Diana Lin Design LLC

Born on August 18, 1978, in Taipei, Taiwan

Education:
From preschool to elementary school, I studied in Taipei, Taiwan. At the age of 13 I moved to the United States with my family. I attended Sunset Middle School and then Niwot High School in a charming little town in Colorado named Niwot. I had a passion for art and music. I have been studying piano since I was three years old and also picked up erhu (a traditional Chinese instrument with two strings, played with a bow) in elementary school, and cello in high school.

At the University of Colorado in Boulder, I began a music major in cello. However, my passion for art kept me wanting more. After two years of studying music, I transferred to the College of Architecture and Planning, following in my father's footsteps, but with a little twist. There are many musical influences in my architectural design pieces. I also managed to obtain a minor in Japanese while at UC, "Just for fun!"

After I graduated from University of Colorado in 2002, I worked for a year and a half as an architecture intern at Stephen Sparns and Associates in Boulder, Colorado. Those one and a half years made me realize that I wanted to have more variation in my life and studies. I decided to go to graduate school and pursue Industrial Design, something different but still closely related to my passion for art.

At Rochester Institute of Technology I fell in love with design. At first I was skeptical, but after diving in head first, I know I will never leave this field. "I love solving problems, making things with my hands, looking at ordinary things with a different eye and just about everything I do at RIT." Working together with my professors David Morgan and Stan Rickel, and many classmates, I have found my direction in design. Also, through my thesis project I had a chance to work with Dave Warner, who opened my eyes to new possibilities.

Work experiences:
During my years at RIT I also worked on several projects, including consulting jobs and an international lighting design competition. At first I struggled with the lighting design project, as I was feeling overwhelmed and desperately needed to unwind. I had an urge to go out and lay on the grass under the warmth of the sun. Unfortunately, Rochester, NY is a place where sunshine is scarce, so Diana did not get her sunlight. However, the good news is that it inspired her to make her award-wining light – REi Huggable™.

Awards:
Koizumi International Lighting Design, 18th Competition, Bronze Award

Exhibitions:
MFA 2006 Thesis Exhibition at the Bevier Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology
Interactive Installation at George H. Clark Gymnasium, RIT