Camtastic Newsletter April 2025
By Journey Short
School of Journalism and Advertising
From developing action figures in an office to sculpting rock formations in the cold for the Saint Louis Zoo, Chad Stuemke’s journey through the design world has been fun, hands-on, and full of surprises.
Now, he’s back where it all began: Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Since fall 2023, he’s been teaching industrial design at his alma mater.
A central Illinois native, Stuemke graduated from SIUC’s art and design program in 1995. The class that sparked his passion back then — AD 213, an introduction to industrial design — is the same one he now teaches.
“When this opportunity came up to teach AD 213, which was my favorite class in school … the class that turned me on to industrial design, I jumped on that; it's been a really great opportunity,” he said. “Even though I have a full-time job and a full-time design consultancy and three kids and a wife and, you know, a lot of responsibility, it's been really cool.”
In addition to teaching, Stuemke also runs Crabapple Design, a product development consultancy he built from scratch. Over the years, he’s handled everything from CAD modeling and 3D printing to prototyping and manufacturing coordination with overseas vendors.
“I do… a little bit of everything,” he said.
He didn’t plan to launch his own company, but when an employer hit hard financial times and let him go to save money, he took it as a sign to bet on himself. By that afternoon, he had freelance contracts lined up. He credits the work he puts into maintaining relationships for his success.
“I had stayed in contact with people,” he said, “and I don’t burn bridges … I try to be a good guy every chance I get.”
His career has spanned decorative housewares, toys, consumer electronics, and, most recently, healthcare. He’s helped build Christmas ornaments and Bluetooth earbuds and spent a brief stint sculpting rocks out of concrete and rebar for the Penguin & Puffin Coast at the St. Louis Zoo.
“I walked to the zoo every day, so I went from a cushy office job to freezing to death outside,” he said. “It was a real humbling experience, but I learned a ton and it's something that I've tried to do everywhere I work: Make it a point to learn as much as I can about the industry.”
Stuemke said he stresses that lesson to his students and anyone else navigating a tough spot in their career. “I push really hard to everyone that will give me a minute: wherever you're at, don't be unemployed any longer than you have to be — even if you have to take a job that you feel is beneath you. It's better to be working and learning and moving forward than to be sitting around doing nothing and feeling sorry for yourself. There's always something to learn.”
With nearly 30 years in the field, Stuemke brings that real-world experience to the classroom. Teaching has been a reintroduction to academia, but it’s also a creative recharge. What Stuemke appreciates most is the perspective that students bring.
“I know why parts don't work. I could look at a concept and tell you whether there's a reasonable chance that it will be producible or not,” he said. “And knowing all of that stuff can limit your creativity and problem-solving from a creative standpoint. It's hard to get outside the box when you are pretty comfortable with the confines of the box.”
He said students don’t operate inside those constraints yet — and that’s a good thing.
“They're willing to explore things I might not readily explore,” he said. “That was really cool. I didn't think about that because I already decided that wouldn't work.”
For Stuemke, working with students is energizing.
“They bring that spark back to the process because, after 30 years, it's really easy to get into a rut,” he said. “So it's good to step back and spend time with people who haven't been beaten down yet, who don't know any better because it can help you see things a little more clearly.”
He first realized this while running an internship program at a design firm in St. Louis.
“One thing we learned was that just by bringing students in and teaching them things, we learned… things on our own,” he said. “So it was a good opportunity to kind of relearn things or learn new things.”
When he’s not designing or teaching, Stuemke is often in the garage building things—or collecting seeds to grow into trees, a recent hobby that makes his son, a forestry student, laugh.
“I’ve been collecting acorns and seed pods,” he said. “I’ve got piles of seeds I’m going to plant in the spring because it’s fun.”
But what accomplishment is he most proud of? His family.
“I have three pretty cool kids that are pretty well grounded and rooted,” he said. “They’re all very different… and, you know, I’ve got a happy wife, and we live in a comfortable place down here.”
There’s no big secret to success, Stuemke said. It’s about a commitment to learning and growing, showing up and doing the work, even when it’s not glamorous.
“I’m a senior level product development consultant. I’ve got 30 years of experience designing products,” he said. “But if they need someone to sweep the floor, I grab a broom and sweep the floor — because there is no unimportant job. The guy who takes out the trash keeps it from piling up in your office, right? All jobs matter. I grew up on a farm, and maybe that’s where that mindset comes from. Somebody’s got to feed the cows, and somebody’s got to clean up the mess they make. Without those two jobs, you don’t have cows. No cows, no milk. No milk, no money. So… yeah,” he added with a laugh, “that’s another long answer to a fairly easy question.”