Creative Strategies: 10 Approaches to Solving Design Problems

Fridolin Beisert is a product designer by training, a creative by choice, and a teacher by serendipity. He grew up in Hamburg, Germany, and is currently the creative director at baum-kuchen.net, an online lifestyle brand founded and operated by his wife. He is also a faculty member and director of the Product Design department at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he teaches creative problem solving, design process, and visual communication. Prior to these roles, Fridolin worked in Tokyo developing futuristic video games, formed a boutique design consultancy out of his garage, toured as an international underground DJ, wrote a book on learning design using 3D software, and studied traditional papermaking from a master craftsman in Japan.

Jessie Kawata is a designer and artist who loves to explore the world of science and technology. Her background in both product design and illustration led her to become one of the first in-house creative strategists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. She has played a key role in introducing design thinking and creative methodology into the design of early spacecraft mission concepts. When Jessie is not staring into space, she is back on Earth as a part-time instructor at Art Center College of Design's Saturday High, sailing tall ships, and treasure hunting at flea markets and record shops.