Zihan Zhou = Industrial Designer + New Media Artist + 1 of the 7.7 billion humans
Zihan is a designer & student who despises unsustainable practices and technological restrictions. He believes in the necessity of diversity in our built environment, the possibility of new technologies and the beauty of the enlightening experience which design brings to people. He designs for the space between human and human, human and objects, objects and objects utilizing industrial design and digital media art as medias.
Education
2018 - 2020
Rhode Island School of Design
Master of Industrial Design
2017
Art Center College of Design
Graduate ID (Attended)
2016
Rhode Island School of Design
Summer Study Program
2013 - 2017
Zhejiang University
Industrial Design, Bachelor of Engineering
Experience
2019
Teaching Assistant
Rhode Island School of Design (USA)
Sep 2019 - Dec 2019
Teaching assistant for Justin Sirotin's Manufacturing Techniques in Industrial Design Department.
Design Intern
Better Future Factory (NL)
Jun 2019 - Aug 2019
*Chief designer for a project which transformed old plastic folders into an installation for the new office building of Onderlinge's-Gravenhage. Responsibilities included ideation presentation, 3d modelling, material research, structure design, production and installation.
*Conducted research on market overview, developed user persona and propositions for packaging design for Erno Laszlo.
*Participated in product production for HEMA and another inhouse project.
*Client Experience: Onderlinge's-Gravenhage, Erno Laszlo, HEMA.
2018
Graduate Research Assistant
Rhode Island School of Design (USA)
Oct 2018 - May 2019
Experimented with a fungal bioplastic material which is biodegradable and can dissolve in salt water. Explored with different applications for this unique material under the instruction of Peter Yeadon.
Product Design Intern
Bentu Design (CHN)
May 2018 - Aug 2018
*Participated in design & research of several home products made of concrete, including lighting fixtures and wall tiles. The lighting fixtures will be lauched on the market in late 2019.
*Responsibilities included sketching, 3D modeling, rendering, mold design, prototyping and cooperating with suppliers.
2019
Furniture Design Intern
oodbee Studio (CHN)
Maty 2017 - Jun 2017
*Participated in designing wooden furnitures for a new product line which was launched in late 2017.
*Responsibilities included sketching, 3D modeling, design development and cooperating with manufacturers.
Exhibitions
Group
2019
2018
Reframing the Poster, RISD GD Commons
ID Graduate Studio Show, RISD Prov Wash
Award
2018
2017
RISD Graduate Fellowship, MID Department Award
ACCD Graduate Fellowship, Graduate ID Department Award