OUR TEAM
Anna-pia Slothower
Anna-Pia Slothower is the co-founder of Deap Design. With every project, large or small, she persistently seeks a way to bring the magic blend of beauty and great user experience. Growing up on the west coast of Sweden, Anna-Pia got an early taste for great design from the Scandinavian style surrounding her and from her family who valued the quality of Italian design and the practical beauty of Scandinavian craft. With a degree from ESDI, she spent the first part of her career in Paris, then via Kohler Wisconsin on to California and Sausalito. Her work spans from large collections of faucets and fixtures to housewares, consumer products and innovative furniture pieces.
Erich Slothower
Erich Slothower is the co-founder of Deap Design. After graduating from ASU, he found his first job near the houseboats in Sausalito and has followed his passion for designing better products and the processes that make them possible, from California to the Midwest, and back. With companies like Kallista, Kohler and Williams-Sonoma, Erich has enjoyed driving large projects strategically and with strong mechanical aptitude and a rebellious mind as his tools for creating products that stay true to the initial design intent. In his free time – Erich likes to mountain bike and make specialty home brews.
Brian Lee
Brian Lee is a senior industrial designer from the North Side of Chicago, IL. Taking influence from the Italian architects, painters, and sculptors in his family, he followed his own instinct for product design to the University of Illinois. He now takes joy in teaching other designers, making beautiful things, and searching for solutions through collaboration. His work has won IDEA and International Design awards. If he’s not in the studio he’s probably on or in the water, or cooking, or trying to get his friends to play another game of dominoes.
Mercedes Saldana
Mercedes is an industrial designer originally from Mexico. After moving to the Bay Area in 2020 and earning a Master of Design and Emerging Technologies from UC Berkeley, she joined Deap Design in 2022. Her prior experience includes designing plastic components for electronic devices and casting and injection molds. Growing up, she admired her parents' work in the medical field. This continues to be a source of inspiration for Mercedes, who strives to explore how design can improve people's lives, both in terms of health and the environment they live in. In her free time, she likes to hike, dance, and do yoga.
Joyce Kung
A Bay Area native who graduated from California College of the Arts with a diploma in Industrial Design, Joyce joined Deap Design in early 2022. Before joining the team, she specialized in designing products for children, ranging from furniture to toys and tech accessories. She values a multi-disciplinary approach to her designs and incorporates the same attitude towards her hobbies, which includes illustration, tabletop roleplaying games, and hiking in nature.
Ben Lingner
Graduating from Purdue in 2022, Ben joined the Deap Design team later that year. Throughout his studies, he worked with companies from a wide range of industries, developing an appreciation for the versatility and potential of industrial design in the process. Ben aims to create impactful experiences and products while continuing to learn and expand his perspective as a designer. Outside of the studio, he enjoys driving, climbing, and photography.
Dalva Fresnel
Dalva is an Interior Architect and Designer from Paris who is currently working as an intern at Deap Design. She gained valuable experience in scenography and sustainable design during an internship at IKEA in 2021. After graduating from LISAA, she joined Deap Design in the US to enhance her CAD skills and immerse herself in American culture. In her free time, she enjoys skateboarding and rock climbing in San Francisco.