I am Shayla Nguyen

Hello! I’m Shayla Nguyen. I am a Vietnamese American. I am currently working full-time as an industrial product designer. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from The Ohio State University with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

I’ve always been interested in design—how things shape the way we live. Space creates experiences, products create habits. That blurred line between aesthetics and functionality is where I like to design. My foundation in architecture taught me to think spatially—to consider proportion, material, movement, and how people flow through environments. Now, I apply that same thinking to products. I see objects as small pieces of architecture—systems that respond to the body, to context, and to use.

One thing I love about design is that it’s all information. Life is all information. We give and receive information. We observe how things are used and how we move through space. We take notes and do our best to improve the thing and the space. I try to carry that mindset everywhere.

Outside of design, I like to draw, write books/poems, and study/make music. Since middle school, I’ve been interested in music. I also love fashion and clothes. I love exploring places and hiking—I try to be active. Healthy life, healthy mind.

At the core of my work is a desire to create products that people genuinely want to use—objects that feel intentional, purposeful, and alive. Especially alive. Seeing an idea evolve from imagination into something tangible never gets old.

And I must say, design is a reward.