Design Wisconsin

Join Us for Design Wisconsin 2025!

May 16-18, 2025
University of Wisconsin-Stout
302 10th Ave E, Menomonie, WI 54751

Celebrate Wisconsin's Legacy of Industrial Design and Fashion Design Innovation & the Impact of Stout Alumni Designers

UW-Stout's School of Art & Design presents the 4th Annual Design Wisconsin event showcasing the impacts of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin's culture, commerce, community, and brand—past, present, and future. And this year, we're expanding to include UW-Stout alumni designers' impact in our neighboring state to the west, Minnesota!

It is a little-known secret that Wisconsin is a hub for product innovation, and it's our mission to showcase and celebrate prominent Wisconsin-based industrial design and fashion design teams and their work. We hope this format will inspire participants and strengthen connections within these industry communities, as well as cultivate new ones!

The event includes an open house of major Wisconsin and Minnesota Design/Manufacturer groups, which in the past have included TREK, Milwaukee Tool, Kohler, Mercury Marine, Polaris, Fiskars, Oshkosh, and many more.

This is a FREE event on May 16-18, 2025 at Wisconsin's Polytechnic University, UW-Stout

Featured Speakers

Sherry Eckholm (’95)
Director of Strategy
Loft Design

Sherry Eckholm is the Director of Strategy at Loft Design, bringing over 30 years of experience in user-centered research, product strategy, and innovation leadership. She has assisted Fortune 500 companies and disruptive startups in delivering market-defining products, services, and ecosystems across various sectors, including life sciences, medical instrumentation, pet care, wellness, consumer electronics, and premium appliances. Respected for her cross-functional expertise and forward-thinking approach, Sherry translates complex business systems, technical requirements, and institutional knowledge into compelling product strategies while unlocking new value propositions through design.

Jacquelyn Koyen ('12)
Senior CMF Designer
Spectrum Brands

Jacque Koyen is a Senior Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Designer at Spectrum Brands, specializing in haircare, breakfast, and food prep categories for Remington, Black + Decker, PowerXL, George Foreman, and Russell Hobbs. With over 10 years of experience in CMF and industrial design, she translates macro trends and consumer insights into innovative, marketable product designs. Jacque collaborates closely with cross-functional teams and vendors to ensure seamless execution, bringing products to life through thoughtful color, material, and finish selections. With a background in industrial design and a passion for storytelling through aesthetics, Jacque excels at balancing brand identity with forward-thinking design solutions.

Michael Leighton ('02)
Director of Industrial Design, CMF & Sculpting
Polaris Industries

After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2002 with a degree in Industrial Design and a minor in Business Management, Michael has focused his career on developing brand-centric product experiences, holding both business and design leadership roles at organizations ranging from the music and bicycle industries to material science and innovation Fortune 500 companies. Michael is currently the Director of Industrial Design and Colors, Materials, Finishes and Graphics at Polaris Industries in Medina, Minnesota.

Gregor Mittersinker
Founder & Creative Director
Loft Design

Gregor Mittersinker is the Founder and Creative Director of Loft Design, with over 30 years of experience leading design and innovation efforts across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He fuses user experience, engineering, and data science to create comprehensive product ecosystems, successfully launching over 500 products worldwide. Gregor’s work spans regulated industries and consumer markets and has earned over 100 patents and accolades from Fast Company, IDEA, Red Dot Design, Core77, and Good Design. A champion of design that bridges insight and execution, Gregor helps brands transform complex challenges into scalable innovation.

Kiki Redhead ('02), CMG 
Global CMF & Trend Manager
Sherwin-Williams

Kiki Redhead leads all CMF & Trend initiatives for Sherwin-Williams Industrial & Performance Coatings, including the DesignHouse in Minneapolis, MN. She collaborates with OEM Industrial, Product Design, and Architectural customers on coatings development and trends including ideation of aesthetics, performance, and sustainable solutions for manufacturing. In addition to her 20+ years of visionary CMF expertise, which includes owning global color and trend agency Colour Couture from 2008-2018, Kiki is known as an International powerhouse desired for her tri-level trend forecasting methodology, implementation, and distillation of mega, macro, and micro trends.

Brynn Wildenauer ('18)
Senior Architectural Color Designer
Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings

Brynn Wildenauer is a Senior Architectural Color Designer for Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. Specializing in color, material and finish development for architectural building products. Brynn brings a discerning eye and a solution-driven approach to every project. Her passion for innovation and dedication to the dynamic world of color and design drive her work. Brynn works collaboratively with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth execution, transforming products through intentional development.

Event Schedule

Friday, May 16

• Noon-4:00 p.m. | Vendor Set-Up (Memorial Student Center)
• 5:00 p.m. | Campus Tour: B.S. Fashion Design & Development and B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design
  • Tour departs from Memorial Student Center, Grand Ballroom
• 6:30-10:30 p.m. | Kick-Off Party for Vendors, Design Professionals & Recent Graduates
  • RSVP Required: RSVP through DesignWisconsin registration
  • Location: Forma (formerly Studio MLM), 110 Main St W, Menomonie, WI 54751 (Green Doors on the North Side of the Building)

Saturday, May 17

• 8:00 a.m. | Design & Product Showcase and Networking
• 9:00 a.m. | Welcome & Remarks
• 9:30 a.m. | Keynote I: "Exploration—Our First Human Superpower"
  • Michael Leighton ('02), Director of Industrial Design, CMF & Sculpting, Polaris
• 11:00 a.m.-Noon | Student Portfolio Review
• Noon | Lunch
• 1:00 p.m. | Keynote II
• 1:45 p.m. | Panel Discussion: "Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Design Process"
  • Gregor Mittersinker, Founder & Creative Director, Loft Design
• 2:45 p.m. | Panel Discussion: "Navigating the Design Industry"
  • Hans Elkholm ('95), Director of Design, Trek Bicycle
  • Sherry Elkholm ('95), Director of Strategy, Loft Design
  • Michael Leighton ('02), Director of Industrial Design, CMF & Sculpting, Polaris
• 3:30 p.m. | Merit Award Presentation
• 5:00 p.m. | Food Trucks & Entertainment

Sunday, May 18

• 8:00 a.m. | Breakfast & Colors, Materials, Finish (CMF) Talk: "From Industrial Design to Color, Material & Finish"
  • Jacquelyn Koyen ('12), Senior CMF Designer, Spectrum Brands
  • Brynn Wildenauer ('18), Senior Architectural Color Designer, Sherwin-Williams Coil Coating
• 9:30 a.m. | CMF Workshop: "Translating Trends Into the Colors of Tomorrow"
  • Kiki Redhead ('02), Global CMF & Trend Manager, Sherwin-Williams
• 11:30 a.m. | Closing Lunch for Attendees, Vendors & Employee Partners (Sponsored by Career Services)

Student Portfolio Reviews

Student attendees are encouraged to share their professional portfolio with industry professionals as part of Design Wisconsin to get constructive feedback on what’s working well and what could be improved to strengthen your portfolio. These one-on-one portfolio reviews will last roughly 20 minutes.

Participating Organizations

The real stars of the show will be the Wisconsin-based Industrial Design teams in attendance to display their works and talk shop! Design Wisconsin is current confirmation participating organizations. Don't get left out of the show. Contact us to be a featured vendor!

Additional Information for Attendees

Past Design Wisconsin Events