John Marshall
John Marshall (he/him/his) is a designer, curator, and researcher with over 20 years’ experience. John is a partner at rootoftwo, founded in 1998 with Cézanne Charles. rootoftwo uses participatory design methods to create innovative and tangible experiences, events, artifacts, spaces, methods, and strategies. Recent clients and partners include Midtown Detroit Inc., Design Core Detroit, College for Creative Studies, The Kresge Foundation, City of Detroit, and Americans for the Arts. rootoftwo has been recognized with an AIA Michigan Honor Award 2016 Rules of the Road (with DAUB); SXSW Place by Design Finalist (2016) and Knight Arts Challenge Awards (2015 + 2014). Their work has been featured in Wired, FastCompany, Dezeen, Metropolis Magazine, Fresh Art International, Architectural Review, Architectural Record, and The Guardian.
John is a tenured associate professor of art & design and an associate professor of architecture (without tenure) at University of Michigan. He was the founding director of the Master of Design (MDes) in Integrative Design program at Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design (2014-2020). John has designed and led charrettes for the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, IBM Watson Health, the Stephen M. Ross School of Business; and has worked with industry leaders including Guardian Industries Corp, Georgia Pacific, Molex, Stryker, and Steelcase.
He has been a reviewer and juror for various journals, conferences, and academic programs in design, technology, engineering, and architecture (e.g. ACM SIGGRAPH, International Journal of Engineering Education, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the European Academy of Design, and Leonardo: The Journal of the International Society of the Arts, Sciences and Technology).
Previously, John worked in new product development at Evenflo Company, Inc. During this time, he was instrumental in transitioning the company to a rapid prototyping-based product development process. Marshall spent 5 years as a consultant building virtual prototypes of public art projects for Malcolm Cochran Studio. He also taught 3D design at Leeds College of Art & Design.
Marshall holds a PhD in digital design and fabrication technology from Robert Gordon University, a Master of Arts in Art as Environment from Manchester Metropolitan University, a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art with Honors from Glasgow School of Art.
