The Capstone Experience
In their final year in the BBA Strategic Design + Management program, students devote the entire year to their Capstone project. In this project, students have to leverage everything they’ve learned during their time at Parsons – design-led research, finance, brand management, team dynamics, systems-thinking, business strategy, and more – to discover, define, develop, and deliver a real work of design in the real world.
Students have the option to pursue an independent project of their choice or to collaborate with classmates in response to a client brief from an external partner. The BBA Symposium celebrates the breadth of these projects. Together, they demonstrate the extraordinary diversity of questions, contexts, approaches, and industries in which the BBA Strategic Design + Management degree can make a real, important, essential impact.
This semester, we are lucky have worked with the following brands:
CADDIS is a corrective eyewear brand that provides discerning individuals who aren’t afraid of aging with reading glasses cool enough for the vibrant, stylish, intelligent, and interesting people who need them. In the past 7 years, Caddis has grown its core of collection of glasses to more than 35 styles and now offers progressives, sun readers, made-to-order, and prescription programs. But what’s next? They came to us with the question: How can a company built on “anti anti-aging” expand their product offerings beyond eye-wear and better connect with their customers through their publication Humongous Living?
CANDYLAB TOYS produces craftsmanship-quality wooden toy vehicles for discerning parents and design buffs overwhelmed (and underwhelmed) by a market saturated with forgettable mass-market plastic toys. Today, they’ve built a global community of collectors who share Candylab’s enthusiasm for fine craftsmanship, classic American cars, and glamorous mid-century aesthetics. But they were curious: How might Candylab Toys expand beyond the children’s toy market into adult focused toys and collectibles?
Chilewich develops durable and easy-to-clean vinyl textiles that push the boundaries of form and function. In addition to its iconic, multi-tonal placemats (seven of which are in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum), Chilewich now works with commercial and transportation clients to innovate new solutions for flooring, wall textiles, window coverings, and upholstery fabrics. They came to us with the question: How might we make meaningful progress toward becoming a more environmentally responsible company while retaining our commitment to offering beautiful, durable, long-lasting, American-made products rooted in original design?
ZariZar artisans use luxuriously fine silk, fine wool, and Zari threads to weave high-end, intricately patterned Himroo shawls. With backing from Women Forward International, ZariZar is ready to introduce this time-honored Indian textile tradition to America’s style-conscious influencers and leverage this market expansion into support, training, and financial independence for its women artisans and their communities. They came to us with the question: How can ZariZar expand its international presence and better serve women artisans as a critical element of their local economy?
