# Eli Block > Visual, Product, & Industrial Designer Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/eliblock Graphic, product, interaction, and industrial designer with a demonstrated history of working in the technology industry. Currently at Google Brand Studio; past experience includes Google Creative Lab and Helix, a Kleiner Perkins Company. Strong background in research and strategy; graduate of the Brown University & Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Dual Degree Program with degrees in evolutionary biology and industrial and product design [concentration in Nature, Culture, & Sustainability Studies]. Skilled in design across media, including type design, 3D modeling, digital fabrication, and physical prototyping. Interested in bright color, strange texture, inventive form, emerging technologies, and creative strategy. ## Work Experience ### Lead Experience Designer @ Airbnb Jan 2024 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States ### Visual, Product, & Interaction Designer @ Google Jan 2022 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Senior Designer, Special Projects Lead @ Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States ### Interaction Designer, Brand Studio @ Google Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Designer, Creative Lab @ Google Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 | Greater New York City Area ### Designer, Creative Lab 5 @ Google Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 | Greater New York City Area ### KPCB Design Fellow @ Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Product Design Intern @ Helix Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Digital Fabrication Shop Monitor @ Rhode Island School of Design Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | RISD Co-Works Train and support students in the use of RISD's newest digital fabrication tools: 3D modeling and printing, CNC milling, vacuum forming, laser cutting, UV printing, pen plotting, vinyl cutting, etc. ### Material Collection Monitor @ Rhode Island School of Design Jan 2015 – Jan 2017 | RISD Fleet Library Organize, maintain, and style materials for library visitors to check out. Generate periodic collections to showcase unique materials in design. ### Graphic Designer, Studio Manager @ Rhode Island School of Design Jan 2013 – Jan 2017 | Providence, Rhode Island Area Design graphic elements including posters, identities, websites and presences, and print materials for clients in and around the Providence community area. Check out the RISD Design Guild's site for contact information: risdguild.com ### Biological Design Teaching Assistant @ Brown University Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Brown Biomedical Center Assist students in the joint engineering and biology course: Biological Design. This course surveys the diversity of forms found in nature. It explores biomimicry, bio-inspired design, functional biomechanics, among a range of other interdisciplinary topics. ### Design Research Intern @ Convivial Project Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 Conducted research into artificial intelligence, soft robotics, brain computer interfaces, and general advancements in emerging neurotechnologies. Experimented with building functional soft robots. Conducted visual research into theoretical physics concepts, attempting to map visual allegories of the multiverse for use in a projection mapped installation. ### Design Research Intern @ FranklinTill Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | London, United Kingdom Contributed research to Viewpoint Magazine—a trend-led publication that delivers crucial visual, editorial and statistical information to brands, designers, agencies and consumer insight teams determined to create lifestyle products, campaigns and environments that anticipate consumer demand. Contributed to the designing, planning, and organization of the Central Saint Martins "Intelligent Optimist" Exhibition of graduate work for London Design Festival 2015. Styled a product photoshoot and assisted additional shoots. ### Stanford–Brown–Spelman iGEM Member @ NASA Ames Research Center Jan 2014 – Jan 2014 | Mountain View, California Received Brown University Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award (UTRA) to work as a member of the 2014 Stanford-Brown-Spelman International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) team. Researched, developed, and lead a subset of the S-B-S iGEM team in a project focused on the identification of paper wasp waterproofing proteins. Research has shown that the nest paper produced by the wasp genus Polistes is composed primarily of cellulose, but coated with a protein-rich oral secretion. Our team hypothesized that there may be a single protein in Polistes saliva that is chiefly responsible for the hydrophobic nature of their nests. Therefore, we trapped and identified wasps and collected wasp nest samples with the help of Dave Kavanaugh from the California Academy of Sciences. Next we extracted mRNA, reserve transcribed, and prepared wasp cDNA libraries for sequencing. In parallel, we sequenced proteins found on Polistes nests using peptide mass fingerprinting. Based on mass fingerprinting results, we identified 30 potential cellulose waterproofing proteins and narrowed our search to 6 candidate proteins. The team’s ultimate goal for the project was to identify the gene that codes for this wasp waterproofing protein and transform into Saccharomyces cerevisiae so that we can produce an inherently biomimetic solution to shielding lightweight cellulose-based materials from water in the environment. This project was particularly exciting because of its potential for discovery; never before had the proteins in wasp saliva been identified or applied as functional biomaterials. More information about this project can found online here: 2014.igem.org/Team:StanfordBrownSpelman/Material_Waterproofing. Also as an iGEM team member, I constructed a functional concept unmanned aerial vehicle with a mycelium body grown in collaboration with Ecovative Design, produced experimental biomaterials from common precursor materials, and designed and developed the team’s online wiki. ### Material Science Research Assistant @ Naval Postgraduate School Jan 2010 – Jan 2012 | Monterey, California Calibrated a tube furnace and constructed a microwave plasma emitter for the production of graphene, synthesized graphitic oxide and then reduced it via both expansion-reduction method and plasma reduction method to produce graphene. Researched and purchased laboratory instruments. Identified sample structures using X-ray crystallography and scanning electron microscopy. Organized laboratory, inventorying chemicals. Modeled lab components in solidworks for machining. Ran experiments independently. ### Graphic & Web Design Intern @ Scott Design, Inc. Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 | Aptos, California Designed and helped code websites for both corporate and non-profit clients. Contributed to corporate branding projects. Made mockups and design presentation proposal materials. Backed-up files and designs for more efficient recovery. Organized business records for easier administration. Built a database to facilitate the cataloguing of stock photos. ## Education ### Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biology Brown University Jan 2012 – Jan 2017 ### Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Industrial and Product Design, Concentration in Nature/Culture/Sustainability Studies Rhode Island School of Design Jan 2012 – Jan 2017 ### Program Certificate in California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science, Organic Chemistry, Mathematics University of California, Santa Cruz Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elicblock - Portfolio: http://www.eli-block.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/eliblock JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/eliblock/resume.json Last updated: 2026-03-25