Meet Craighton, Launch Studio Expert
Craighton Berman is a talented designer with a diverse creative practice that spans designing products, illustration, and creative facilitation.
His design practice is focused on running Manual, a home goods brand that creates products for slow living. The first Manual product was a salt cellar and pepper shaker set. Launched in late 2010, it was the first product to ever be funded on Kickstarter.
In the ensuing decade, Craighton went on to launch ten other Manual products on Kickstarter. They’ve ranged from a cocktail collection, to stools, ceramics, plant stands — his most recent effort — and coffee makers — he takes coffee very seriously.
Through Manual, Craighton proved that crowdfunding can support an independent design practice that emphasizes ideas, storytelling, and organic growth. He also developed a conceptual framework and practical set of tools for this type of design entrepreneurship.
This served as the foundation for his course at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There he taught young designers how to take an entrepreneurial approach to developing an independent design practice.
For his contribution to establishing Kickstarter as a powerful tool for product designers, Craighton was recognized as Kickstarter Thought Leader in 2017. His design work can also be found in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Craighton is also a prolific illustrator.
His illustration practice combines design-thinking and napkin-sketching to bring to life stories, concepts, and processes. He employs his skills in projects ranging from serious work — such as helping hospitals visualize critical processes — to playful endeavors — exemplified by his No Commercial Value series of work.
In live settings, Craighton applies his visual thinking techniques and illustration talent to facilitate workshops and graphically record events.
For Launch Studio, Craighton has pulled from his expertise in storytelling and his experience building an independent design studio. He shares frameworks and tools that will help independent designers assess product ideas, and empower creators to better understand their audience and develop stories that resonate more strongly.
We are delighted to have Craighton on our team. He is a thought leader in the design entrepreneurship space, and an expert on how crowdfunding can support designers who are building an independent design practice.
In this short video you’ll hear Craighton share his story and some sage advice.
Enroll in the course to learn from Craighton and our other amazing experts. The first cohort of our Kickstarter Masterclass will kick-off early this summer. We’ll start accepting applications next week. Spots will be limited, so sign-up here to be the first to know when we go live.
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Launch Studio is an education studio focused on supporting designers, creative studios and startups who make physical products. Our first course, Kickstarter Masterclass, offers step-by-step guidance that empowers creators to successfully launch products using crowdfunding.
