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Revised: February 20, 2009

Personal Statement
"To see as beautiful what is necessary in things, so as, to be one of those who makes things beautiful." (a remix)

Design Principals
1. Information Expression All design activities are based on Communication and Information Theory
2. Discovery A solution is only as good as the design team's understanding of the domain, stakeholders, customers and users needs.
3. Inherent Complexity Everything interacts with complex systems within systems within systems. Teams are more effective than soloists.
4. Interpretation Subjective or Objective. Qualitative or Quantitative. Personal or Second Hand. The interpretation of "Data" is more important than the "Data" itself.
5. Art & Science The freedom of the team to explore, create, and discover is essential. It should never be the "Science of Design" vs. "The Art of Design". Process, Research, and Creativity are not mutually exclusive. Leave your manifestos at the door.
6. Adaptibility Everything changes, even this. If you do not design for change, you shouldn't be designing.
7. Beauty People love elegant things. It is not skin deep. It is a feeling.

Primary Skills
Interaction Design, Information Design and Visualization, Information Architecture, Natural Interface Theory, Human Computer Interaction, Microsoft Development Methodologies, Windows Presentation Foundation Interfaces, Adobe Flash Interfaces, Microsoft Silverlight Interfaces, Java Swing, UI Framework Definitions, End User Cross Platform Definitions, Usage-Centered Design (coined), SCRUM Agile Processes, Agile UX Processes, Process Engineering, Systems Design, User Research.

Exploration
Scott Bower developed a passion for art, while in elementary school, as a painting apprentice of Fay Gold in Atlanta, Georgia. After winning a door-to-door fundraiser for his soccer league, he was awarded a Commodore 64. He learned BASIC and began experimenting with code.

As a 10 year old, his gallery space was the new computer stores in suburban malls. He quickly wrote "silly, non-destructive" programs that output to display terminals when the sales people were not looking.

Later, in secondary school, Scott began doing design work through his exposure to the late 80s punk and skateboard culture. He learned how to use printing presses for publishing fanzines, and, creating merchandise for his band.

Early Professional Experience
After learning Cranbrook methodology from Peter Wong at The Atlanta College of Art (now SCAD), Scott went to work for CNN.com. He learned how to both code and design web applications, and began doing comprehensive branding, motion, interactive, and print campaigns for Time Warner as he worked his way from the newsroom to a position of Senior Multimedia Designer. He was able to spend years developing processes and skills in Macromedia Flash while a member of a legendary international design team that implemented groundbreaking information design within demanding breaking news and feature presentation schedules.

While at CNN, Scott interacted with Walter Bender and Casey Reas from MIT as a representative of Time Warner. This transformational experience was "fire-in-the-belly", leading him onto a path of intensive exploration ever since.

Place
Scott has worked in a wide range of corporate, consultancy, and studio environments. He enjoys passing this experience through mentoring and collaboration. He has also conducted corporate training. By far, his most challenging role was as a Lecturer/Professor at the Kansas CIty Art Institute teaching Interaction and Information Design.

Breadth
In his eleven years of professional experience, he has worked on everything from television commercials, to movie design, to international advertising campaigns, to the first annual report designed for a cell phone, to christmas cards for a domestic violence shelter, to enterprise software, to art installations, to product packaging, to a pro skateboard deck, to a mural in his son's room.

Clients (freelance, consultant, in-house, agency)
Motorola, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Lanier, Oscar de la Renta, Slates, Dockers, CNN, Royal Bank of Canada, Wells Fargo, Hallmark, Knight Trading, Misys, Allscripts, Hope House, Kansas City Young Audiences, AIGA, Avaya, Kansas City Life, AT&T, IBM...

Recent
I turned down an opportunity to attend Carnegie Mellon's graduate Interaction Design program to pursue work designing next generation Electronic Medical Records (EMR) as a Senior Interaction Designer at MisysAllscripts. Although I am disappointed to have passed up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study with Shelley Everson, Golan Levin, and Ben Fry, I am privileged to be working on challenging projects that are deeply meaningful to me.

Agenda
My grandfather, a Family Practice Physician, died during a routine medical procedure due to a medical record error. I want to prevent preventable death.

Inspired by
The Vienna Secessionists, Jean Tinguely, and the work of pioneers such as Ben Fry, Golan Levin, Marius Watz, and Jared Tarbell.

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