Design Strategy, Development & CMF Consultant, Self-Employed
Ayana graduated with a Bachelors in Industrial design and a minor in Fashion design. Currently she makes a living as a global luxury Design and CMF Consultant in the Home and Lifestyle product industries. For over 15 years she has designed and refined hundreds of collections for Ralph Lauren, West Elm, Georg Jensen, Bobby Flay and Food Network housewares brands. Her design philosophy is to bring beauty and ease to a complex world.
Having traversed the globe for trend and manufacturing, she understands the joys and challenges of developing luxury and aspirational products. Staying relevant, noisy markets, inclusive innovation, aligning values with consciousness; all of these exciting problems she solves with mindful elegance.
Her passion for mentorship and helping the next generation has led her to be honored with an invitation to serve on Syracuse University's Young Alumni Council for the School of Visual and Performing Arts and be a part of the inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for IDSA. She actively and proudly serves on both Councils.
In her free time she has become enthralled by working with her hands again from the potters wheel to baking!
Ayana was recognized for her outstanding service as DEIC leader.
Investing in You: The Journey of Freelancing and Consulting
Join Ayana Patterson, IDSA, for an enlightening session that navigates the world of freelancing and consulting, uncovering the hidden joys, inevitable challenges, and profound self-investment opportunities.
Discover the personal branding strategies that set you apart in the freelancing arena, explore how skill building fuels your growth, and learn to strike a harmonious balance between work and life. Delve into the costs—both tangible and emotional—associated with this path and find inspiration in the quest to unearth your deeper ‘why’ in the world of self-employment.
This presentation promises to provide valuable insights into the freelancer’s journey, offering a newfound understanding of the multifaceted investment people make in themselves when choosing this path. Don’t miss the chance to gain clarity and motivation for your own freelancing adventure.
Ayana Patterson, IDSA, is a Design Strategy, Direction, and CMF consultant, as well as an Adjunct Professor teaching Professional Practices at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design. She is a leader on IDSA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC), working with Tracy Llewellyn as a member of the DEIC Industry Team. Ayana is also a member of Syracuse University’s Young Alumni Council for the Visual and Performing Art College and served on the IDSA Awards Committee in 2021.
“Life is such a gift,” Ayana says, “and never more than in these past couple of years has that been so apparent to me.” In her career, she hopes to lead and join diverse teams of individuals designing the world forward through thoughtful design solutions, positivity, and beauty, and push her design focus further into the intersection of lifestyle products, eco-consciousness, and technology. “Right now I feel a call to action to revise and redesign our paths forward with conscientiousness, equity, and transparency,” she says.
Ayana looks forward to teaching Professional Practice again at Drexel, and is excited to push DEIC initiatives and work with “my amazing DEIC team at IDSA, who are also a source of inspiration to me.”
As an alumnus of Syracuse University, Ayana feels honored to have been asked to join the Young Alumni Council for the Visual and Performing Art College. “I never needed any accolades to keep me going, but it is always reaffirming to know that my support of the Industrial Design school throughout the years has not gone unnoticed,” she notes. “The honor from Syracuse, and this one from IDSA, make me reflect on my own career path and remind me to mark the small achievements. To slow down and value the journey just as much as the destination.”
Luxury State of Mind
A powerful conversation about elevating design with aesthetics and consciousness.
