Charles Austen Angell
Charles Austen Angell, FIDSA, has remained at the forefront of American industrial design and innovation strategy for over three decades. An internationally recognised designer, entrepreneur, and thought leader, Angell’s practice has embraced a sweeping breadth of complexity, spanning consumer health and wellness devices, mobility systems, and wearable technology, to specialty vehicle design, experiential environments, and the emerging frontiers of artificial intelligence applied to civic infrastructure. Recognised for a sustained preoccupation with the role of culture, politics, and geography in shaping human needs, Angell’s signature approach, rooted in human factors research, ethnographic inquiry, and systems thinking, has generated some of the most consequential design work at the intersection of product and human experience in contemporary practice.
Angell studied Industrial Design at Purdue University, earning his BSID, and served as Design Lead on a Purdue master’s level engineering grant developing passive restraint systems for General Motors. He pursued advanced studies in mathematics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning at MIT, the University of Minnesota, and Purdue, an intellectual foundation that would define the trajectory of his career.
Before establishing his own firm, Angell served as Corporate Director of Design Research and Innovation at Intel Corporation, where his teams pioneered new product categories and new innovation across the continuum of the health care sector. In 2007, he founded Modern Edge Inc., a strategic industrial design firm based in Portland, Oregon, known for original work across health and wellness, mobility, home products, and experiential environments.
Angell’s independent design experience spans projects across Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia. His roster of collaborators and clients reflects the full range of global industry: Intel, Samsung, Nike, St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Harley-Davidson, alongside John Deere, BMW, Gillette, SC Johnson, Sunbeam, General Motors, Ford, Providence Health Care, and the United States Army, Air Force, and NASA.
Angell served as Chair of the Industrial Designers Society of America Board of Directors from 2013 to 2015, the highest elected position in American industrial design. Among the most enduring achievements of his chairmanship, Angell presided over the establishment of National Industrial Design Day, officially entered into the United States Congressional Record on March 5, 2015, the 50th anniversary of IDSA’s founding. Initiated by U.S. Representative Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia and advanced through the tireless efforts of Karen Berube, the designation stands as a permanent federal recognition of industrial design’s profound contribution to daily life, economic vitality, and national innovation. Celebrated annually on March 5, it is a legacy that endures long beyond any single administration or tenure. In 2012, he had similarly chaired “The Future Is…” Conference, the second-largest IDSA International Conference in the society’s sixty-year history. He is a Fellow of the IDSA, the organisation’s highest honour, recognising sustained and distinguished contribution to the field.
Angell’s commitment to the protection of intellectual property and the rights of creative professionals found landmark expression as the third signature on the Design Professionals Amicus Brief filed before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark Apple v. Samsung design patent case. The 63-page filing, signed by more than 100 distinguished designers, asserted to the court that visual design frequently becomes the product itself in the minds of consumers. Fellow signatories included industrial designer Dieter Rams, Louis Vuitton artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière, and fashion designers Calvin Klein and Paul Smith, alongside Bentley Motors designer Stefan Sielaff, Terence Conran of Conran Holdings, and fashion designer Alexander Wang. The brief argued that the protection of design is inseparable from the protection of innovation itself. It remains one of the most significant legal moments in the history of the design profession.
Closely related to his IDSA leadership, Angell was among the original five trustees who formally established the Design Foundation on August 15, 2001, when IDSA President Betty Baugh, FIDSA, presented the founding endowment to the inaugural board. Alongside fellow trustees Jim Ryan, FIDSA, Pascal Malassigné, FIDSA, Cooper Woodring, FIDSA, and Jim Kaufman, FIDSA, Angell helped bring into existence a public charity established by IDSA as a separate institution, dedicated to advancing design education and social responsibility across the profession. His founding trusteeship reflects a longstanding commitment to the institutional health of the design community, extending well beyond the bounds of his elected roles. He has also served as an Executive Board Member of the Design Museum Portland and Design Museum Boston, and has been nominated to the board of the World Design Organization, serving twice as a delegate representing the United States.
Angell has lectured at and consulted with NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Purdue University, the University of Minnesota, Oregon Health and Science University, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Georgia Tech, and forums internationally including the Design Management Institute, the International Free Zone Authority in Dubai, and the Smart Cities Summit North America. In April 2016, he joined IDSA Executive Director Daniel Martinage, CAE, to address a capacity crowd of 400 at the 10th annual United States Patent and Trademark Office Design Day, challenging the room to imagine a world without design, without emotion, expression, empathy, passion, art, play, connection, or function, and calling upon the assembled community as essential partners in accelerating society forward.
In a subsequent chapter of his practice, Angell founded EPIRA.AI, with operations in Dublin, Ireland, Phoenix, Arizona, and Portland, Oregon, applying human-centered design principles and AI to reimagine how urban environments and government systems function, developing platforms that connect citizens with their governments through intuitive interfaces and responsive design.
Angell is the recipient of multiple patents and awards, and his published works include articles in Innovation Magazine and a variety of international journals of design. He is an internationally recognised keynote speaker and regularly publishes on innovation, design, and artificial intelligence. Modern Edge continues to operate from Portland, Oregon.
Engagements & Publications:
Charles Austen Angell publishes regularly on Substack (Design Intelligence By AustenAngell.Design), Medium, and LinkedIn. Select articles are included in the list below.
Upcoming:
Keynote Speaker, “Beyond Better: If It’s Not Beautiful, Don’t Do It,” Design Wisconsin 5th Annual, Oshkosh Corporation, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, May 30, 2026
Past Events:
Panelist, “AI, Technology, and Human-Centered Innovation for Inclusive Cities,” Welcome Reception (SCC), WEF Davos 2026, Moderator: Sunil Casuba, CEO Smart Talent AI, January 2026
Panelist, “Healthcare Design: Rethinking Targets to SMART Outcomes,” Welcome Reception (SCC), WEF Davos 2026, Moderator: Dr. Melissa Grill-Petersen, Davos, Switzerland, January 2026
Article Author, “The Authority of AI Governance: Democratic Legitimacy Derives from the Consent of Humans,” Charles Austen Angell, Design Intelligence By AustenAngell.Design, December 24, 2025
Article Author, “The Smart City Paradox,” Charles Austen Angell, Smart City Miami Magazine, December 16, 2025
Keynote Speaker, “Humanizing Artificial Intelligence for Efficient and Effective Government Services,” Charles Austen Angell, Smart Cities Summit North America, San Francisco, California, May 7-8, 2025
Keynote Speaker, “Leadership in Scaling Digital Economies: Reimagining Economic Creativity, Connected Industries, and Sustainable Societies,” Charles Austen Angell, AIM Congress 2025, Abu Dhabi, April 8, 2025
Moderator, “Creating Human-Centric Public Spaces in a Digital Age,” Charles Austen Angell, AIM Congress 2025, Abu Dhabi, April 8, 2025
Moderator, “The Inclusive Metropolis: Designing Cities for Equity and Access,” Charles Austen Angell, AIM Congress 2025, Abu Dhabi, April 9, 2025
Article Author, “The Designer’s Guide to Truth: The Illusion of Objectivity in a Subjective World,” Charles Austen Angell, Design Intelligence By AustenAngell.Design, March 11, 2025
Article Author, “AI’s Impact on Design and the Creative Landscape,” Unfold Magazine, Fall 2024
Article Author, “Artificial Intelligence: Promise and Peril,” substack.com/@austenangell, July 20, 2024
Panelist (Fireside Chat), “Adoptive Innovative Technologies in 2024: The Way Ahead of Improving Customers’ Retention Rate,” Charles Austen Angell, ADNEC – Abu Dhabi, UAE, May 7, 2024
Panelist, “Empowering Global Economy through IoT, Digitalization, and AI Systems: The Role of Data-Driven Decision-Making,” Charles Austen Angell, ADNEC – Abu Dhabi, UAE, May 7, 2024
Guest Lecturer, “Humanizing the Impact of AI,” Charles Austen Angell, TU Dublin – Tallaght Campus, Human Centered AI Masters Programme, Dublin, Ireland, March 27, 2024
Article Author, “The Role of Design Disciplines in Creating Our Future,” substack.com/@austenangell, March 19, 2024
Article Author, “The Designer in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” World Design Magazine, Fall 2023
Keynote Speaker, “Design and Artificial Intelligence,” Monte Shelton Memorial Rally Annual Dinner Lecture, Oregon, August 2023
Article Author, “The Design of Artificial Intelligence,” substack.com/@austenangell, November 11, 2022
Principal Investigator + Presenter, “Accelerating the Growth of the Health Technology Sector in Oregon,” Technology Association of Oregon Ignite: Health 7, Portland, Oregon, January 2020
Principal Investigator, “Accelerating the Growth of the Health Technology in Oregon,” High Impact Oregon Project Grant, State of Oregon, Portland, Oregon, December 2019
Principal Investigator, “Accelerating the Growth of the Health Technology in Oregon, Executive Summary,” High Impact Oregon Project Grant, State of Oregon, Portland, Oregon, December 2019
Keynote Speaker, “Design and Artificial Intelligence,” HIDW2019 International Industrial Design Forum, Chengde, China, November 2019
Keynote Speaker, “Conference Opening Remarks,” HIDW2019 International Industrial Design Forum, Chengde, China, November 2019
Keynote Speaker, “Design and Artificial Intelligence,” International Industrial Design Summit Forum, Shijiazhuang, China, November 2019
Keynote Speaker, “Conference Opening Remarks,” International Industrial Design Summit Forum, Shijiazhuang, China, November 2019
Keynote Speaker, “Creativity + Artificial Intelligence,” STIDA-Sichuan-Taiwan Industrial Design Awards, Chengdu, China, November 2019
Article Author, “Artificial Intelligence, Design Thinking and the Future of Designers as Programmers,” Innovation Magazine, Spring 2019
Keynote Speaker, “Opioids: Designing for a Public Health Crisis,” 2018 Medical Design Experience Conference, 2018
Keynote Speaker, “Future Tense,” IDSA District Conference, Portland, Oregon, April 2017
Keynote Speaker, “What’s Next in AR/VR/AI,” TIE Conference, Portland, Oregon, 2017
Guest Lecturer, “Future Tense and Transportation,” Toyota Lecture Series, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI, 2016
Keynote Speaker, “Future Tense,” Oregon BIO Conference, Portland, Oregon, 2016
Keynote Speaker, “Design Trends in Product, Experience and Service,” USPTO Design Day, Washington, DC, 2016
Panelist, “Reducing Medical Errors,” Medical Device Design Committee Forum, IDSA Medical Conference, San Francisco, CA, 2016
Workshop Presenter, “Service Design and Research,” OHSU – Masters in Healthcare Leadership, Portland, OR, 2016
Article Subject, “Fifty Most Notable Members of the Industrial Designers Society Over the Last Fifty Years,” INNOVATION Magazine, 2016
Keynote Speaker, “Medical Service Design,” Medical Device Design Conference – IDSA, Orlando, FL, 2015
Opening Keynote Speaker, “The Wearables Revolution,” China International Creative Design Forum, Qingdao, China, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “Design in the New Economy,” Sichuan-Taiwan Industrial Design Awards, Chengdu, China, 2015
Article Author, “What I Should Have Said on Stage,” LinkedIn, 2015
Interviewee, “Wearable Technology & Threadcasting, Wearables In Apparel,” Portland Business Journal, Portland, OR, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “Acceptance Speech For Fellowship in IDSA,” IDSA International Conference, Seattle, WA, 2015
Lead Author, “Threadcasting – Wearables In Apparel,” White Paper – Oregon State University, Portland, OR, 2015
Interviewee, “Palmer Johnson Yachts Sky Helm Design,” Show Boats International Magazine, North America, 2015
Acceptee of Government Proclamation, “First National Industrial Design Day,” US Congress Commemoration – Industrial Design, Massachusetts, USA, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “Medical Service Design,” Health Ignite – Conference, Technology Association of Oregon, Portland, OR, 2015
Interviewee, “The User Takes Center Stage in Package Design,” Plastics News Magazine, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “Wearable Tech Revolution,” Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association Conference, San Francisco, CA, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “NASA Design Integration,” NASA Space Center, Houston, TX, 2015
Guest Speaker and Lecturer, “Don’t Panic,” World Class Learning Workshop, Portland, OR, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “Autonomous Vehicle Development + Culture,” Detroit Auto Show – Plastics in Automotive, Detroit, MI, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “Medical Device Design Panel Discussion,” Unite – Design Museum Portland, Portland, OR, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “Wearables 3.0, What’s Wrong with the Usage Model?” IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers District Conference, Portland, OR, 2015
Keynote Speaker, “The Service Usage Model in Medical Design,” Medical Device Design Conference – IDSA, Orlando, FL, 2014
Panelist, “Designing Innovation,” IDSA, Ford Motor Company Panel Discussion, Austin, TX, 2014
Keynote Speaker, “Commencement Speech,” Art Institute Graduation Ceremony, Portland, OR, 2014
Keynote Speaker, “Mind, Body, & Soul,” IDSA Southern District Conference, Savannah, GA, 2014
Lecturer, “Professional Development,” Art Institute Lecture Series, Art Institute, Portland, OR, 2014
Keynote Speaker, “Future of Design,” MIAD Lecture Series, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee, WI, 2014
Keynote Speaker, “10 Design Lessons from Rally Racing,” IDSA – Portland Social, Portland, OR, 2013
Keynote Speaker, “Building the Design Community,” IDSA International Conference, Chicago, IL, 2013
Keynote Speaker, “Creating Iconic Designs,” World Debut – 2013 Hyundai Sonata New Model, Gyeongsangnam-do, Seoul, Korea, 2013
Keynote Speaker, “Value of Innovation,” Sichuan-Taiwan Industrial Design Awards, Chengdu, China, 2013
Keynote Speaker, “The Color of Money: Birds, Bees, Beards, and Pyramids,” IDSA – Northeast District Design Conference, Hartford, CT, 2013
Judge, “Brand X Challenge,” Design Student Competition, 2013
Interviewee, “Car Design Renaissance Happening in America,” Bloomberg Market Makers, Bloomberg TV, 2013
Keynote Speaker, “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word (when design goes wrong),” CHIFOO – Quantifying Kick-Ass Lecture Series, Portland, OR, 2013
Interviewee, “The Changing Landscape of Service Design,” Business Week, 2013
Keynote Speaker, “Build a Culture of Innovation,” Plastic News Executive Forum, Tampa, FL, 2013
Keynote Speaker, “What to Make?” China International Creative Design Symposium, Beijing, China, 2012
Opening Keynote Speaker, “The Future of Choice,” China International Creative Design Forum, Qingdao, China, 2012
Keynote Speaker, “Do Good!” Opening Night Ceremony, Design Week PDX, Portland, OR, 2012
Conference Chair, “The Future Is…” IDSA International Conference, Boston, MA, 2012
Keynote Speaker, “Entrepreneurialism Workshop,” Portland Incubator Experiment, Portland, OR, 2012
Keynote Speaker & Panelist, “Disruptive Design,” Mercy Corp Headquarters, Portland, OR, 2012
Keynote Speaker, “Realizing Good Intentions,” Sustainability Series – Chicago International Housewares Show, Chicago, IL, 2011
Panelist, “Kenya Disaster Relief Pilot,” IDSA International Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2011
Seminar Speaker, “Leading with Empathy,” IDSA Chicago Symposium, Chicago, IL, 2011
Keynote Speaker, “Sustainable Product Development,” 3M Design Forum Product Design Management Association, Minneapolis, MN, 2009
Keynote Speaker, “Transforming Healthcare,” Transform and Transcend Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2009
Judge, “Student Merit Awards,” IDSA Southern District Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2009
Moderator, “Corporate Design Strategy,” Design Leadership Module POD – P&G Headquarters, Procter and Gamble, Cincinnati, OH, 2007
Keynote Speaker, “There’s No Place Like Home,” Human Factors Engineering Society – Home Health Conference, Washington, DC, 2006
Article Author, “Assisted Living Technologies,” Urban Magazine, Melbourne, Australia, 2006
Article Author, “We’re Better Off at Home,” Urban Magazine, Melbourne, Australia, 2006
Opening Keynote Speaker, “Connecting Home Health,” Connected Home Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 2006
Keynote Speaker, “Design + Process,” Intel Internal Forum, Intel Auditorium, Dublin, Ireland, 2006
Keynote Speaker, “Design and a Few Dangerous Ideas,” IDSA Western District Conference, Tempe, AZ, 2006
Moderator, “Next Design Horizon Forum,” Crown Equipment Headquarters, New Bremen, OH, 2005
Keynote Speaker, “Global Economic and IP Forum,” Society of Plastics – Industry Conference, Charlotte, NC, 2004
Keynote Speaker, “Conference Opening Remarks,” IDSA Mid-east District Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 2004
Invited Editorial Letter, “Asian Cultural Narratives Revisited,” INNOVATION Magazine, Winter 2004
Invited Editorial Letter, “Asian Cultural Narratives,” INNOVATION Magazine, Spring 2004
Delegate, “Horizon 2010,” Invitation Only – Microsoft Future Design Tech Summit, Scimitar Ridge, WA, 2004
Keynote Speaker, “Better Design Now,” IDSA Southern District Conference, Charlotte, NC, 2004
Presenter, “Role of Design in Manufacturing,” Plastics News Executive Forum, Tempe, AZ, 2003
Moderator, “Design Alignment Forum,” Nissan Design Headquarters, San Diego, CA, 2003
Interviewee, “Going Public with Design,” Residential Architect Magazine, 2003
Keynote Speaker, “Conference Opening Remarks,” IDSA Western District Conference, Pasadena, CA, 2003
Presenter, “Sustainable Futures Lecture Series,” Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN, 2002
Presenter, “Consumer Programmable Interfaces,” International Housewares Show, Chicago, IL, 2002
Presenter, “Designing Product Relationships,” IDSA Midwest District Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2002
Presenter, “Social Capital within Design Organizations,” DMI – Design Management Institute’s 23rd Annual Conference, Chatham, MA, 2001
Article Author, “Role of Social Capital in Design,” ICSID – International Council of Industrial Design Societies Quarterly Publication, 2001
Presenter, “Role of Social Capital in Innovation,” International Council of Industrial Design Societies – North American Conference, Montreal, Canada, 2001
Presenter, “User Centered Design Strategies,” Technology, Media, and Design Conference, Madison, 2001
Guest Editor, “Design Strategy Issue,” INNOVATION Magazine, Summer 2000
Presenter, “Redesigning the Design Brief,” SC Johnson Wax Innovation In-House Conference, Racine, WI, 2000
Article Author, “The Five Minute Mentor,” INNOVATION Magazine, Spring 2000
Conference Chair, “The Gateway: Learn and Grow or Fade Away,” 2000 IDSA Midwest District, Madison, WI, 1999
Presenter, “Sustainable Design Strategies,” International Housewares Show, Chicago, IL, 1999
Conference Chair, “The Creative Culture,” 1999 IDSA Midwest District, Madison, WI, 1999
Teaching Experience
Oregon Health and Science University, 2015, Masters Class Workshop on Service Design, Portland, OR
Portland Institute of Art and Design, 2015; Senior Presentation Review, Class of 20015
Portland Institute of Art and Design, 2014; Senior Portfolio Review, Class of 20014
Portland Institute of Art and Design, 2009; Senior Portfolio Review, Class of 2009
Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2009; On-line educator, Product Design, Natural Inspiration for Sustainable Products
Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2006; On-line educator, Product Design, Natural Inspiration for Sustainable Products
University of Minnesota, 2002; Guest Lecture, User Centered Design Forum
Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2001; Guest Lecture, User Research and Design, Minneapolis, MN
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, 2001; Guest Lecture, User Innovation and Utility, Milwaukee, WI
Purdue University, 1998; Guest Lecture, Design and You, West Lafayette, IN
ESL English teacher, 1991-1992; Volunteer English Teacher, Korean Community, Chicago, IL
Purdue University, 1988; Volunteer Teacher, Product Development – Super Saturday Program for gifted children, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN
Purdue University, 1987; Volunteer Teacher, Astrophysics & Cosmology – Super Saturday Program for gifted children, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN