About Us
Designed to Share
Degrees of Freedom is a practical art project started in 2018 with the goal of bringing people joy through deeply technical product design.
Our Team
Brian Ignaut
Brian Ignaut designs and develops all of the products at Degrees of Freedom. His background is in aerospace engineering and spacecraft deployable structures, and previously worked at Space Exploration Technologies designing deployable solar arrays for Earth and Mars. Without the ability to bring home or disclose his day to day work, he began designing presents for loved ones using the same aerospace principles. These gifts are the origins of most of our products.
Steve Howson
Steve Howson handles fulfillment and supply chain at Degrees of Freedom, getting products into the hands of customers all over the world. He has a background in business and previously worked for Dyson, and has traveled to over 20 countries. He loves connecting deeply with customers using products that be believes in.
Our Values
Enjoyment
First and foremost, we want to bring customers enjoyment every time they interact with our creations.
Inspiration
Second, as the origin of DoF was in our inclination to create, we want to communicate the joy of this process in the hope that others might follow in our footsteps.
Advancement
Third, we're indebted to the fields from which we draw inspiration and work to advance the state of the art so they can continue to inspire new art
Origins
My background is in mechanical engineering, and the majority of my career has centered on developing unfolding solar array wings for spacecraft.
Since I couldn't show my friends or family the satellites I developed at work (and they wouldn't really get it if I did), when it came time for Christmas or an engagement or a bar mitzvah, I would make them presents using mechanisms from work for the special moments in their lives.
Creating a Business
Over the years I built up a portfolio of creations: a folding table for mom, a folding lamp for my for my friends, an engagement ring box for my girlfriend, a chess set for my nephew. If these creations delighted Melissa or Jeremy, and assuming they weren't psychological anomalies, maybe there are 5 or 10 other people in the world who would want them too. I started making batches of these creations and putting them out in the world. If people liked them, I would make more. If they didn't, it wouln't matter since they were for Melissa or Jeremy anyways.
Think of our product strategy like throwing darts at a dart board with your eyes closed. Throw enough darts at the board, and while many will be off target, eventually you'll land a bull's eye. It took six years but finally we made something people actually wanted: the ring box I made for Melissa. That became the Kinetacube, and it turned DoF into a business.
I've always used a blank check in expense, thought, and time when synthesizing these creations for loved ones. I try to bring the same level of attention when we make them for others, and the displacement is often greater as our customer will be less sympathetic and accessible. This drives up prices and reduces sales, but because the product wasn't derived as a money making scheme, I don't really care. Quick gifts and cheap products are a solved problem. I want to make the thought as apparent as the quality and technical design. I think there's a shortage of this in the world and this is my chance to make a dent in that supply for the occasional person.
Going Full TIme
My engineering career didn't come to an end when I started Degrees of Freedom in 2018. Since leaving SpaceX and while releasing products through DoF, I've cofounded two venture-backed startups (Parallel Systems and Source Energy Company), coauthored technical papers, and consulted with a variety of aerospace companies.
In 2023, I finally stepped away from my traditional engineering career. I realized I could invest energy in the growth of young employees and business models, or I invest the same energy into the growth of my daughter and marriage. The mental math turned out to be very simple. Degrees of Freedom is finally my full-time gig and offers me the mental space to be present at home. To all of our customers, thank you for helping make that space.