Jeffrey Parrish

I'm a Design Engineer with a BFA in Industrial Design and a Mechanical Engineering background from the University of Illinois Chicago. For over 15 years, I've been designing and engineering the physical objects that brands put in front of their customers—permanent store displays, fixtures, and retail environments.

My path hasn't been strictly corporate. In 2013, I co-founded Gramovox with Pavan Bapu. We designed the Bluetooth Gramophone—a vintage-meets-modern speaker inspired by the 1920s Magnavox R3—and took it to Kickstarter, where 927 backers helped us raise $241,173. The product was featured on Gizmodo, CBS News, the Chicago Tribune, and VentureBeat. We followed that with the Floating Record Vertical Turntable. I hold a US Design Patent for the speaker.

What sets me apart is the blend: I can sketch a concept, model it in SolidWorks, spec the materials and manufacturing process, build a working prototype in my workshop, and deliver production-ready files. I think in both aesthetics and tolerances.

Today I'm at One Source in Chicago, designing permanent store displays and fixtures. When I'm not at my desk or workbench, I'm probably working on a woodworking project or looking for something interesting to photograph.