616 Presents: Justin Beitzel advocates for the user, beauty in design
Fernando Ramirez sits down with Justin Beitzel and talks about how a boy from a small town in Maryland became a designer at Steelcase.
On this week’s podcast, Fernando Ramirez invited his good friend Justin Beitzel over to speak about his thoughts on being a designer.
Beitzel started off as an engineer, thinking that it would lead to a job that would fulfill him and provide for his family. However, he felt the need to be closer to the user and to make an impact on people’s lives.
Having grown up Mennonite in a small town in Maryland, where the coal and mining industries were strong, being a designer wasn’t exactly his family’s first choice for his future career. With a passion for design, and a little push from an aunt, he found his way to Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD) in the Industrial Design program.
The program at KCAD, he says was inspiring and provided a lot of experience. A wide variety of local Grand Rapids companies were willing to work with students, giving him the chance to work alongside companies like Wolverine and Landscape Forms. Beitzel’s professors were experienced and currently worked in the field and were able to pass along opportunities to the students.
Beitzel has kept his small town values and keeps them in mind when designing at Steelcase. His empathetic approach makes him sensitive to the users’ needs, which is really what design is all about.
616 Presents is a podcast recorded at Light Gallery + Studio in Grand Rapids, MI. With a focus on Art, Design, and Community, conversations are had with the movers and shakers living in Grand Rapids — or just passing through. The hosts for 616 Presents are Erika Townsley, Fernando Ramirez, and Matthew Provoast. Recording supported by Kearney Creative.
