JULIAN HENIN

Julian Henin

Industrial design, Montclair State, NJ

I design the parts people actually touch — the grip, the trigger, the seam — and I test them the way a mechanic tests a wrench: by using it until something fails.

Product design for tools, wearables and things with moving parts. Currently building toward a field service technician role — I like to know how what I draw actually gets fixed.
Bayonne, NJ
2023 — 2026

About

I'm mechanically inclined before I'm anything else — I grew up taking things apart to see how the torque got from one part to the next, and that instinct still runs every project I design. Working with Ingersoll Rand didn't feel like a departure from that; it felt like the first project that let me use it properly.

Alongside studio work, I've spent three years at QuickChek, which taught me a duller but equally important skill: showing up reliably, handling people under pressure, and learning new systems fast. Between the two, I've ended up with a strange but useful pairing — CAD fluency and a genuine comfort with hand tools.

Outside client work, I design personal concepts end to end: user research, competitive teardown, sketch iteration, foam and SLA models, final CMF. I'd rather ship an honest, working idea than a polished one that skips the ugly middle.

Based
Bayonne, New Jersey
Studying
Industrial Design, Montclair State University / 2023–2026
Software
SolidWorks Adobe CC MS Office Google Workspace
Hands-on
Vehicle diagnostics & repair, foam/SLA modeling, basic diagnostic tooling
Recognition
Winner, New York Auto Show Safety Design Competition

Different problem every time — a wrench, a hair dryer, a watch, a water bottle — but the same five moves get it from a question to something you can hold:

01 Research 02 Sketch 03 Prototype 04 CMF & CAD 05 Ship
  1. 01Research
  2. 02Sketch
  3. 03Prototype
  4. 04CMF & CAD
  5. 05Ship
Selected work, 2024–2026
01 / Industrial equipment

Ingersoll
Rand

A cordless impact wrench redesigned around the mechanics who actually swing it.

Final CMF renders of the redesigned Ingersoll Rand titanium impact wrench, shown from two angles in grey and red.

Brief

A design-first partnership between Ingersoll Rand and Montclair State's industrial design studio, spent redesigning one of their cordless impact wrenches from the ground up — not just a cosmetic refresh, but a real look at how the tool fails people.

What mechanics told us

I sat with mechanics on the floor rather than starting from a spec sheet. The pattern that came back again and again: tools that "feel right" is personal, there's no one-size-fits-all. Past that, three things kept coming up — ergonomics, durability in daily abuse, and being able to self-repair with parts on hand.

$500+
cost of a comparable pro tool
8h+
shift length it needs to survive
HAVS
the vibration injury we designed against

What I changed

A smaller, neutral-posture handle; a soft-touch textile grip and trigger to cut vibration transfer and improve traction in oily conditions; a magnetic hose management system with a flexible guide so the hose stops fighting the user's hand; and a housing built for simple internal access instead of full-unit replacement.

Putting it back in mechanics' hands

Foam volume studies went back to the same mechanics for a second round before anything got finalized. The feedback was specific and occasionally contradictory — one preferred the second concept's controls but the first concept's trigger position moved further out; another flagged the first concept's gasket as a repair headache. That tension between "feels better" and "repairs better" shaped where I compromised and where I didn't.

At a glance

Role
Design research, ideation, model-making, CMF
Duration
Jan – May 2026
Partner
Ingersoll Rand × Montclair State University
Photos from shop-floor user research: pneumatic tools laid out on a workbench and a mechanic using an impact wrench.
Fig. 01 — shop-floor research
Three hand-shaped foam volume models exploring handle and housing proportions.
Fig. 02 — foam volume studies
Close-up render of the textured red soft-touch trigger and grip on the final wrench.
Fig. 03 — trigger & grip detail
Foam models back in a mechanic's hands for a second round of feedback, with handwritten notes on trigger position and repairability.
Round two, back in the shop
Annotated diagram of the hose management system showing the magnets, finger grooves, and flexible hose guide.
Hose management, annotated
Annotated close-up of the final housing showing the left-to-right power regulator switch and directional switch.
Power regulator & directional switch
The final wrench held in a gloved hand from three angles, checking grip and reach to the controls.
Final fit check, in hand
Next project Flex →
02 / Personal care

Flex

Turning a handheld hair dryer into something you wear instead of hold.

Render of the Flex neckband dryer concept in dark grey with copper-lined air outlets.
Chart of top complaints from user research: 50 percent limited mobility, 70 percent weight and fatigue, 30 percent aesthetics.
Fig. 01 — top complaints, survey
Sketch page of early hair dryer ideation, ranging from handheld wands to rendered blue concept forms.
Fig. 02 — phase 1 ideation
Orthographic drawings of the final Flex neckband, front and side, showing the dual air channels.
Fig. 03 — orthographics

Brief

Reimagine the hair-drying experience — take it from a handheld tool that tires your arm out mid-routine to something hands-free you can wear.

Why it's worth solving

70%
cited weight & fatigue as a top complaint
50%
cited limited mobility while drying
30%
cited aesthetics as a factor

None of the category leaders solve for hands-free use: the Dyson Supersonic runs $400–500 and still asks you to hold it, the Revlon One-Step is corded, and the Shark FlexStyle, despite the name, is still a handheld multi-styler.

Requirements, before form

Functional
Hands-free operation, adjustable heat and speed, strong airflow
Ergonomic
Under 500g, fits neck sizes 12–18", slim grip
Safety
Overheat protection, skin-friendly silicone coating

Three rounds to get here

Phase 1 stayed close to a familiar wand, just smaller. Phase 2 is where it became wearable — a dual-motor neckband with a magnetic dock, tested handheld and worn side by side. Phase 3 refined the collar itself: sketched directly on a neck to check curve and clearance, then finished with a perforated grip texture at the contact points so it stays put without pinching.

At a glance

Role
Research, competitive teardown, ideation, CAD
Year
2024
Format
Wearable, dual-motor neckband
Materials and form moodboard for Flex: a sculptural handheld grip, the Dyson Supersonic, a stylus, a portable speaker, metal textures, a twisted sculpture, and wireless earbuds.
Moodboard, form & material
Phase 2 ideation sketches exploring dual-motor, dock, and stackable-unit concepts, alongside handheld-versus-wearable mode studies.
Phase 2 — handheld vs. wearable
Phase 3 ideation: form studies of the collar shape and a sketch of it worn around a neck to check curve and clearance.
Phase 3 — sketched on the body
Exploded internals diagram of Flex labeling the inner nitinol rod, silicone outer layer, control board, digital motor, heating coil, and a materials list for each part.
Internals — nitinol core, dual heating coils, and a full part-by-part materials list
Final render collage of the Flex neckband from four angles, showing the copper-lined air outlets and perforated grip texture.
Final renders, four angles
Next project Hugo →
03 / Wearables studio

Hugo

A materials-led smartwatch study built in a Movado-sponsored studio.

Three views of the Hugo smartwatch concept: band coiled flat, side profile, and worn on a model's wrist.

Brief

A university design studio sponsored around Movado's materials and manufacturing constraints — the assignment was less "invent a new watch" and more "prove you can design confidently inside someone else's supply chain."

Direction

I started from the mood board rather than the movement: sculptural, glossy-on-matte forms, one saturated accent against black and white, and the kind of stitched-band detailing you'd find on technical outerwear more than on a dress watch. A soft rectangular case language carried that through in metal and polymer instead of fabric.

Three concepts, one platform

Same case, dial layout and VX7RE movement across all three — the variable was colorway and how committed each one felt. Concept 1 stayed dark and utilitarian, with red-stitched detailing on a woven strap. Concept 2 pushed a single saturated tone through case, dial and band together. Concept 3 flipped to a light case with a red dial and a subtle repeating wordmark pattern pressed into the strap lining. All three were reviewed at 100% and 200% scale to check proportion and legibility before I picked a direction to take further.

At a glance

Movement
VX7RE
Case size
38mm
Materials
Stainless steel, TR90, silicone
Sponsor
Movado, via Montclair State University
Mood board for the Hugo project featuring a sculptural chair, red plastic object, fashion editorial photography, and a curved staircase.
Fig. 01 — mood board
Material swatches for the Hugo watch: textured stainless steel, black woven textile, and blue diamond-patterned silicone.
Fig. 02 — material study
Concept 2 of the Hugo watch shown in a single purple colorway at 100 percent and 200 percent scale.
Fig. 03 — concept 2, colorway study
Early construction sketch of the Hugo case in perspective, with front and side orthographic views alongside.
Phase 1 — case construction sketch
Phase 2 CAD study of the case shape from three angles, refining proportion before the dial and strap were designed.
Phase 2 — case in CAD
Concept 3 of the Hugo watch in a light case with a red dial, shown flat, worn, and at scale, with a repeating wordmark pattern in the strap lining.
Concept 3 — light case, red dial
Next project Clear →
04 / Sustainability venture

Clear

A refillable filtration bottle pitched as an alternative to bottled water.

Rendering of the Clear water filtration bottle, tan colored with a status-indicator light strip down the side.
Slide titled Dirty Water, Endless Plastic, with photos of a contaminated bottle, a pile of discarded plastic bottles, and people collecting water from a pond.
Fig. 01 — the problem, framed
The Clear system laid out: bottle, fabric carrier bag, and two replaceable filter cartridges.
Fig. 02 — what ships in the box

The pitch

Clear started life as a venture pitch rather than a studio brief — I built the problem framing, the physical system, and the case for why it's worth making, all in one pass.

70%
of water sources are contaminated
1M
plastic bottles discarded per minute
900k
annual deaths linked to unsafe water

The system

A bottle, a carrier bag for field use, and a pair of replaceable filter cartridges — designed to be refilled from questionable sources rather than replaced every use. A status-indicator strip on the body reads out filter life at a glance, so the failure mode is visible before the water isn't safe anymore. The filter itself screws onto any PCO 28 threaded bottle — the same standard thread most disposable water bottles already use — through a membrane microfilter stage before the water reaches the mouthpiece.

Small filter
2,000 gal — dirty water
Large filter
4,000 gal — extremely dirty water
Straw filter
1,000 gal — slightly dirty water

At a glance

Role
Problem framing, system design, pitch
Format
Bottle + replaceable filter + carrier
Annotated diagram of the mouthpiece attachment, universal PCO 28 threaded filter, and membrane microfilter cross-section.
How the filter attaches & works
Diagram of the three interchangeable filter types — small, large, and straw attachment — each rated by gallon capacity.
Three filters, rated by capacity
Slide defining who needs the bottle — active, health-conscious 18 to 45 year olds — with inspiration references including LifeStraw, an hourglass, a hiker, and a sports car for color and material.
Who it's for, and why it looks this way
Four-step use flow: gather dirty water into any bottle, twist on the filter, let it sit five to ten minutes, then drink.
Gather, twist, sit, sip
That's all four projects Get in touch →

Experience

2026
Winner — New York Auto Show Safety Design Competition
Automotive safety concept

Developed and presented a safety-focused automotive design concept end-to-end — research, prototyping, and a live pitch under competitive pressure.

2023 — 2026
Industrial Design
Montclair State University / 3.2 GPA

Coursework and studio partnerships spanning cordless power tools, wearables, and materials-led product design, including sponsored studios with Ingersoll Rand and Movado.

May 2022 — Current
Associate
QuickChek

Reliable retail experience in a fast-paced environment — customer interactions, problem resolution, and multitasking, with a track record for learning new systems quickly.

Currently open to industrial design & field service roles

julianhenin.jh@gmail.com 1 (201) 565-6513 Bayonne, NJ