shaun jackson design inc. was founded in 1989 as a full service design consultancy. Originally, shaun jackson design was a service based company doing design and product development for many well-known consumer product companies including Nike, Herman Miller, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Brookstone, Harley Davidson, and Patagonia. In 1998, inspired by an increasing awareness of how emerging technologies (particularly laptop computers and the internet) were changing the way we work and learn, they developed a patented computer carrying case that transformed instantly into a portable work environment. They nicknamed the product, “The Lapdog,” and within a few months, the product was receiving rave reviews in dozens of publications worldwide. Sales for the Lapdog ® exploded, the name stuck and a new product based company was born.

 

Principals

Shaun Jackson: President
Shaun Jackson, an educator, inventor and design entrepreneur. In the early 70's he founded his fi rst company Eclipse Inc., an internationally respected design and manufacturing company. As president and design director, Jackson guided the growth of Eclipse from a small entrepreneurial venture to a multimillion dollar corporation. In the mid 80's his company was selected as a research case for a National Endowment for the Arts study investigating the role of design in American business, The Competitive Edge. Shaun holds more than 50 patents and his designs have won numerous national and international design awards including the prestigious IDEA award from Business Week. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Worldesign Foundation. He has lectured at business and design schools around the country including Harvard, Auburn and the University of Michigan. Last year Shaun was honored by the Industrial Designers Society of America by being selected as the chair of the 2001 IDEA Awards jury. Currently, Shaun is an Assoc.Professor at the University of Michigan where he teaches industrial design and is the acting chair of the department. In 1989 Shaun sold Eclipse and founded Shaun Jackson Design Inc. In addition to the design and manufacture of products bearing the Shaun Jackson Design label, his clients have included Herman Miller, Nike, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Harley Davidson, and Patagonia. Shaun's designs have been featured in numerous publications including Businessweek, Wired, The New York Times, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, on NBC's Today Show, The Discovery Channel and can be seen at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. This year Shaun was honored by The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum by being nominated for their prestigious National Design Award.

Mark Zadvinskis: Vice President
Mark is an award winning designer who has been the general manager, senior designer and director of operations at Shaun Jackson Design since 1995. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan in both industrial design and mechanical engineering. While a student at Michigan, Mark won a number of awards including the prestigious IDSA student merit award and the Reebok Designovation competition. Mark has worked as a design intern at Reebok and has acted as a teaching assistant at the University of Michigan. Mark is responsible for all aspects of the overall operations at Shaun Jackson Design as well as acting as chief technology officer and webmaster. Beyond his work at Shaun Jackson Design, Mark is well known locally as the co-owner and the driving creative force behind two of the Detroit areas leading dance clubs, Liquid Lounge and Necto. Necto was recently awarded “Best New Club in America,” by both URB and BPM Magazines, and has been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. Mark has been responsible for all aspects of the design of these award winning night spots that attract some of the world's leading DJs, from the graphic identity to the interior design and furnishings.