Background
Dan was born on August 27, 1950, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Son of Sidney and Minnie Droz.
Dan was born on August 27, 1950, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Son of Sidney and Minnie Droz.
Dan attended public schools, graduating from South Hills High School, Pittsburgh in1968. He attended Harvard College, with a double concentration in Visual/Environmental Studies and The History of Science, graduating in 1972, cum laude.
Guest Design Director, Mademoiselle Magazine, 1972; Founder/President, Dan Droz Designs, design/manufacturing of gifts, furniture, lighting '74-'88; Founder, Droz Marketing, marketing strategy and branding, 1988-2018; Founder/co-founder of numerous startups (6 Degrees, Wishbox, Weisshouse, Slant, Emote), 1990-2015; Full time sculptor, 2017-Present).
Dan Droz is a sculptor and the retired founder and president of Droz Marketing, a strategic marketing firm specializing in branding, product development, and design. For 18 years, Dan also served as an Adjunct Professor and Visiting Professor in both the College of Art and Business School at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). There he co-founded the first interdisciplinary university program in the US to bring together engineers, marketers, artists and designers in a single program to expand the application of design thinking and innovation strategy and also served as director of guide training for the world’s largest exposition of American design and art that toured 9 Soviet cities, sponsored by the United States Information Agency (USIA), and was Director of the American Design For Business Program sponsored by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA). He has been principal product designer for over 30 companies in the U.S. and abroad and consulted with hundreds of organizations, developing brands, marketing programs, and products. His research and writing have focused on design thinking and he has lectured and consulted throughout the world on branding strategy, product development, design thinking, and innovation strategy.
Dan is the recipient of numerous regional, national and international awards for marketing and design. He was recognized as “Designer of the Year” by ID Magazine and “Best of America” by Abitare (Italy), has won an unprecedented 31 “Marketing of the Year” awards granted by the American Marketing Association including “Agency of the Year” in Western Pennsylvania. He has also been featured in over 100 articles and books including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. In 1996, he was recognized as one of seven distinguished design alumni of Harvard College at the 30th anniversary of their art center.
.Dan's career has been focussed on design, marketing, and creative activity in both business and education. After graduation from Harvard College, where he was assistant to artist/designer Toshiro Katayama, (head of Harvard's Visual Arts Center), he worked briefly as guest design director for Mademoiselle Magazine (NYC), then returned to Pittsburgh to found Dan Droz Designs, where he began designing and manufacturing woodenware for the gift industry. Products were distributed by the H.E. Lauffer Company. He also worked briefly as VP for Droz Corporation, a family business involved with manufacturing wood products for the construction industry.
Following the sale of Droz Corp, Dan continued his design activity as consultant designer to over 30 furniture, housewares and lighting manufacturers in the U.S., Denmark, Canada, Taiwan (Beylerian/NY, Amisco/Canada, Nordisk Andels Export/Denmark, WorldBridge/Taiwan, etc). His furniture has been recognized by numerous awards, including an unprecedented 7 "Daphne" awards (The 'Oscars' of Furniture Design), ID Magazines "Designer's Choice" Award, and Recognition by Abitare Magazine as 'Best of US' design.
In 1983, Dan joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Fine Art and later became a visiting professor at the Business School, founding the nation's first interdisciplinary product development program, integrating design thinking across disciplines. He was also director of the Design for Business Program, sponsored by the National Endowment of the Arts. During this period, he wrote and lectured internationally on Design Process in Taiwan, Korea, Finland, England and the former the Soviet Union, and also was appointed director of training for the world's largest Exposition of American Design, which traveled to 9 Soviet cities, sponsored by the United States Information Agency (USIA).
In 1990, he became involved with business development and co-founded a number of bricks & mortar and internet-based businesses including 6 Degrees/Essential Surfing Gear, introducing the idea of browsing companions which later evolved into 'apps,' Wishbox, an online gift registry, Weisshouse, a home furnishings store, Emote, an app providing online psychological assessment and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Slant, Inc, designers/manufacturers of mobile desks and accessories.
During this period, his marketing firm, Droz and Associates (later, Droz Marketing), grew to over 25 staff members, helping organizations develop marketing and branding strategies. His work for businesses and non-profits has been recognized by over 100 awards including an unprecedented 31 "Marketer of the Year" awards, "Agency of the Year," and "Grand Marketer of the Year" from the American Marketing Association and numerous other awards (MarCom, Hermes, AVA, etc, for Strategy, Design, Marketing & Branding)
Apart from advising organizations, Dan has also authored or co-authored numerous books including Get Paid, The Gain Plan, The 7 Principles of Marketing, Click Here, Cooperstown and Fellow Travelers.
During all of these career evolutions, Dan has also pursued his passion for sculpture and in 2018, closed Droz Marketing to pursue a full-time career as a sculptor. He had his first solo exhibition in December 2018 and his work has been acquired by corporate and private collections nationally.
Dan retired from consulting in 2018 to pursue a career as a sculptor, concentrating on freestanding and dimensional wall sculpture in metal and wood. He had his first solo show at the Michael Hertrich Gallery in Pittsburgh. Dan graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1972, with double-major honors in both the History of Science and Visual and Environmental Studies and currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA