Ivy Ross

Last updated
Ivy Ross IvyRoss2014.jpg
Ivy Ross

Ivy Ross (born 1955) [1] is an American business executive, jewelry designer, [2] and, since July 2016, [3] vice president of hardware design at Google. [4] She has worked at Google since May 2014; prior to being appointed VP of hardware design, she led the Google Glass team at Google X. [5] [6] Ross's metal work in jewelry design is in the permanent collections of 12 international museums, including the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. [7] One of few recognized fine artists to successfully cross over into the business world, Ross is also a keynote speaker [8] and a member of several boards, and has been hailed as a “creative visionary” by the art world. [9] In February 2019 she was named one of the 15 Most Powerful Women at Google by Business Insider. [10] In July 2019 she was named #9 on Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business. [11] Ivy is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us with Susan Huganir Magsamen. [12] This book shares the science behind humanities birthright - to make and behold art and its power to amplify physical and mental health, learning and build stronger communities.

Contents

Background and education

Ross was born in Yonkers, New York, and grew up in Riverdale. She credits her father, an industrial engineer who worked for the Raymond Loewy studio that created the Studebaker Hawk automobile, for influencing her choice of careers. [13] Ross attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City, with a major in fine art and minor in psychology. She later attended the Syracuse University School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City with a major in jewelry design. She went on to complete the Professional Management Development Program at Harvard Business School in 1994. [14] In 2016, she gave the keynote speech at the Fashion Institute of Technology and was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. [15]

Career

Ross began her professional career as a designer. After college she launched a jewelry design business in 1978 called Small Wonders,. [16] Until the mid-‘80s, Ross worked as a designer for Avon Products Inc. [17] She oversaw product development for Swatch Watch and worked as an accessories designer for Liz Claiborne before moving on to direct design and product development for Outlook Eyewear (Bausch and Lomb), Coach, and Calvin Klein.

During Ross's tenure at Mattel (1998 to 2004) as senior vice president of worldwide product design & brand image for The Girls Division, she was charged with developing a new toy for the pre-teen girls segment. Ross conceived of an experiment in multi-disciplinary design dubbed “Project Platypus”, [18] [19] [20] which resulted in Mattel's highly successful Ello Creation System.

Whilst at Mattel, Ross also failed to see the shift in consumer preferences of the "tween" segment: i.e. girls between the age of 9 to 12 years old. [21] This caused a U.S. toy company named MGA Entertainment Inc. to launch a competitive series of dolls named Bratz. After the introduction of Bratz in 2001, sales of Barbie declined rapidly, whereby Bratz outsold Barbie for the first time in December 2003. From that moment, Bratz became had number one marketshare position. As a consequence of the significant drop in sales of Barbie, Mattel had to take drastic measures to be able to further lose marketshare. Ross left Mattel just after Barbie lost its number one market position.

After leaving Mattel, Ross joined the Gap Inc. as executive VP of product design & development for Old Navy from 2004 to 2007. While there, Ross created an in-house blog called "Culture Feed" with insight culled from the Internet and curated by trend-hunter Jody Turner. [22] She left to become Senior VP and chief creative officer for the Disney Stores of America (owned by the Children's Place), [23] a position she held for one year before returning to the Gap Inc. in 2008. As executive vice president of marketing for the Gap Inc. Ross was responsible for the launch of the 1969 denim line of jeans. In July 2011, Ross joined Art.com [24] where she served as chief marketing officer until her move to Google X in 2014.

At Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano in April 2019, Ross led the Google Hardware Design Studio in building A Space for Being: a 6000 square foot installation based on the concepts of neuroaesthetics. The exhibit was created in partnership with Reddymade Architecture, Susan Magsamen and the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University, and Muuto Furniture Design. [25]

Jewelry

Ross was one of the first jewelers to use titanium, tantalum, and niobium, metals that reveal a spectrum of colors when they are charged with electricity. [26] By age 26, Ross had some of her jewelry designs included in the permanent collections of 10 museums, including the Smithsonian, [27] the Victoria and Albert Museum [28] in London, the Museum of Arts and Design, [29] the Schmuckmuseum, in Pforzheim, Germany, [30] the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City and the Montreal Visual Arts Center. Ross is a recognized American craft artist and has had her work exhibited globally. [31] In 1984 Ross and then-husband Robert Ebendorf won a Formica design competition through the exploration of a new product called ColorCore™. [32]

Boards

Ross is on the board of directors for Destination XL Group Inc, [33] Willow, [34] ArtCenter College of Design, [35] and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. [36] Previously, she was on the design board for Procter & Gamble [37] and the Institute for Play. [38]

Honors and awards

Ross was given the Juror, Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition in 2006. [39] Additionally, she presented as a business storyteller for BIF-2, a collaborative innovation summit sponsored by the Business Innovation Factory, that same year. [40] In 2003, Ross was one of nine executives chosen by Fast Company magazine for the “Who's Fast 2003” issue. [41] In 2008, she was named a Fashion Design Mentor for Otis College of Art & Design. [42] In 2017, Ross was featured as one of 200 Women who will change the way you see the world in both a book and a touring exhibition. [43] Surface magazine featured Ross in The Boundaries Issue on barrier-breaking figures in 2019. [44]

Podcast appearances

Ross has been featured as a guest on several podcasts, including Meet the Creatives, [45] Time Sensitive, [46] Clever, [47] The Vergecast, [48] and Design Milk. [49]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattel</span> American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company

Mattel, Inc. is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth and Elliot Handler in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. Mattel has a presence in 35 countries and territories; its products are sold in more than 150 countries. Mattel consists of three business segments: North America, International and American Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbie</span> Fashion doll brand by Mattel

Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll which Handler had purchased while in Europe. The figurehead of an eponymous brand that includes a range of fashion dolls and accessories, Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over six decades. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. The brand has expanded into a multimedia franchise since 1984, including video games, animated films, television/web series, and a live-action film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bratz</span> American fashion doll and media franchise

Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment, which debuted in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Ryden</span> American painter (born 1963)

Mark Ryden is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow art movement. He was dubbed "the god-father of pop surrealism" by Interview magazine. In 2015, Artnet named Ryden and his wife, painter Marion Peck, the king and queen of Pop Surrealism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGA Entertainment</span> American toy company

MGA Entertainment Inc. is a manufacturer of children's toys and entertainment products founded in 1979. Its products include Bratz, Num Noms, Lalaloopsy, and Rainbow High, as well as toys targeted at boys such as Scan2Go. MGA also owns Little Tikes and animation studio MGA Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Scene</span> Fashion doll series

My Scene is an American series of fashion dolls that Mattel released in 2002. They were discontinued in the US in 2008, and worldwide in 2011. Mattel's Barbie character was one of the dolls in the toy line. The My Scene dolls' bodies were slim, similar to earlier Barbie dolls, but their heads were larger. The New York Times described their features as "exaggerated lips and bulging, makeup-caked eyes." My Scene were designed to appeal to the tween market and compete with the Bratz dolls from MGA Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavas</span> American line of fashion dolls

Flavas is an American line of fashion dolls created by Mattel in 2003. They are multi-ethnic and have an urban, hip hop style with "bling-bling" jewellery and stick-on tattoos, described as "ghetto-fabulous" by Newsweek. They were designed to appeal to tweens and compete with the widely successful Bratz dolls. They were marketed as "reality-based" and "authentic" and have more points of articulation than traditional fashion dolls for more expressive posing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sindy</span> Fashion doll made in the United Kingdom

Sindy is a British fashion doll created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys in 1963. A rival to Barbie, Sindy's look and range of fashions and accessories made her the best-selling toy in the United Kingdom in 1968 and 1970. After Marx Toys' unsuccessful attempt to introduce Sindy in the United States in the late 1970s, Hasbro bought the rights to Sindy and remodelled the doll to look more American. As a result, the doll's popularity declined; in addition, Barbie manufacturer Mattel filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement, which was settled when Hasbro agreed to remodel Sindy's face. During the 1990s, Barbie's share of the doll market continued to grow while Sindy's diminished, which led to Sindy being delisted from major retailers in 1997. Hasbro returned the doll's licence to Pedigree, and the doll was relaunched in 1999, manufactured by Vivid Imaginations. Sindy's 40th anniversary in 2003 saw a new manufacturer, New Moons, and another relaunch and redesign. There were further relaunches in 2016 by Tesco and in 2021 by Kid Kreations. There is a 60th anniversary Sindy doll which was launched at the end of 2023 to celebrate 60 years of Sindy.

<i>Mattel Auto Race</i> First fully digital handheld video game

Mattel Electronics Auto Race was released in 1976 by Mattel Electronics as the first handheld electronic game to use only solid-state electronics; it has no mechanical elements except the controls and on/off switch. Using hardware designed for calculators and powered by a nine-volt battery, the cars are represented by red LEDs on a playfield which covers only a small portion of the case. The audio consists of beeps. George J. Klose based the game on 1970s racing arcade video games and designed the hardware, with some hardware features added by Mark Lesser who also wrote the 512 bytes of program code.

Carter Bryant is an American toy designer, artist, and inventor. He is best known for inventing the Bratz fashion doll and his previous work as a Barbie product designer for Mattel.

The Mint Museum, also referred to as The Mint Museums, is a cultural institution comprising two museums, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Mint Museum Randolph and Mint Museum Uptown, together these two locations have hundreds of collections showcasing art and design from around the globe.

Arline Fisch is an American artist and educator. She is known for her work as a metalsmith and jeweler, pioneering the use of textile processes from crochet, knitting, plaiting, and weaving in her work in metal. She developed groundbreaking techniques for incorporating metal wire and other materials into her jewelry.

Robert William Ebendorf is an American metalsmith and jeweler, known for craft, art and studio jewelry, often using found objects. In 2003–2004, the Smithsonian American Art Museum organized an exhibition of 95 pieces, titled The Jewelry of Robert Ebendorf: A Retrospective of Forty Years.

Isaac Larian is an Iranian-born American billionaire businessman, founder and the chief executive officer (CEO) of MGA Entertainment, the world's largest privately owned toy company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moxie Girlz</span> Fashion doll line

Moxie Girlz were a line of fashion dolls introduced by MGA Entertainment in 2009. These dolls are targeted at girls ages 6+. The four original 10.6-inch dolls are named Lexa, Bria, Avery, and Sophina, with others named Bryten, Kellan, Monet, Merin, Ida, and Amberly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iris Apfel</span> American interior designer and fashion icon (1921–2024)

Iris Apfel was an American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion designer, known for her flamboyant style, outspoken personality and oversized eyeglasses. In business with her husband, Carl, from 1950 to 1992, Apfel had a career in textiles, including a contract with the White House that spanned nine presidencies. In retirement, she drew acclaim for a 2005 show at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring her collection of costume jewelry and styled with clothes on mannequins as she would wear them. She became a fashion icon, was the focus of the 2014 Albert Maysles documentary Iris, then signed to IMG in 2019 as a model at age 97.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ello Creation System</span> Construction toy manufactured by Mattel, Inc. from 2002 to 2004

Ello Creation System ("Ello") was a construction toy manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. between the years 2002-2004. The toy set was created by the American designer Richard Manville. The Ello Creation System was a breakthrough toy created to engage girls in construction play.

Monster High is an American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. Aimed at children ages 7-14, the franchise features characters inspired by monster movies, sci-fi horror, thriller fiction, folklore, myths and popular culture, centering around the adventures of the teenage children of monsters and other mythical creatures attending a high school of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Ann Scherr</span> American multidisciplinary designer

Mary Ann Scherr was an American designer, metalsmith and educator. She was known for her jewellery design and industrial design, but she also worked as a graphic designer, illustrator, game designer, fashion and costume designer and silversmith.

References

  1. ↑ "Dezeen: "The tech world is jumping on the design world" says Google's head of hardware design". 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  2. ↑ "Ivy Ross by Cool Hunting, June 2011". Archived from the original on 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
  3. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossivy/ [ self-published source ]
  4. ↑ "Interview: Ivy Ross, Google's Head of Hardware Design". 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  5. ↑ "BBC News Technology "Google Glass appoints Ivy Ross as new head", May 2014". BBC News. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
  6. ↑ Bloomberg Businessweek Executive Profile [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Smithsonian American Art Museum Collections". Archived from the original on 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  8. ↑ "Ivy Ross at TedXRVA 2013". YouTube . 11 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  9. ↑ "Art Daily News "Creative Visionary Ivy Ross Joins Art.com"". Archived from the original on 2015-07-22. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  10. ↑ Bastone, Nick. "The 15 most powerful women at Google". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  11. ↑ "Meet Ivy Ross, one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People 2019". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  12. ↑ "Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us". Penguin Random House. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ "HBS: A LIFE BY DESIGN". December 2004. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  14. ↑ "HBS: A LIFE BY DESIGN". December 2004. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  15. ↑ Bibb, Steven (2016-05-26). "FIT Celebrates 2016 Commencement with Keynote Speakers Joe Zee and Ivy Ross". FIT Newsroom. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  16. ↑ Toledo Blade, September 23, 1981
  17. ↑ "Harvard Business School Alumni "A Life by Design", December 2004". December 2004. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  18. ↑ <AIGA 2003 "Project Platypus" Archived 2015-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "Fast Company "Ivy Ross Not Playing Around"". 31 October 2002. Archived from the original on 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  20. ↑ [https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/news/2014/05/19/how-project-platypus-could-open-google-glass-to.html Upstart Business Journal>
  21. ↑ Lobel, Orly (2018). You don't own me : how Mattel v. MGA Entertainment exposed Barbie's dark side (First ed.). New York. ISBN   978-0-393-25407-5. OCLC   1002419014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. ↑ "Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine "Ivy Ross: the Feeder", June 2006". Bloomberg.com. 19 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  23. ↑ Indian Television "The Children's Place Retail Stores appoints Ivy Ross as Sr VP & chief creative officer of Disney Store North America", January 2007
  24. ↑ "PR Newswire "Creative Visionary Ivy Ross Joins Art.com Inc. as Chief Merchandising Officer", July 2011". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  25. ↑ "Google at 2019 Milan Design Week: A Space for Being". YouTube . 20 June 2019.
  26. ↑ "Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center for American Art, Ivy Ross, Craft Jewelry Bracelet". Archived from the original on 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  27. ↑ "Smithsonian American Art Museum, Earrings by Ivy Ross 1979". Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  28. ↑ "V&A Collections, Brooch by Ivy Ross 1984". 1984. Archived from the original on 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  29. ↑ Museum of Arts & Design, Necklace by Ivy Ross & Robert W. Ebendorf, 1986 [ permanent dead link ]
  30. ↑ Toledo Blade, September 23, 1981
  31. ↑ "A History of American Studio Craft". Archived from the original on 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  32. ↑ "Smithsonian American Art Museum Press Room". Archived from the original on 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  33. ↑ "Destination XL Group, "Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. Elects Industry Veteran Ivy Ross to Board of Directors"". Archived from the original on 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  34. ↑ "Willow (Electronics) Company Profile: Valuation & Investors | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  35. ↑ "Meet ArtCenter's New Chair of the Board of Trustees and New Trustees | ColoradoBoulevard.net". 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  36. ↑ "Cooper Hewitt Announces New Board Appointments | CooperHewitt.org". 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  37. ↑ "Bloomberg: Online Extra: P&G's Quest for "Wow" Design". Bloomberg.com. August 2005. Archived from the original on 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  38. ↑ "The National Institute for Play Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  39. ↑ "Ambidextrous Magazine Interview with Ivy Ross, January 2007". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  40. ↑ "Business Innovation Factory "Project Platypus"". Archived from the original on 2006-11-12. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  41. ↑ "Fast Company Magazine "Who's Fast 2003"". 31 October 2002. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  42. ↑ "Otis College of Art & Design, Past Fashion Mentors". Archived from the original on 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  43. ↑ Ivy Ross , retrieved 2021-01-16[ permanent dead link ]
  44. ↑ "Google's Ivy Ross Wants You to Simply Be". SURFACE. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  45. ↑ Creatives, Meet the. "Meet the Creatives - Ivy Ross, VP, Head of Design for All Hardware Products at Google". Google Podcasts. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  46. ↑ "Google Design Guru Ivy Ross on Why Everything Is Pattern and Vibration". Time Sensitive. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  47. ↑ "Ep. 89: VP of Google Hardware Design Ivy Ross — Clever: A Podcast About Design". Clever. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  48. ↑ Srikishan, Gautam (2018-10-30). "Google wants to make its products more human". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  49. ↑ "How Ivy Ross Helped Change Google's Culture of Design". Design Milk. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.