opendoorslowly | stephen wahl

Design + Creative Consultant

Developing innovative solutions across various industries, including industrial design + development, AI + hardware integration. Proficient in design leadership, creative direction and hardware development.

Design leader and systems thinker with extensive experience in portfolio management, early-stage concept exploration through detailed development, overseas manufacturing, and mass production. Proven track record in developing consistent design languages, managing global supplier relations, and leading cross-functional teams.

Director of Design

  • Community driven design and development manufacturer focused on enthusiast products and collaborations.

  • Developed a consistent design language across all products, packaging and marketing for both audiophile and mechanical keyboard product categories.

  • Awarded CES Product of the Year for our first proprietary audiophile quality wireless headphones.

  • Established Taiwan based Drop manufacturing and engineering development team.

  • Maintained global supplier relations throughout every phase of design development

    through mass production

R+D Manager - Retail Real Estate Design and Development

  • Design and development of interior and exterior visual branding components and the integration in all types of building materials and settings.

  • Global supplier coordination and development of new applications and integration into both existing and new store designs prioritized based on sales volume, visibility, cost and timing.

  • Established architectural Logo style guide and a 5 year installation strategy for ~90 stores worldwide in development, identifying risks based on layout and onsite construction realities.

Co-Founder & Chief Creative / Operations Officer

  • Design and implementation of our brand across all digital and physical applications, including marketing materials, website design, event and trade show spaces, delivery vehicles and driver uniforms.

  • Established and developed the UX & customer journey at all touch points, both on-line and in person.

  • Developed and managed the operations and logistics of all warehouse staff and delivery driver’s day to day responsibilities.

  • Planned and implemented delivery routes and growth strategies to provide service to the greater SF bay area from Santa Cruz to Marin including east bay and peninsula communities

  • Acquired by ReDYPER (2020)

Senior Design & Content Lead

  • Integral in leading multi-disciplinary development teams integrating empathy and user-research as best practices for the creation of what would become Design Thinking.

  • Creative leadership, design, UX and user research for clients and industries worldwide.

  • Design and strategic lead for our guest curatorship of an exhibit at The Smithsonian

    Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum celebrating and educating visitors about the

    concept of Design Thinking through a selection of the extensive museum archives.

  • Led weekly internal design discussions and challenges to mentor and inspire colleagues.

  • Focused on longer client relationships to have more meaningful and lasting impact.

Senior Industrial Designer

  • Integral in creating and establishing a streamlined internal design and development process.

  • Design and development of products to address new technology in the workspace

  • Details became the most profitable division within Steelcase in less than 5 years.

Industrial Designer

  • Designer on the OXO Good Grips team, which at the time was fledgling partnership between Smart Design and Sam Farber, an inclusive design pioneer in the kitchen utensil space.

  • Designer on the J&J/REACH children's toothbrush team. Using user observations and customer feedback to achieve insights that influenced our design. 20+ years later and its still in production and hugely successful for J&J.

— clients include —