Stevenson School of Design Professor Earns Patents and Prestigious Award for a Summertime Staple
Stevenson School of Design Professor Earns Patents and Prestigious Award for a Summertime Staple
Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Communication Design at Stevenson’s School of Design, Inna Alesina, recently was named on multiple patents for her work in designing a round, durable boat for children called a CORCL. The CORCL won an ‘Honourable Mention’ in the Red Dot 2018 Product Design Awards, one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions and will be on display at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany.
Alesina made several prototypes for testing purposes. The first prototype was made by weaving a bamboo structure and covering it with plastic sheets. A foam prototype was then produced, tested, modified, and tested again. Finally a plastic boat was manufactured then redesigned to fit the needs of children.
Alesina’s role in the CORCL was design and design management where she worked on all aspects of functionality, usability, safety, material, manufacturability, ergonomics, testing, and of course, visual appeal. Alesina’s wide breadth of skills continually ‘touched’ the product beyond design into branding and marketing. The CORCL team described Alesina’s work as “brilliant” and “amazing “earning them the dazzling seal of design approval.
As an industrial designer with more than 20 years of experience, Alesina has dozens of patents to her name. The CORCL received three patents: Two design patents were earned to protect how the product looks and one utility patent was earned to protect how the product functions. An additional Canadian patent is pending.
Alesina enjoys providing her students with the ability to work with local clients. She hopes the patents and award inspire her students to pursue design beyond the classroom.
Alesina has taught at the university for four years.
For more information on Stevenson’s School of Design, visit Stevenson.edu.
Stevenson University is the third-largest independent university in Maryland with more than 4,100 students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and adult bachelor’s programs at locations in Stevenson and Owings Mills.