Speakers & Studios

From Artists and Designers to Researchers. From Financial Managers to Philosophers.

Speakers + Studios at SVA Graduate Product Design in NYC

Students meet design's most creative, rule-breaking individuals—up close and personal.

MFA Products of Design offers a comprehensive product design graduate curriculum. Not only do our students learn physical and digital product design, but they also gain knowledge from other disciplines of design, including, service design and social innovation design. We value providing students with opportunities to collaborate with some of the top designers in the industry. When you're a part of the MFA Products of Design master's program, you can attend visiting lectures and professional studio tours.

World-renowned artists, guest critics, creative thinkers, and designers lead our workshops and lectures to help students get the most out of their time at MFA Products of Design. Students can visit some of the biggest professional design studios in New York City and speak with the leading designers.

We host many renowned designers, critics, thought-leaders, and artists in our Visiting Lecture Series. Several events are open to the local New York design community.

Check out just some of our guest speakers:

Natasha Jen (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Natasha Jen

Pentagram

Neri Oxman (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Neri Oxman

MIT Media Lab

Dori Tunstall (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Dori Tunstall

OCAD U

Debbie Millman (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Debbie Millman

Design Matters

Bibi Seck (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Bibi Seck

Birsel+Seck

Paola Antonelli (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Paola Antonelli

The Museum of Modern Art

Michael Bierut (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Michael Bierut

Pentagram

Ellen Lupton (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Ellen Lupton

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Giorgia Lupi (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Giorgia Lupi

Pentagram

Liz Ogbu (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Liz Ogbu

Designer, Urbanist, Spatial Justice Activist

Aimee Mullins (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Aimee Mullins

Athlete, Advocate

Elliott P. Montgomery (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Elliott P. Montgomery

The Extrapolation Factory

Cameron Tonkinwise (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Cameron Tonkinwise

Educator, Critic

Bobby Martin (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Bobby Martin

OCD

Jill Magid (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Jill Magid

Artist

George Aye (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

George Aye

Greater Good Studio

Nate Silver (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Nate Silver

FiveThirtyEight

Valerie Casey (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Valerie Casey

Samsung

Dong-Ping Wong (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Dong-Ping Wong

Plus Pool

Anthony Dunne (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Anthony Dunne

Dunne & Raby

Debbie Chachra (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Debbie Chachra

Olin College of Engineering

Douglas Rushkoff (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Douglas Rushkoff

Author

 

Layla-Joy Williams (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Layla-Joy Williams

Iylia

Sam Potts (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Sam Potts

Sam Potts Inc.

Ari Melenciano (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Ari Melenciano

Creative Technologist

Ti Chang (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Ti Chang

Crave

Nathan Shedroff (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Nathan Shedroff

Author

Debera Johnson (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Debera Johnson

Pratt Institute

Ezio Manzini (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Ezio Manzini

Desis Lab

Ingrid Fetell Lee (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Ingrid Fetell Lee

The Aesthetics of Joy

Timothy Bardlavens (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Timothy Bardlavens

Facebook

Liz Jackson (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Liz Jackson

The Disabled List

Jessica Helfand (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Jessica Helfand

Design Observer

Margaret Maile Petty (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Margaret Maile Petty

Victoria University

Chelsea Mauldin (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Chelsea Mauldin

Public Policy Lab

Tina Roth Eisenberg (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Tina Roth Eisenberg

Swiss Miss

Chuck Hoberman (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Chuck Hoberman

Hoberman Associates

Conor Clarke (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Conor Clarke

Design Factory

Laura Forlano (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Laura Forlano

IIT Institute of Design

Michael Anastassiades (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Michael Anastassiades

Designer

Elizabeth Scharpf (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Elizabeth Scharpf

Sustainable Health Enterprises

Stephen Kavanaugh (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Stephen Kavanaugh

Design Factory

Deborah Adler (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Deborah Adler

Target Pill Bottle

Steve Portigal (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Steve Portigal

Portigal Consulting

Sloan Leo (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Sloan Leo

FLOX Studio Inc

Tim Brown (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Tim Brown

IDEO

Ralph Caplan (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Ralph Caplan

Author

Lea Simpson (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Lea Simpson

Brink

Charles Adler (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Charles Adler

Kickstarter

Andrea Steele (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Andrea Steele

Ten Arquitectos

Jane Penty (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Jane Penty

Sustainable Design Consultant

Dale Dougherty (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Dale Dougherty

Maker Media

Nicole Katz (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Nicole Katz

Paper Chase Press

Scott Wilson (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Scott Wilson

MNML

Gillian Crampton Smith (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Gillian Crampton Smith

Interaction Designer

Raja Schaar (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Raja Schaar

IDSA

John Dimatos (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

John Dimatos

Kickstarter

AnnMarie P. Thomas (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

AnnMarie P. Thomas

Playful Learning Lab

Matthew Burnett (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Matthew Burnett

Makers Row

Alexa Courtney (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Alexa Courtney

Frontier Design Group

Caroline Baumann (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Caroline Baumann

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Josh Owen (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Josh Owen

Industrial Designer

Julia Marsh (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Julia Marsh

Sway

Lina Srivastava (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Lina Srivastava

Center for Transformational Change

Mariana Prieto (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Mariana Prieto

ArtCenter College of Design

Danny Alexander (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Danny Alexander

Who Gives a Crap

Noelle Marcus (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Noelle Marcus

Nesterly

Jeff Kapec (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Jeff Kapec

Tanaka-Kapec Design Group

Sunny Bates (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Sunny Bates

Sunny Bates Associates

Matthew Manos (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Matthew Manos

verynice

Sally Rumble (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Sally Rumble

CreativeMornings

Panthea Lee (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Panthea Lee

Reboot

Sara Hendren (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Sara Hendren

Olin College of Engineering

Helen Armstrong (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Helen Armstrong

Author

Mansi Gupta (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Mansi Gupta

Unconform Studio

Pune Dracker (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Pune Dracker

Researcher

Studio Visits

We bring you to New York City. And then we bring New York City to you.

Every month, students see the professional working world up close and personal—from independent designer and artist studios to corporate creative hubs.

New Lab (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

New Lab

10XBeta (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

10XBeta

Tom Sachs (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Tom Sachs

Fort Standard (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Fort Standard

SIMS Municipal Recycling Center (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

SIMS Municipal Recycling Center

Google Creative Lab (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Google Creative Lab

The New York Times Design Dept. (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

The New York Times Design Dept.

Lindsay Adelman Studio (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Lindsay Adelman Studio

Lyft (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Lyft

Etsy (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Etsy

Kickstarter HQ (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Kickstarter HQ

P.E. Guerin (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

P.E. Guerin

SYPartners (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

SYPartners

IDEO & IDEO.ORG (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

IDEO & IDEO.ORG

MoMA Library (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

MoMA Library

Genspace (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Genspace

Richard Clarkson Studio (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Richard Clarkson Studio

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum

M&S Schmalberg (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

M&S Schmalberg

Harry Allen Design (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Harry Allen Design

Aruliden (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Aruliden

David Zwirner (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

David Zwirner

Chen Chen & Kai Williams (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Chen Chen & Kai Williams

Brooklyn Navy Yard (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Brooklyn Navy Yard

ESI Design (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

ESI Design

Baggu (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Baggu

Fab.com (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Fab.com

Areaware (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Areaware

Urban Glass (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Urban Glass

IBM Watson (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

IBM Watson

Cool Hunting (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Cool Hunting

Fjord (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Fjord

Utley's Inc. (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Utley's Inc.

Best Made Co. (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Best Made Co.

Rockwell Group (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Rockwell Group

American Museum of Natural History (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

American Museum of Natural History

Roll & Hill (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Roll & Hill

Fredericks & Mae (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Fredericks & Mae

Studio Dror (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Studio Dror

Sebastian Errazuriz (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Sebastian Errazuriz

Museum of the Moving Image (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Museum of the Moving Image

Rich Brilliant Willing (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Rich Brilliant Willing

Uhuru Design (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Uhuru Design

Judd Foundation (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Judd Foundation

Noguchi Museum (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Noguchi Museum

Snarkitechture (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Snarkitechture

Send Chinatown Love (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Send Chinatown Love

Purpose (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Purpose

Benefits of Working With a Top Product Design Master's Program With
Some of the Best Studio Tools

Our goal is to help product designer of all levels develop the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference in the design industry. At MFA Products of Design, our courses allow students to develop skills using new design software and tools, giving them experience working with more industrial and digital products.

We offer five-, seven-, and 15-week courses to ensure students receive the full benefit of the design program. For example, students will attend a digital fabrication and design class where they learn how to use popular digital fabrication tools to create innovative designs for products. Students have access to studios full of the latest technology. In addition to the digital fabrication tools, we also offer computer-aided drafting/design (CAD) software for design students. Students can get real-life experience working in studios with other designers.

When students are in the studio developing projects and learning how they can be change-makers in their environments, they can rest assured their contributions to design are meaningful. We value fostering personal passion and point of view, ensuring designers understand the connection between their art and stakeholders. The MFA Products of Design graduate program prepares individuals to embrace their creativity while using their new knowledge in multiple design roles to create efficient and effective systems for projects.

Benefit From Top Design Speakers and Studios at SVA’s Product Design Master’s Program

Become a leader in the design industry after receiving a multifaceted product design education at MFA Products of Design. Our faculty of leading designers ensure students can reach their full potential. With access to some of the best studio tools, our students can use their experience and skills to develop designs that will help change and improve businesses and the overall design industry.

You can start your journey to being a top designer by joining the master's program at MFA Products of Design. Learn more about our program when you contact us online. If you're ready to further your design education, apply today.