Who we are

Strand Design 
Chicago, IL

Strand Design is the creative partnership of designers Ted and Sharon Burdett. Founded in 2009, Strand Design creates work with a focus on materials, methods, and narrative. Inspired by food, home, and community, Strand Design seeks to create objects that bring people together to celebrate what is essential.

Ted Burdett 
Principal Designer / Co-Owner | Strand Design 
Co-Owner | Fourneau 
Assistant Clinical Professor of Design Entrepreneurship | UIC

Ted is drawn to both artisanal and industrial modes of making with work ranging from hand-crafted guitars to overseas textile manufacture. Driven largely by an insatiable curiosity around materials and process, Ted views design as a method for interdisciplinary problem solving. He shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for design and entrepreneurship with dozens of students every year as a professor at The University of Illinois at Chicago. When Ted isn't teaching or traveling internationally, he pursues his two great passions—baking the perfect loaf of sourdough bread, and catching the ultimate wave.

Sharon Burdett 
Director of Brand Creative / Co-Owner | Strand Design 
Co-Owner | Fourneau 
Creative Director | Avalere Health
LinkedIn/sharonburdett

Sharon blends her background as a skilled graphic designer and brand strategist with a passion for storytelling.  Motivated by the desire to create great work and collaborate with people from all disciplines, Sharon currently leverages her deep experience creating and directing creative projects at the global agency Avalere Health. Learn more about Sharon