SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
Cindy Raspiller is a designer, mother, and student based in San José, California and is completing her final year in the Masters of Design program at San José State University. After a decade of working as a graphic and web designer in the San Francisco Bay Area, she is pursuing an academic career as a professor. Her current academic work explores the intersections of design pedagogy, climate resilience, and co-design. She has presented her research at the UCDA Design Education Summit and the AIGA Design Conference. She is also interested in handcrafted data visualizations and integrating augmented reality experiences into her design work. When not designing, Cindy can be found spending time outdoors, crocheting, cooking, and teaching yoga.
WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?
I feel most inspired when I have time for physical movement practices. Yoga or roller skating are opportunities for me to be creative beyond 2-dimensional space, and that translates into my design practice in really interesting ways.
WHAT AREA OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN?
I have always wanted to transition my design career into design teaching, and having the opportunity to continue my research would be icing on the cake.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?
Through this MDes program I have rediscovered my love of writing, which is something I was not expecting in design school.
WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD?
It’s natural for someone studying design and climate resilience to come across Victor Papnek. Besides being an advocate for environmentally and socially responsible design, his writing was witty and practical.
