Hi, I'm Sanae, a product designer currently working at Argenta Park. I love solving human-centric problems and saw the opportunity to create holistic solutions that lived in both the digital and physical world.

I was born and raised in Kobe, Japan, and now I live in Los Angeles, California. Exploring a new world is one of the things I love as a designer and as a human. With this curiosity, I have never stopped learning. My design career started without a college degree. I submitted to design competitions while working as a receptionist, won some design awards, and got a design job in the automotive industry.

To further my passion, I studied Product Design at ArtCenter. Here, I am particularly focusing on designing products people use every day. Designing everyday products requires a deep understanding of people and culture, which makes me excited to move forward with projects. My strength is organizing what I see and connecting the dots from the observations to create new ideas.

Resume (PDF)

EDUCATION:

ArtCenter College of Design, Class of 2021, Bachelor of Science (Product Design), Graduation with Distinction
INSEAD MBA Exchange program, 2020

EXPERIENCE:

8+ years of experience automotive user interface design
Product design for a kitchen appliance company created a new category in the market
Design coach for the Creative Thinking online course at INSEAD
Design and ethnographic research bridges between different cultures
Technical translation in Japanese and English for creative agencies

AWARDS:

IDSA Student Merit Awards 2021 Finalist (Link)
IHA Global Innovation Awards 2020 First Place (Link)
Good Design Award 2011 (Link)
JIDA Museum Selection 2011
Eco-Products Design Competition 2007 Winner (Link)
Student 3D-CG Competition Grand Prix, 2007
ArtCenter Entering Scholarship
ArtCenter Department Scholarship
Ahmanson Foundation Scholarship
ArtCenter Patricia Howell Endowed Scholarship
ArtCenter Martha Chandler Scholarship

EXHIBITIONS:

100% Design Tokyo 2008, 2010
Living & Design Osaka 2010
Sigaraki Art Festival 2010
Kansai Design Forum 2013

WORKSHOPS:

Peper Canyon Mobility Hub Designathon 2019 Team Finalist
Asia Young Designers Workshop in Korea 2013
Sony Multi-screen Hackathon 2012 Team Winner
Co-design Business Design Workshop 2010
Fresco Glass Workshop 2008
Alessi Summer Workshop 2006