Software Development

Meet the guy who designed the napkin dispensers at Citizens Bank Park [Q&A]

Siebel, 28, who runs a one-man design firm called Exit Velocity Design, said he knows it's not the most glamorous product. But that napkin dispenser, which he designed for SCA Americas, is used all over the world.

Justin Siebel. Photo by Carrie Babcock.

Justin Siebel is the man behind the napkin dispensers at Citizens Bank Park.

Siebel, 28, who runs a one-man design firm called Exit Velocity Design, said he knows it’s not the most glamorous product. But that napkin dispenser, which he designed for SCA Americas, is used all over the world, and you can’t deny its utility.

Also: “It’s nice to see your product in real life,” he said.

His work ranges from product design to industrial design, that is, instruction manuals and packaging.

Below, get Siebel’s take on 3D printing, his favorite job out of college and his reasoning for starting his own company.

    1. The basics: 28 years old, grew up in Northern New Jersey and came to Philly in 2003 to attend Philadelphia University, currently living in Center City
    2. When did you found Exit Velocity Design? In 2011.
    3. Why’d you decide to start your own company? It’s always been tough to get a full-time position, so I always made myself available to multiple consultancies and freelance positions. I learned that small consultancy mentality and I enjoyed the freedom, as well as having the opportunity to develop my own products. I like being able to touch every part of the process: the sketching, the research, the production, the vendor communication.
    4. Favorite job before you founded Exit Velocity Design? Bala Cynwyd-based Mike Leonard, Designer, where I interned and eventually worked full-time after school. Mike has been a mentor since. At a very young stage of my career, Mike put me in front of clients and gave me design responsibilities I wouldn’t have gotten other places. I’ve modeled my business and design mentality after his.
    5. Favorite project you’ve worked on? The napkin dispenser I designed for SCA. It’s not the most glamorous project, it’s not anything that’s going to make the front cover of Dwell or Metropolis but I enjoyed working on this napkin dispenser because I was able to do the concept sketching and research. I was also able to test [the user experience] at QVC. It’s rewarding to see it off my computer screen and actually in plastic and making profit for the company I work for.
    6. What does an average day at work look like for you? I work out of my apartment and my time is split between searching for new projects and working on current projects. I’ll work on instruction manuals for people who will use my products, and I’ll also spend time on sites like Craigslist trying to find new work. I write a lot of proposals.
    7. Have you considered joining a coworking space? I’m interested in Indy Hall or NextFab. It’s a financial decision right now — I have to make sure that I can make good use of that space. By the end of the summer, I hope to be able to have enough steady work where I can operate out of a coworking space.
    8. Show us your workspace, please! siebel workplace
    9. What’s your take on the 3D printing trend? I feel it’s very important for an industrial designer to not only design on a sketchbook or a computer but to design with physical models, to take the product out of the virtual world and into the physical world. Stuff like 3D printing is making that possible.
    10. Can you introduce us to someone in the broad local tech scene who you think doesn’t get enough attention? Bryce Beamer, designer director of Pennsport’s Studio KMD, a design and prototyping studio.
In effort to grow our community, we want to introduce you to interesting Philadelphians you might not know. Each week, we'll speak to someone new and have that person introduce us to someone else we should know. This week: Justin Siebel of Exit Velocity Design.
Companies: Philadelphia University

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Trump may kill the CHIPS and Science Act. Here’s what that means for your community.

Election results: Live updates on presidential, Senate, House and PA races

A week before Election Day, some Philly city employees question unexpected website change

A Pennsylvania voter’s guide to tech policy on the ballot in the 2024 election

Technically Media