**EXPERIENCE**

Design Experts, Creative Problem Solvers

Award winning, design leader with 20+ years of product design, brand development, environmental design, retail strategy, and team leadership experience. Thrives on solving complex problems and excels at translating business objectives into creative strategies.

Key Skills:

Leadership | Business Strategy, Client Management, Storytelling, Adaptability, Critical Thinking, Design Thinking, Business Development, Coaching, Mentoring, Resilience, Education, Marketing, Organizational Structure, Program Management, Executive Presentation, Executive Communications, Resource Management, Product Assortment, Brand Architecture, Process Development

Design | Product Design, Industrial Design, Experience Design, Fixture Design, Interior Design, Trend Forecasting, Concept Development, User Experience, Service Design, Research, Market Research, Problem Identification, Product Research, Ethnographic Research, Consumer Research, Systems Design, Brand Form Language, Product Standards, Design Criteria

Principal & Founder | SARA PEDERSEN DESIGN, LLC

2017 - Present | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Contract design firm focused on design retail solutions: brand, strategy, product design, and retail environment.
Lead creative vision and direction, new business development, client management, and contract design services.
Partner with retailers, design firms, and manufacturers to create/improve product design, packaging, brand architecture, and retail experience in store.

Adjunct Professor | UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

2019 - Present, College of Design - Product Design Studios | Minneapolis, Minnesota

PDES 4702W: Capstone — Final studio class for product design majors focused on showcasing all of the skills they have built while in program. Key focus on storytelling, building form language across many items and communication of ideas. Service design, digital/physical integration, brand development, smart product and presentation skills.
PDES 2771: Studio 1 — First studio class for product design majors focused on industry standard practices. Covers topics of user research, market research, concept development, lo-fidelity prototyping, and concept presentation.
PDES 3737: Product Design Portfolio — Development of portfolio, website and resume for professional interviews.
PDES 3196: Product Design Internship — Students must complete internship to graduate. This course focuses on skill sharing and storytelling of their professional experiences.

Co-Founder & CEO | AUNTIE, LLC

2024 - 2025 | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Direct to consumer, start-up personal care brand focused on the needs of perimenopausal and menopausal women.
Built Auntie from concept to tangible brand experience.
Entrepreneurial duties: business plan, investor pitch decks, financial planning, supplier vetting, brand vision, branding, digital experience, and product development.

Retail Brand Experience | TARGET

2022 - 2023 | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Senior Marketing Manager - Store Experience Marketing

Led team of design + print production experts to create all in-store signing packages for Apparel & Access., Home, & Beauty.
Led development of new signage package for Home pyramid reinvention.
Managed development of new inclusive mannequin program.

Store Design | TARGET

2016 - 2022 | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Senior Store Design Manager - Target Properties

Support/manage all store physical assets for the Home and Hardlines merchandising pyramids (Decorative Home, Domestics, Storage & Utility, Stationery, Kitchen, Seasonal, Electronics, Entertainment, Sporting Goods, Luggage, Fitness and Toys).
Strategic partner to 25+ SVP, VP & DMM business leaders to identify, create and deploy business innovations/design solutions into physical store environment.
Present and create materials for project approvals, capital funding, and resource management to company officers.
Lead design, development, and business relationships for new shopping cart development.

Lead Designer - Fixture & Interior Design and Implementation

Managed a team of in-house contract designers.
Reinvented fixture package to align with new business strategies: Kitchen, Electronics, Intimates, Jewelry & Accessories, Toys, Sporting Goods and Entertainment.
Developed 2017 Next Gen Store holistic fixture package, focused on Home, Apparel & Accessories, Entertainment, and Liquor.
Designed new experience/fixture packages to align with brand launch for Heyday, Harry’s, Auden, Colsie + Stars Above.

Product Design & Development | TARGET

2007 - 2016 | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Senior Industrial Designer - Industrial Design Studio

Managed a team of designers and interns.
Led strategic & creative vision for flatware, drinkware, frames, decor storage, & seasonal product from concept to production.
Piloted roll out of new organizational structure. Consulted on implementation and team support and created design process training materials, new hire training guides, and helped launch new educational website impacting 150 team members.

Senior Designer - SWAT (Special Work Assignment Team)

Created vision for brand reinvention, artwork strategy, form language, and future product categories/extensions for $3 billion up&up brand.
Led technical and engineering development for pets. Implemented new quality standards driven by the execution of 1,000+ user product tests and 140 ethnographic consumer interviews.
Drove creative trend direction, product strategy and new form language for Room Essentials college furniture.
Piloted a new role encompassing design and engineering responsibilities.

Designer - Lawn & Patio

Developed creative trend direction, product strategy, patented designs for patio assortment. Designed furniture, textiles, planters, and garden accessories for Room Essentials, Threshold and Smith & Hawken brands.
Launched Threshold brand and defined form and material usage for outdoor products, such as Bryant furniture collection
Implemented fabric development strategy that added $500K gross margin back to baseline, increased store traffic by 20%, increased stores sales by double digit comparable sales increase, and drove over 100% increase online.

Designer - Smith & Hawken

Re-launched a heritage brand through development of a premium line of teak furniture and garden accessories, including the Good Design award winning Solenti, and store quality product assortments of furniture, planters and garden accessories including the signature mahogany furniture collection.
Developed ‘design thinking’ tools and training for total company role out.

Associate Designer - Sporting Goods, Luggage, Fitness

Created form, color and material language for the Embark brand. Designed Embark signature backpacks and tents. Increased value perception of the brand and improved margin by 60 basis points.
Researched, developed and created concepts for future structures and processes in PD&D.

Assistant Designer - Furniture, Lighting, Storage & Organization

Designed college assortment for furniture, lighting, and closet that drove a 14% increase in overall sales volume.
Created signature kids' furniture collection for new strategic focus, driving sales increase of 1.5%.

Adjunct Professor | MINNEAPOLIS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN

2021 - 2022, College of Design - Product Design Studios | Minneapolis, Minnesota

PD 3030: Design for the Human Body — Studio class for product design majors that explores designing product + spaces around the human body. Covers topics of user centered design, anthropometrics, process, model making storytelling and presentations.
PD 3020: Forms that Make Us Feel — Studio class for product design majors that explores how to create forms that evoke emotions, make 3D models and hone visual communication skills.
PD 3010: Models and Prototypes — Studio class for product design majors that introduces the design process, form development, and material exploration through fabric, wood, and foam.