William A. Prindle

William “Will” Alastair Prindle, age 66, passed away suddenly at his home in Ames, Iowa on February 14th. He previously lived in Santa Barbara, California for nearly three decades. Will was born in Boston, MA to William R. Prindle and June A. Prindle. He grew up in New England and the Mid West. Will was a kind and remarkably generous man with a keen intellect, a quick wit and an extremely creative mind. After graduating high school in Shaker Heights, Ohio he briefly attended Antioch College, before transferring to The Rhode Island School of Design, where he earned a BFA in sculpture, and then a Masters of Industrial Design. Will began his design career at the Venini glass factory on the island of Murano, near Venice, Italy. He frequently utilized his studio arts background when designing everyday functional objects. Will was not only a skilled draftsman, but he also had a shop where he made his own models and prototypes. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials, which he applied to his innovative design work. Will designed and brought more than 1,000 products to production. Some of his career highlights include working as Senior Designer and Design Manager at Corning, Inc 1980-1988, Vice President of Design and Development at Forms + Surfaces, proprietor of William Prindle Design from 1988 to 2019, and Lecturer, then Assistant Professor of industrial design at Iowa State University 2011-2019. As a professor of industrial design he was beloved by colleagues and students. Will is survived by his son Sam Carr-Prindle, daughter in law Caitlin Pugh, his sister Carol Prindle, brother-in-law Ahmad Rahim, former wife Sarah Carr, cousins Robin De Sapio and Ian Prindle, and aunt Joyce Prindle.

A public memorial for William Prindle will be held Sunday April, 7th, from 3pm-5pm at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, located at 229 East Victoria Street.