Felicia Ferrone

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Felicia Ferrone was born in Chicago and educated in the U.S. Her research and creative practice—operating since 2001 under the namesake brand Fferrone Design—is deeply informed by early professional experiences as an architect in Milan. While working in the studios of some of Italy’s most notable architects (Antonio Citterio, Vittorio Gregotti, Piero Lissoni, and Silvana Sermisoni), Ferrone was taught to “blur the boundaries” of design as she solidified a belief in the interdependence of all aspects of design and of the relationship between design and context.

Ferrone’s work has been widely exhibited, distributed, and published. In addition to her self-initiated work, she has completed commissions for Audi, Boffi, Cool Hunting, and The Macallan. Ferrone is featured in Woman Made: Great Women Designers, a celebration of 200 product designers from the early twentieth century to the present day (Phaidon, 2021). She has served as a juror for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and for Archiproducts and Core 77 Design Awards. 

In addition to her practice, Ferrone is director of Undergraduate Studies and Clinical Associate Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Design at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) where she seeks to inspire the next generation of dynamic thinkers and makers who—while taught to create the singular, highly resolved formal object—are guided to arrive at their design solutions through a process of deep research and critical thinking. Ferrone served as Director of Graduate Studies of Industrial Design at UIC from 2015–2022 and taught as Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 2010–2015.

Recognition

Featured in Films/Series

Designed with intent to challenge archetype and expectation, Fferrone Design glassware collections have been featured as props for film and television productions, at times, hand-selected by the director to play a critical role in the development of a scene.

When used effectively, a distinctive prop can move a story forward, define a character, or become a symbol in and of itself. As an example, the plot of the thriller, Old (Director: M. Night Shyamalan, 2021), involves drinks offered to guests at a tropical resort that unknowingly advance the aging process. As such, the glassware (Fferrone May, Flight, and Dearborn collections) assume the role of a minor character—appearing as vessels of focus for delivery of the affected drinks and also as glassware in the hotel’s chemical lab. In the  food-focused romantic comedy, Always Be My Maybe (Director: Kahnatchka Khan, 2019), the Revolution collection is used to support the film’s narrative in a key dining scene as an expression of experimental haute cuisine. Most often, when Fferrone glassware is selected as film prop, it is for science fiction productions set far into the future. In this context, often as one of the few props on set, the distinctive glassware is used to support futuristic speculative worldbuilding.

John Wick: Chapter 4, 2023

Director: Chad Stahelski
Performers: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne
Lionsgate, 2023.
Featuring the May Collection

Star Wars Andor, 2022

Director: Tony Gilroy
Performers: Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Stellan Skarsgård
Disney+
Featuring the May Collection

“Preparing to Live.” Foundation Series, 2021

AppleTV+. September 24, 2021. TV/Streaming
Featuring the Tulip Collection

Old, 2021

Director: M. Knight Shyamalan
Performers: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell
Universal Pictures, 2021
Featuring the May, Flight, and Dearborn Collection

Always Be My Maybe, 2019

Directors: Nahnatchka Khan
Performers: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves
Netflix, 2019
Featuring the Revolution Collection

Solo: A Star Wars Story, 2018

Director: Ron Howard
Performers: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke
Lucasfilms, 2018
Featuring the Tulip Collection

Alien: Covenant, 2017

Director: Ridley Scott
Performers: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup
Twentieth Century Fox, 2017
Featuring the Tulip Collection

“Chestnut.” / “The Adversary.” episodes, Westworld, 2016

HBO. November 6, 2016. TV/Streaming
Featuring the Revolution Collection
October 7, 2016. TV/Streaming
Featuring the Revolution Collection

“The Body.” Stranger Things, 2016

Netflix. July 15, 2016. Streaming
Featuring the Dearborn Collection

Oblivion, 2013

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Performers: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough
Universal Pictures, 2013.
Featuring the Revolution Collection

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Jury Participation

Core77 Design Award, 2023

Invited Juror for Product Design: Home & Living
Chicago IL
Core77 is the leading American website and online magazine dedicated to industrial design. The Core77 Design Awards recognize the broad spectrum of design and celebrate principles of inclusivity, innovation, and excellence.

Archiproducts Design Award, 2023, 2022

IInvited Juror for Product Design
Virtual
Archiproducts is a multiplatform publisher and resource repository that serves as the “ultimate source of inspiration” for architecture and design professionals. Each year, the Archiproducts Design Awards program assembles a jury of design leaders to reflect upon the creative scene and to reward products that by means of new materials, shapes or functions are able to revolutionize and improve the quality of life.

ADC 97th Annual Awards, 2018

Invited Juror for Product Design
New York NY
The Art Directors Club (ADC) produces an international awards program celebrating creative excellence in advertising and design. The jury for the 97th Annual ADC Awards consisted of 23 women and 18 men representing nine countries who selected awardees based on the program’s historic focus of honoring the best in craft, design, and innovation.

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 2017

Invited Juror for Lions Awards: Product Design
Cannes France
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. The five day festival, which incorporates the Lions awards, is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès during the last week of June. The event draws 15,000 registered delegates from 90 countries to celebrate the best in international creativity in brand communication. Cannes Lions juries are drawn from experts in each field from around the world.

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Exhibitions