Marc Harrison (1936-1998) was an industrial designer and pioneer of universal design. He was born in New York on July 1, 1936. As a child, he experienced a traumatic brain injury during a sledding accident that required surgery and significant rehabilitation. Inclusivity and accessibility, therefore, played central roles in Harrison’s personal life and career.

Harrison graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1958 with a BFA in industrial design and continued his studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he received an MFA in 1959. Following his graduation from Cranbrook, Harrison completed some freelance work before getting hired at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he worked for the remainder of his life. At RISD, Harrison helped to establish the Division of Architecture and Design, taught several courses, and oversaw several student-faculty design projects.

In addition to his tenure at RISD, Harrison completed myriad design projects for companies, institutions, and individuals who contracted with his design firm, Marc Harrison Associates, based in Rhode Island. One of his earliest projects, circa 1967, was the redesign of turnstiles and exit gates for subway stations and commuter rails operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston. Harrison and RISD students also worked extensively with the American Red Cross in the early 1970s to design mobile blood banks with adjustable equipment that could fit the needs of all blood donors. In the late 1970s, Harrison, RISD students, and the International Lead Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO) began planning and constructing the ILZRO House, a dwelling designed to be entirely wheelchair accessible.

Perhaps most notably, Harrison began working with Cuisinart in the late 1970s and was named the company’s principal designer in 1978. Harrison worked with many Cuisinart products during his time with the company, but he is best known for redesigning the food processor. The DLC-X and DLC-X PLUS food processor models, designed by Harrison, were more ergonomic and accessible than previous models and featured bold print, large controls, clear warning labels, and an ergonomic plug designed to fit the contours of the human hand. The redesigned appliance was included in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s installation “Design Since 1945,” which premiered in 1983. While at Cuisinart, Harrison also designed, photographed, and showcased products such as assorted cookware, a precision scale, a tea kettle, and cook’s knives.

Harrison was named Educator of the Year by the RISD Alumni Association in 1997 and also saw the opening of a new building on campus dedicated to industrial design. Harrison continued designing and working closely with RISD students until his death on September 22, 1998, caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive nervous system disease. He passed shortly before completing the “Universal Kitchen” project, a RISD student initiative featured at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum’s “Unlimited by Design” installation. His legacy is upheld in each of his designs and in the significant contributions he made to the field of industrial design.