BREAKING IN: Next Up: Curt Bailey

Next Up: Curt Bailey

Curt Bailey’s three favorite subjects in high school were Art, Auto Shop, and Debate. His guidance counselor thought he would be great at haggling over the price of his paintings in front of a gas station. Instead he chose a career in product development.

Curt is the president of Sundberg-Ferar. Founded in 1934, Sundberg-Ferar is among the world’s first, and longest operating, industrial design consulting firms. SF is a multi-disciplinary team of creative, talented, status-quo-questioning people. Their energy is focused on the design and development of uniquely differentiated products and experiences. Curt and Sundberg-Ferar have a proven track record of helping customers accomplish their business objectives. Through the design of great products, they liberate companies to increase profit margins, gain market share, and ultimately build and enhance strong brands. Curt oversees a team of design researchers, strategic planners, industrial designers, interaction (GUI) designers, engineers and model builders. He and his staff de-commoditize products in a wide variety of industries including housewares, transportation, medical, recreational, and consumer electronics. Additionally, Curt is named as primary inventor on scores of U.S. patents and has spoken at numerous events on innovation and design.

Ultimately, Curt views creativity as an incredible gift that, if used properly, allows us to notch up humanity’s standard of living through the design of the products and experiences that enhance our lives.

After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1982, where he studied under renowned design professor Ed Zagorski, Curt began his career at RCA Consumer Electronics. He joined Sundberg-Ferar in 1983 and has been President since 1992.