My name is Zach Samalonis and I am an Industrial Designer based out of Philadelphia, PA. I graduated from Jefferson University (formerly Philadelphia University) with a concentration in Medical Design in 2020 and have 3+ years of experience working as an industrial designer at the multidisciplinary industrial design firm, Phase One Design. I have assisted in a wide variety of products ranging from small houseware products to larger industrial and medical equipment. I am open to remote work and relocation. 

My goal is to work on projects that matter; ones that have a positive impact on the individuals who use and interact with them. Our experiences shape who we are, especially as designers. I was fortunate enough to know both of my grandfathers. One was an engineer, who would make my eyes light up as a kid with his stories of designing missiles for space. The other was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 40. On the weekends I witnessed his decline, as he would slowly have to surrender his ability to preform everyday tasks, like eating and speaking on his own. 

Their influence leads my empathetic approach to solving problems around accessibility. Most recently this can be seen in my senior capstone, Swell, a prosthetic foot for amputee surfers. Swell received a 2021 IDEA Gold Award and placed 1st in the Core77 Design Excellence Awards. 

I am a long-distance runner (10 years and counting) who loves listening to audiobooks. In my free time, I enjoy watching and analyzing movies (in another life, I would be pursuing film or cinematography). I find it fascinating how many different ways a story can be constructed and presented to the viewer and try to do the same in the products I design. 

I love interacting with the design community. Whether you are a designer yourself or just interested in chatting about design, technology or my work, feel free to reach out!