Jack O'Dell

I have been fascinated with design my entire life. Since I first found out how to draw, I’ve been sketching superheroes, characters from Star Wars, and TV shows, and while it was fun and an outlet for me, there was something that was missing- the creative aspect. After realizing this, I spent hours at a time creating my own heroes and monsters for them to fight, and then created my own toy replicas out of clay. From then on, I wanted to be a toy designer. Until the next year that is, when I wanted to use my surfing background to develop my own interchangeable surfboard, and created my own life sized replica out of wood. As the years went on, I discovered 3D printing and made my own board game and respective pieces, and then printed perfected versions of my toy designs. However, my interests were so varied that I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do with myself. Engineering was too math related, and science or marketing weren’t creative enough. While all my friends knew where they were going, I was still confused and conflicted with my future.

This was until I discovered product design at MSU. From what I gathered in the open house tours and my exploration of other schools, Montclair offered the most well rounded, technical yet creative program I’ve seen, and it’s proximity to NYC was certainly appealing. After seeing all of the work that other students had done, I realized that this was the place for me- a place where I could design both toys and surfboards. A place where creativity was prized above all other things.

After getting accepted, I realized that the program was initially very drawing heavy. While I had been drawing since I was young, it wasn’t remotely the caliber or even in the same style as what was expected, and my professors were very hard on me. My drawings were constantly criticized and I was tempted to give up completely, but the need to prove myself outweighed it all. Being the worst in the class was certainly motivation to be better. 

Although I was tempted to give up, my professors never gave up on me. They would constantly sit me down and give me one on one advice, and although I was still the worst in the class, I could see that their advice was paying off and I was getting better. 

It was sophomore year where I finally realized that they were right. In a years time, my work had dramatically improved, and their knowledge and support had drastically benefited me. It was then when I was able to use my creativity to my full advantage and I thrived because of it.

Junior year was the hardest academic year of my life. We started doing design co ops with Movado and Ingersoll Rand, who were both quite demanding. However through these hardships, our professors never gave up on us. Dr Feigler specifically pushed me, and his expertise worked. Me, worst kid in the class freshman year, won the entirety of the Movado Group competition, along with $5k and a potential internship. Ingersoll Rand also dramatically improved my model making and design skills, and now looking back I would’ve been even harder on myself than my professors were. Presenting in person to Movado and Ingersoll Rand representatives gave my entire class real life experience that other majors relished to have. 

Now, at the end of my junior year, it’s required for us to find internships. Although my internship with Movado fell through, my professors immediately jumped on the opportunity to help me and found me two potential ones within only 3 weeks. 

I cannot stress enough that Product Design at MSU is one of the greatest learning experiences a student can have. Through the years, I’ve learned that hard work pays off, the ability to depend on myself, time management, and became an award winning designer along the way. The professors truly care about the future and well beings of their students, and without them I would’ve been completely lost. This program has certainly made me into the man I am today, and I hope it’s still around to inspire young designers in the future.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-o-dell-8b501a274?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F