Josh Owen
Vignelli Center Director
Josh Owen
Vignelli Center Director
Education
BA, BFA, Cornell University; MFA, Rhode Island School of Design
Bio
Josh Owen is the Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design and the Director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT. Prior to his current role, Owen was Director of the Industrial Design Department in which he continues to teach his popular course known as the Metaproject. Owen is also the president of his eponymous design studio, Josh Owen LLC. His professional projects are produced by major manufacturers and have won many awards. Owen's work is included in the permanent design collections of the Centre Georges Pompidou (FR), the Chicago Athenaeum (USA), the Corning Museum of Glass (USA), the Denver Art Museum (USA), the Design Museum Brussels (BE), the Museum of American Jewish History (USA), the Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal (CA), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (USA) the Red Dot Design Museum (DE) and the Taiwan Design Museum (TP). His students' works have won awards, been exhibited and featured in international publications and critical venues and have been put into mass production prior to graduation. Owen's professional work has been featured in major exhibitions, numerous books on design and is regularly included in critical design discourse. He is the author of the book, Lenses for Design and the forthcoming book, Design for Study.
Currently Teaching
In the News
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February 12, 2024
Vignelli Center for Design Studies receives donation of Swiss poster collection
Students who engage with the research collections in RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies can now benefit from studying a comprehensive collection of Swiss posters thanks to a donation from Frederick Jon Burbach. The collection of approximately 350 posters includes the work of 125 of Europe’s finest graphic designers from the past eight decades.
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November 15, 2023
Faculty receive new grant to expand foreign language education offerings with a focus on STEAM
Faculty in RIT’s Modern Languages and Cultures department received an International Research and Studies grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund the development of new materials and curricula for Chinese, Italian, and Spanish courses that focus on STEAM. Associate Professor Zhong Chen, Principal Lecturer Elisabetta D’Amanda, and Department Chair Sara Armengot will spend the next three years developing, testing, and implementing the new materials in the classroom.
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August 30, 2023
Metaproject 14 gives students a chance to leave their mark on the RIT campus landscape
For this semester's Metaproject industrial design initiative, students will work with RIT President David Munson to design concepts for a series of outdoor, hands-on museum installations for the Henrietta campus. The outdoor installations will tell the story of RIT in a way that is immersive and engaging to passersby on campus. Each student is tasked with creating a concept for one of the 14 installations.
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December 15, 2022
Owen receives award for guitar pedal design
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September 9, 2022
Owen’s Cube Jigger added to design museum
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July 7, 2022
Owen presents on Vignellis
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November 20, 2019
Scratching the Surface: Josh Owen
Featured Work
Confluence Exhibition Catalog
Josh Owen
Roberto Bertoia explores site, context, material, and craft as it relates to his investigation of isolation, absence, and presence at the intersection of sculpture, landscape, architecture, and design...
Stryk Match Holder for OTHR
Josh Owen
A refinement of the traditional match-stick holder, this multi-faceted heirloom vessel features a striking surface as well as a safe deposit for spent matches. Historic examples of this product left...
Torq Nut Cracker for OTHR
Josh Owen
Inspired by industrial components, Torq is the first 3D printed object commissioned by OTHR that explores the mechanical potential of 3D printed output. Turning the business of nut cracking into a...