Ben Franson
BFA in Product Design, 2025
Capstone Project: MO
Every object we interact with and space we enter has the power to bring us one step closer to expressing our true self.
Growing up, I was always a real nerd. And I love that about myself. However, I spent a long time looking at my passions as something that hindered me, instead of being a key source of my strength and style. My goal as a designer is to produce work and partner with organizations that empower people to be themselves -- whether that's designs that help you understand yourself, feel integrated into society, or connect more deeply with your passions.
I am currently working for Life2Launch as their Creative Director, defining their brand direction and building their flagship Paas in tandem with their web development and data science team.
Meet MO, the first armature (animatable skeleton) designed as an accessible kid's toy! MO is built as an entry point into the world of stop-motion, and animation as a whole, aimed at welcoming tweens and early teens.
MO is the culmination of 4 years of learning, failing, and succeeding, throughout my time at the University of Oregon's product design program. Every misstep taught me how to move forward stronger, and every win taught me what strong design looks like.
Coming into my final thesis (otherwise known as 'capstone') project, I knew I wanted to empower youth's ability to love being creative. After nearly 2 months of interviewing educators, disseminating pedagogical research, and looking out at the kid's toy landscape, I realized that a toy designed to teach stop motion sits at the crossroads of growing building toy markets, a societal shift towards a mindset of anti-consumption, and a need for hands-on creation among growing minds.
MO brings together my personal love for animation, my strong values of the importance of creativity and educating young minds, and all of my skills as a product designer.
