clever postmodern flair. Each one separated into three segments, and he demonstrated for Bilik how these “lumps” could be zipped together in any combination. She loved the crisscross-creature concept and offered Knecht a buyout on the spot. Today six different Clump-O-Lumps are available on Knock Knock’s website.

It’s tempting to call moments like this magic, the proverbial rabbit pulled out of a hat. Or a lucky break, all about who you know.

But it was none of these.

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Summer Term Educational Partnerships Announced

Just because it’s Summer Term doesn’t mean things move any slower here at Art Center. Take a look at some of the educational partnerships happening this term:

Para Nuestras Hijas: This Designmatters TDS will tackle this issue of cervical cancer among Latinas in Los Angeles. Students will create a communications program designed to increase acceptance of the cervical cancer vaccine among young women in under-served neighborhoods such as East L.A., where few are getting the vaccine. The program will be implemented by the LAC+USC Medical Center at the conclusion of the studio.

PCI 50th Anniversary Communications Program: This Designmatters TDS is the second phase of a two-part corporate identity design and 50th anniversary campaign project for Project Concern International (PCI). The course will focus on development of a visual communications programs promoting the 50th anniversary of PCI, recognizing its past accomplishments but also looking forward to the promise they have as a nonprofit global health organization.

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