Garrett Tollette
Industrial Designer / Design Manager / Artist / Founder of 'Miss You Always Goods Co.'
Costa Mesa, CA
www.garrett-tollette.com
instagram @got_designs @miss_you_always_goods
Q What do you do?
“I am designer, maker, builder, artist, questioner.”
I am endlessly curious about how objects and spaces evoke.
I have designed, built, and produced products in many categories from furniture, apparel, consumer electronics, helmets, eyewear, architecture, bicycles, cutlery and much more.
I have run a team of designers working towards the re-birth of a brand. I have commanded product categories and been told to re-invent them. I have been asked to question the status quo and I have told to pull back on radical ideas.
My career and background has built me into a creative leader that can execute any layer of the creative process.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
4 years design undergrad schooling, 2 year masters degree in product design, 1 year interning for global grand, 3 years designing at small company doing a lot with a little and 4.5 years re-building a historical brand into a new vibrant future.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My design breadth allows me to work in any medium and my fundamental background in fine-arts allows me to approach design opportunities with a unique and innovative perspective.
Q What are you working on right now?
I have a premium hand-made bags brand as well as small architectural design contracts, and am running a design team for a well known cycling brand.
Q What’s your style?
My style is understanding a products 'why?' and diving into 'who' the object is for and what type of expression it is evoking.
The visuals of an object should clearly communicate the objects intended use and user.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I love the intersection of fine art and design. How can a watercolors influence the design of a shoe, or how can sculpture influence the design of a room/space/structure.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Honestly corporate America is frustrating me, I want to work with passionate -individuals - working towards something they care about and help them bring something beautiful into this world.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I would have them help me with the production of my bags, another set of skilled hands for me to shape and refine their skills to make excellent product would go a long way.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I wish I had started a brand when I was 22 and try to grow it single digits ever year since then, big things start small. Additionally, I would have told myself 5 years ago to make an "ilovecreatives account', and start to build a robust client list to build my personal portfolio even more.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I wish I had a ' creative sage' - someone in the creative industry who is of 'seasoned age' and has gone through the ringer of a creative career that can help me navigate time of change and transition, and can also push me creatively to explore avenues not explored and identify my blindspots.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Industrial design project requests - 'design me a chair, a shoe, a woodshed, a sunglass, a jacket, a coffee shop.'
Fine arts and brand identity requests - ‘create me a water color music festival poster, a new, logo, a comic books illustration.’
Creative reference and review requests - 'can you look tough my product catalog and tell me what you would change?’
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
In person or remote reviews with great client alignment on project intent and storytelling, candid timely feedback and clear deadlines and project scope.
Q: What is your rate?
90-125$ per hour depending on the complexity of the work and what infrastructure is needed.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Direct email: garretttollette101@gmail.com or phone call (I love a good old fashioned phone call/voicemail).
Q Who is a creative you admire?
My fiancé Toni Beck is leader of studio marketer who is great for running advertising, and my good friend Ryan Van Noy is a wonderful freelance photographer. I also love working with Allen Pinkerton a fantastic surface modeler for industrial design,
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
'Stay curious, not judgmental' - Walt Whitman
This member profile was originally published in July 2026.