Author
Bill Fischer
Author, artist, designer, and purveyor of Inclusive, Socio-Emotional, Entertaining, and Universal Design. Bill is a Professor emeritus at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, where he founded the Digital Art and Design program. He is the author of the I-See-U blueprint for art and design citizenship.
More Info
Bill's career began designing toys and automotive components at Duramold Corp. Then, at GE Associates Architects, he created an original design for the library in his hometown of Flushing Michigan. At Lear Corporation, as a product design manager, working with his team, he developed automotive control panels that were incorporated into three Motor Trend “Cars of the Year”, won Ford’s best new product award, and received seven patents. He eventually formed a multimedia design studio, BlackBox, which won numerous Addy and Glima awards and enjoyed clients that included Delco Electronics, Roadrunner Records, Wolverine International, and The American Institute of Architects.
He is also the founder and executive producer for The Epic Project (external link). This is a collective of faculty, students, schools, companies, and non-profit organizations that collaborate to produce free, innovative media that helps teachers create engaging classrooms and community advocates move populations beyond reaction, to action. 34 projects have been completed, that engaged 200,000 plus students and the public. The app, website, animation, VR, and AR media were a collaboration between 73 K-12 teachers and subject experts, 12 KCAD faculty, 380 college art and design students, and over 450 K-12 students that participated in the development and user testing. Much of the media attempted to provide innovative solutions centered around inclusion, accessibility, neurodiversity, mental health, global climate change, animal extinction, inclusive history, and amplifying underserved youth voices.