National Luminaries From Nike Inc, Ford Motor Company, Walt Disney And More Visiting Detroit's College For Creative Studies Today, April 14

DETROIT, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The College for Creative Studies (CCS) today is bringing together the most innovative minds in experience design, including visionaries from Nike Inc, Ford Motor Company, Walt Disney and more to explore the future of human-technology interaction at the design summit today, April 14.

Human-technology interaction is an explosive tech segment that is pioneering the way humans interface with all forms of technology, including mobile phones and, most recently, wearables including smartwatches, fitness and activity bands and smart glasses. Forecasts of the wearable tech industry estimate it to be $30-$50 billion by 2018.  The conference gives attendees the opportunity to see what's next in interaction design, the focus of a new master's program launching at CCS in fall 2014.

"The College for Creative Studies is on the forefront of this creative and technological explosion and we are thrilled to bring some of the industry's top superstars to Detroit," said Sooshin Choi, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Design at CCS. "This summit is a natural segway into our two new Masters of Fine Arts programs – Color & Materials Design and Interaction Design."

The annual conference hosted at the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education boasts a full day of presentations and real-time interactions examining the possibilities for the rapidly expanding field focused on the human context of design – how people use, and respond to technology in their daily lives. The following corporate and institutional dignitaries will speak to Detroit's creative community, CCS students and faculty:

• Tesa Aragones, Senior Global Director, Nike+ Experience Design - Digital Sport at Nike
• Jeff Voris, Director of Connected Experiences, Walt Disney Imagineering
• Lawrence Burns, Professor of Engineering Practice, University of Michigan
• Sheryl Connelly, Global Trends and Futuring, Ford Motor Company
• Mike Jbara, President of ADA, Warner Music Group
• Joanne Healy, Dean of Graduate Studies, CCS
• Roland Yu, Co-Founder, yU+co.[lab]

The summit introduces CCS's two new Masters of Fine Arts programs this fall including Colors & Material Design and Interaction Design. Expertise in colors and material design is a growing need, based on hiring trends, and this MFA is the only graduate program of its kind offered in the United States. CCS's MFA in Interaction Design will offer a tailored approach that combines proven business practices, research methods and creative skills. Both programs incorporate the study of business analytics, entrepreneurship, user-centric research and product testing methodologies into the professional practice of developing solutions for real-world design challenges – filling critical gaps in the industry.

"The interaction technology trade is a top business investment," said Joanne Healy, Dean of Graduate Studies, CCS. "With companies like Google, Facebook and Sony making major acquisitions in interaction – our two new Masters programs will help produce the next generation of entrepreneurs and raise Detroit's profile as a center for innovation."

The College for Creative Studies continues to lead the way in innovation, being the only college with a real manufacturing company headquartered within its facilities. Through the college's partnership with Shinola, CCS students gain hands on design experience. The CCS curriculum also equips students with problem solving skills and design expertise – further solidifying Detroit's footprint as a creative economy.

About College for Creative Studies:

Located in the heart of Detroit, the College for Creative Studies (CCS) educates artists and designers to be leaders in creative professions. A private, fully accredited college, CCS enrolls more than 1,400 students pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees.

Students in the BFA program can major in Advertising: Design, Advertising: Copywriting, Crafts, Entertainment Arts, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design and Transportation Design, in addition to a dual major Art Education program. Students in the MFA program can major in Color and Materials Design, Interaction Design, Interdisciplinary Design and Transportation Design. The College also offers non-credit courses in the visual arts through its Continuing Education programs and opportunities for youth through its Community Arts Partnerships programs.

SOURCE College for Creative Studies