Alejandra Farías
Design | Strategic Foresight | Sustainability
Education
OCAD University (Toronto, CA)
MDes. Strategic Foresight & Innovation
2020—2022
ITESM (Monterrey, MX)
BA. Industrial Designer
2009—2014
Instituto Lorenzo de Medici (Florence, IT)
International studies
Summer 2014
Achievements
Guest Speaker @ OCAD U Sustainable Futures Curriculum Series "Responsibility as a Design Process: Circular Economy and Other Stories"
Red Bull Flugtag Toronto 2022 challenge participant & team captain
Rotman Business Design Challenge 2022 semifinalist
Dean’s Scholarship recipient (Master studies)
GPA 95/100 and Excellence Honorable Mention diploma (Bachelor studies)
High Performance Academic Program “Innovation Sphere” Diploma (Bachelor studies)
1st place - Pepsi Co. Fun & Play student design contest
Skills
- Strategic Foresight
- Design Thinking
- Design & User Research
- Systems Thinking
- Environmental Scanning
- Sketching & prototyping
- 3D modeling & rendering
- Experience design
- Project management
- Communication & presenting
- In-person & remote teamwork
Experience
OCAD U CO
Foresight Researcher
May 2022 – Present
Trend scanning, strategic design research and foresight workshop facilitation for private-sector clients.
Design4 + Mass Culture
Design Researcher
January – April 2022
Co-designed Participatory Learning Framework course to promote data engagement in Arts sector.
OCAD University
Teaching Assistant for Industrial Design program
Developed Human Centred Design course material, supported with grading and co-led Covid-19 inspired design activities for the undergrad Design for Health course.
September – December 2021
MaRS Discovery District
Student Intern
May 2020 – August 2021
Helped to design an undergraduate experiential learning program tackling municipal climate action and look for funding opportunities.
OCAD University
Teaching Assistant
September – December 2020
Assisted with grading and tutoring students for the undergrad Design Research & Innovation course.
Libbey Inc.
Lead Innovation Designer
March 2019 — November 2020
Led the innovation team to create innovative glassware product design from trend research and 3D renders to presentation to commercial teams.
Senior Industrial Designer
February 2018 —March 2019
Developed engaging glassware product concepts and renders following design trends and Design Thinking methodology.
Graphic Designer
June 2014 — February 2014
Created original illustrations and packaging design for glassware products; worked with Disney and Star Wars license artwork.
Software + Tools
Graphic, editing & illustration
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Figma
- Procreate
- Autodesk Sketchbook
3D modelling & rendering
- Autodesk Inventor
- Solidworks
- Solid Edge
- Autodesk Alias
- Keyshot
- Autodesk Showcase
Collaboration & productivity
- Miro
- Mural
- Microsoft Office 365
- Google Drive & Apps
- Asana, ClickUp, +
