Chairman, President and Chief Design Officer, Continuum
http://continuuminnovation.com/
Judging Category: Consumer Products
Gianfranco co-founded Continuum in 1983 when he merged his consulting practice with that of Jerrold Zindler, an engineer and physicist with whom Gianfranco had collaborated with in the bio-medical industry. Under Gianfranco’s leadership, Continuum has been a leader in redefining the role of Design Research, interdisciplinary design and concurrent development as key drivers of human centered innovation in both business and civic life. The Continuum process has been fundamental in the identification and development of a wide range of breakthrough innovations —from consumer goods to bio-medical devices—exemplified by the ACL ® Automated Coagulation Analyzer, for Instrumentation Laboratory SpA; the Pump ® athletic shoe line for Reebok, the Swiffer® and Thermacare ® product lines for Procter & Gamble, and the OmniPod ® wearable insulin delivery system for Insulet. Most recently Gianfranco led a team which developed the Nala ® Patient Chair and the Compass® Patient Room System for Herman Miller.
Gianfranco holds degrees in Industrial Design from Syracuse University, where he serves on the Board of Advisors to the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and a degree in Architecture from the Boston Architectural College, where he serves as an Overseer. In 2007, Gianfranco received a Doctor of Arts degree “Honoris Causa” from North Carolina State University and in 2009, was awarded a Doctor of Fine Art Degree “Honoris Causa” from his alma mater, Syracuse University. In June of 2009, he was inducted as a Commander of the Order Merit of the Italian Republic (Commendatore, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) by the President of Italy.
In addition to writing and lecturing internationally on design theory and innovation, trans-generational design and design for sustainable development, Gianfranco has participated in numerous pro-bono development projects in South Africa, Columbia, India, and Mexico. In the past Gianfranco has served as President of the Aspen Design Conference and a faculty member of Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy, The Massachusetts College of Art, and the Boston Architectural College. Gianfranco and Continuum’s work has received global recognition, including: a Presidential Design Award from President Clinton (US); the Compasso D’Oro (Italy); the Red Dot and IF Awards (Germany); and numerous awards from IDSA (USA) and Businessweek including a “Design of the Decade” award in recognition of great design which created notable business success over the past decade.
