About ALESSANDRA
Alessandra Corona is an industrial designer based in Chicago. She currently runs an independent product design business, Big Bright. She spends the other half of her time developing her sleepwear brand, River Left.
Alessandra received her BFA in Industrial Design from SCAD. Before branching out on her own, Alessandra designed products at Quirky, Kids II, and Paris Presents. At Kids II, she designed infant toys across the brands Bright Starts, Oball, and Baby Einstein, working on every product from conception to production. At Paris Presents, she designed makeup brushes, sponges, and storage for the Real Techniques and EcoTools brands. Alessandra led the product design of over 50 items for the 2019 Real Techniques relaunch. The result was highly instagramable products that work just as well as they look.
Alessandra has spoken at the IDSA Women's Conference, Advanced Design's Lens Sessions, and SCAD Guests in Gusto. Her skills outside of design include playing with her dog, jewelry making, sailing, wrapping presents, and practicing yoga.
Big Bright
At Big Bright, Alessandra helps brands develop new consumer products and update old product lines by elevating their design language and functionality. She works with a range of clients designing everything from bathroom accessories to automotive tools. She strives to design products that serve a meaningful purpose, are built to last, and add beauty to the users daily life.
River Left
Her sleepwear brand, River Left, was founded after realizing that the options for women’s sleepwear are either overtly sexual or overly modest and unflattering. She set out to design classic sleepwear that is an empowering celebration of the female figure and offers women a fresh perspective on in home style. The environment and worker-wellbeing are at the forefront of her decision-making. Each item is intentionally designed with a timeless silhouette to be anti-fast-fashion and meant to last for seasons to come.
Read more about River Left at www.riverleftsleep.com
Education
Savannah College of Art and Design
BFA Industrial Design
Graduated Spring 2013
Cumulative GPA: 3.9
Deans list, Artistic Scholarship, Academic Scholarship
Experience
Paris Presents Incorporated: Industrial Designer
Winter 2016 to Winter 2018
Designed and developed cosmetic accessories with a focus on the EcoTools and Real Techniques brands. Specialized in makeup brushes and storage and created package structure concepts and graphics. Successfully managed key design projects, including the redesign of 56 Real Techniques items, to lead them through to market.
Kids II: Industrial Designer
Spring 2014 to Fall 2015
Designed infant toys for the brands Bright Starts, Oball, and Baby Einstein. Responsible for designs from conception to manufacturing. 6 products produced for market.
Quirky: Product Design Intern
Summer/Fall 2013
Used skills in rapid ideation, CAD modeling, and prototyping to turn crowd-sourced ideas into exciting and useful products. 2 products produced for market.
CLIC: Packaging Design Intern
Fall 2012/Winter 2013
Worked off-site for the Hong Kong based company. Designed packaging, created graphics, and presented Illustrator drawings and hand sketches.
A-Schwab: Retail Design Consultant
Winter 2012
Combined aspects of human factors, display design, and interior design to create a comfortable and attractive retail environment.
AT&T: Sponsored Project
Fall 2012
Worked on a team to design a new line of consumer electronics and develop a design language that AT&T can build off of in future products. Final designs displayed at the 2013 CES.
KIDS II: Sponsored Project
Winter 2012
Chosen to participate in SCAD course of 10 students involving research, ideation, and design of children’s toys. Selected to travel to Asia to visit the Kids II Hong Kong office.
Skills
Sketching and Rapid Ideation
Sketchbook Pro + Wacom + Pen and Paper
Photo Editing, Graphics, and Print Layout
Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator + InDesign
Cad Modeling
Solidworks + Alias + Rhino
Rendering
Keyshot + Bunkspeed Pro
Prototyping
3D Printing + 3D Modeling + Workshop Equipment