About me
Professional experience
Manu’s areas of expertise are in design research, design thinking, behavioural psychology, product-, graphic- and prototype design as well as communication and information visualisation. As a lecturer and a researcher at Lucerne University of Arts and Sciences (since 2016) she works in the overlapping field of design and technology and develops new concepts for design education. In her entrepreneurial career (since 2011) Manu works as a design strategist and a design practitioner in several design-related areas. She offers design services and design consultancy and lectures methodologies of design thinking in workshops she teaches in SMEs. Her designed objects are marketed under the brand enfant unique – a label that stands for high qualitative, sophisticated, and honest products. Before Manu founded ICANNOTNOTDESIGN, Manu was working as a design director, an art director, and a designer. Manu worked at Porsche Design Switzerland, and created for notable brands among Boucheron, Porsche, and Nixon.
Education
Manu Andrea Maier-Hummel is a designer and design researcher with specialisation in design studies and behavioural psychology. She holds a Master’s degree in Arts from the INDI elite program at Concordia University in Montréal, Canada (2013-2015), and a Master’s degree in Product and Environmental design from hfg Schwäbisch Gmünd (2001-2005). While she completed her academic degree in product design, she additionally attended the information and media design program at hfg Schwäbisch Gmünd (2001-2003). Manu perfected her knowledge in interior and jewellery design at the Kuopio Academy for Design in Finland (2003) and broadened her expertise in graphic design during studies in Lucerne, Switzerland (2003).
Manu’s a traveller. A quote from Tolkien describes her best: “Not all those who wander are lost.” In this sense Manu loves to explore new things, be it on trips around the world, in books, or through technology. As a marathon runner, cyclist, and yogini she enjoys nature and the peace of mind. This, good times with family and friends, her cat, and delicious food make her happy.