EXPERTISE

Experience Design

Strategy

Visual Design

Photography

Hi. I’m David Ewald. Since 2019, I’ve been a Professor of Practice in the SOJC ad program focused on collaborative creative work. Before joining the amazing team here, I was a founding partner and Chief Design Officer at a Portland-based product design studio that helped clients such as Google, adidas, Bezos Family Foundation, Magnum Foundation, and LEGO bring innovative products to life. Throughout my career, I’ve been involved with many social change efforts including work with UNICEF in Lebanon, Fringe Diplomacy in Cuba, and as a member of Safecast, a citizen science organization in Japan. 

I love understanding people. Sometimes that’s in the context of technology and how we use it. Sometimes it’s meeting people decidedly unrelated to any project or direction. Relationships are so central to everything we create as designers, as problem solvers, and as human beings. This extends into every aspect of my life — be it teaching, designing, taking photos, being a part of a community, and of course as part of a family. 

WORDS OF WISDOM

“I really enjoy forgetting. When I first come to a place, I notice all the little details. I notice the way the sky looks. The color of white paper. The way people walk. Doorknobs. Everything. Then I get used to the place and I don’t notice those things anymore. So only by forgetting can I see the place again as it really is.”