Maria Luisa’s work at the College for Creative Studies Graduate Studies brings her entrepreneurial, globally-focused, and empathetic cultural approaches to the next generation of designers. She focuses on the seamless capacity to deal with the tangible and intangible aspects of people experiences. At CCS, she is preparing “facilitators” capable of addressing global-local grand challenges, focusing on social innovation. Her projects are concentrated on research, co-creation, and people-centered processes.
Her specialties are: Design Strategy, Branded User Experience Design, and Service Design. M.Luisa has also accumulated a vast knowledge of American, Asian and European markets and cultures.
In 2008, her interdisciplinary attitude, design and brand strategy knowledge, and business acumen brought her to be hired in the team that launched the new Graduate Program in Design at College for Creative Studies in Detroit. In that capacity she has developed the curriculum and set standards of excellence for MFA Integrated Design (formally called Interdisciplinary Design) validate by a successful alumni job placement in corporations and design consultancies setting.
She has taught Brand Identity and Communication at the leading Fashion and Marketing Institute Polimoda; design critical thinking at the Industrial and Communication Design school ISIA, Polimoda, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Syracuse University.
Professional Experience
Maria Luisa’s professional career has been independent and international. She attended the premiere master’s program in industrial design at the Domus Academy in Milano, thanks to a European Scholarship she won from designing the first wearable computer and winning a design international competition. The project was featured in the prestigious Domus magazine and gave her a lot of visibility around Europe and the design world. The wearable computer project, “The Walking Office”, can be found in the Henry Ford Museum Permanent Design Collection.
Following her studies, she founded the design consultancy Iavicoli & Rossi, working in areas varying from interior architecture to tableware.
M.Luisa is a Detroit City of Design Research Lab Advisory Board member working on the vision for inclusive growth an providing guidance on overall framework for the lab.
Significant Publications, Presentations and Exhibitions
Throughout her career, Maria Luisa has conducted workshops and lectures in Singapore, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Istanbul, Ankara, São Paulo, Shanghai, Gratz, Brasilia, and Taiwan.
The most recent lectures are: “Ladies Design Salon” about city system and inclusive futures; “Italian Design Day in the World” addressing the importance of design on the shaping of future cities; “International Seminar on Creative Economy Creative District” about creativity and design as an asset of creative tourism.
Featured in the 2018 Detroit City of Design Action Plan, and in Driven’s “How Detroit organizations and individuals are fighting for Mobility Equity”.
Recent students work recognitions are the “Detroit Equitable Mobility 2030” scenario and service design projects featured among the 40 design projects at “The Road ahead; Reimagining Mobility” Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum NY, and at the “Inclusive Future” Detroit Design 139 Exhibition in the “City System” focus area.
