About Us

ONE7 Studios is a Product Design Concept Studio and Consultancy created in the fall of 2009.  Our aim is to provide our customers with aesthetically pleasing solutions from idea, to concept, to prototype, to production.  Our experience in researching trends, branding, ideation sketching and rendering and computer modeling get worked into every aspect of the design process to provide our customers with the best and latest.

Design Philosophy

ONE7 takes a holistic and kinetic approach towards designing solutions for our clients.  Our focus is capturing “the art of energy and emotion” while being functionally intuitive.  Using our extensive background in developing global products within the automotive industry, we continue to challenge ourselves by engaging in culture and design rich in philosophy, psychology, sociology, history and futurism.

Clients

Chrysler LLC, Altair Engineering, Tata Technologies, Bombardier, Blue Fusion and Spencer Systems

Workflow

ONE7 Studios uses Microsoft Office Suite and the Adobe Suite for program and branding presentations, digital and manual sketching, Autodesk Alias Automotive software to realize 3-D packaging and modeling concepts and Autodesk VRED for visualization and animation.  Our automotive background allows ONE7 the ability to realize these concepts in digital or various physical scales and mediums.

Additional Services

ONE7 is available globally for developing brand philosophy, product ideation demos, panels, juries, and design concept-to-product presentations as well as product quality assessments.

History

David Smith, the principal owner of ONE7 is both a designer and a musician and sees the approach to both as being the same.  A graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan Dave’s first job was as a designer at the Dee Howard Co. an Aircraft Design, Engineering and Maintenance company in San Antonio, Texas.  His first assignment was as an aircraft concept designer in support of the 747 “flying palace” interiors designed by Syd Mead. 

Dave then moved back to Detroit to work for Chrysler Corporation as an exterior and interior designer and created such hits as the exterior to the first gen Neon and the internal "Nassau" exterior concept which went to production to become the “gangster” 2004 Chrysler 300C.  In that 11 year period he has also managed to work on the second gen Viper, the PT Cruiser production and concept vehicle shown in Geneva, the Prowler and piles of internal concepts proposals for production and show vehicles for the Jeep, Plymouth, Chrysler, Eagle and Dodge brands.

Next stop was General Motors were Dave managed the Global Corporate Brand Center, an all-digital studio geared toward giving GM a global futuristic portfolio look while creating new or re-imagined brand concepts for the companies 8 global brands at that time. Dave then went on to direct the Saturn Studio in support of all brand, production and show car interior and exterior activities and also met his wife Cheryl.  Dave finished his 10 year career at GM managing interior or exterior assignments for Advance Vehicle Concepts, Full-Size Truck, Buick and the Hummer Brand.

Dave often remarks at the gracious opportunity he’s had to work with so many talented and delightful people and wishes to say “thanks” for their hard work and dedication.

In the fall of 2009 Dave left GM to start ONE7 Studios and has been working as a design consultant for various clients and is looking forward to creating new concepts for the Industrial Design and Entertainment Industries at large.