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Jerry Qu
Industrial Designer - UI UX Designer
Professional Background
Jerry Qu is a multi-faceted industrial designer and digital product designer based in New York City, combining his expertise in UX/UI design, graphic design, 3D modeling, and 3D rendering. With a diverse skill set, Jerry has developed a strong reputation for delivering innovative design solutions that meet the needs of his clients and enhance user experiences. His career reflects a commitment to excellence, creativity, and continuous learning, making him a sought-after professional in the fields of design and product development.
As the owner of Mountain & Mushroom, Jerry has established his own design consultancy where he applies his industrial design expertise to various projects. His previous roles include valuable positions such as Product Visualization Designer at Atlantic Weld Tech and Industrial Designer at Visual Citi Inc., during which he honed his abilities to visualize and create products that resonate with target audiences. His freelance experience further underscores his adaptability and proficiency, marking him as a versatile contributor to numerous design projects.
A passionate educator, Jerry has also served as a Guest Critic and Instructional Assistant at Pratt Institute's Industrial Design Department. During this time, he shared his knowledge with the next generation of designers, providing them with constructive feedback while encouraging their creative exploration. By engaging in academic circles, Jerry remains deeply connected with the principles and advancements in industrial design, further enhancing his skills and perspectives.
Education and Achievements
Jerry's academic background is rooted in solid foundations that prepared him for success in the design industry. He graduated with a Bachelor of Industrial Design with Honors from Pratt Institute, an elite institution known for its rigorous design programs. As a President’s List recipient, Jerry demonstrated not only his design acumen but also his dedication to academic excellence.
Further enhancing his qualifications, Jerry pursued certifications in specialized areas such as the UI/UX Design Career Track through Springboard and completed a course on COVID-19 Contact Tracing at The Johns Hopkins University. These educational pursuits reflect his adaptability and eagerness to stay current with industry trends and societal needs, making him a well-rounded professional.
In addition to his formal education, Jerry has participated in various leadership roles during his time at Pratt Institute, including serving as the Vice President of the Pratt Chinese Students and Scholars Association and coordinating on-campus events. His ability to balance academic diligence with extracurricular engagement showcases his strong organizational skills and commitment to community involvement.
Skills and Tools
Jerry's design toolkit is comprehensive, featuring proficiency in a wide range of software and digital applications essential for modern industrial and product design. His skills in Solidworks and Keyshot enable him to create detailed 3D models and photorealistic renders, while his expertise in Xd and Figma make him an accomplished UI designer. Furthermore, his proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign allows him to create compelling graphics, logos, and layouts for various media.
His ability to produce motion graphics and video content using After Effects and Premiere Pro demonstrates his versatility, making him a valuable asset in any design project that requires engaging multimedia elements. Moreover, he possesses creative drawing skills with Sketchbook Pro, enabling him to bring ideas to life through illustrations. These skills contribute to a holistic design approach that prioritizes user engagement and effective visual communication.
Achievements
Jerry Qu's achievements reflect a commitment to not only his personal development but also to the advancement of best practices within the design community. His recognition as a President's List student during his time at Pratt Institute serves as a testament to his dedication and hard work. Furthermore, his role as a Guest Critic and Instructional Assistant allowed him to influence and mentor aspiring designers, emphasizing his investment in sharing knowledge and fostering creativity.
As the owner and lead designer at Mountain & Mushroom, Jerry has taken initiative by establishing a platform to showcase his design prowess and cater to clients seeking innovative solutions in industrial design. This entrepreneurial spirit positions him well within the competitive landscape of design, allowing for continuous growth and exploration of new opportunities.
Jerry’s experience with various organizations, including his past roles at Atlantic Weld Tech and Areco Technology Inc., showcases his capacity to work within collaborative environments effectively while delivering high-quality results. As a freelance designer, he has been able to adapt to diverse client demands, which has significantly enriched his expertise and contributed to his overall success.
In summary, Jerry Qu combines a solid educational background, a diverse skill set, and a passion for design to create impactful solutions. His career trajectory reflects his commitment to excellence, adaptability, and continuous learning in an ever-evolving industry. His combination of technical skill, creative vision, and leadership potential positions him as an influential player in the design landscape. Whether through his work with clients at Mountain & Mushroom or his role as an educator at Pratt Institute, Jerry Qu remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of design and innovation.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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