Gianfranco co-founded Continuum in 1983 when he merged his consulting pratice with that of Jerrod Zindler. Under Gianfranco"s leadership, Continuum has been a leader in redefining the role of Design Research, interdisciplinary design and concurrent development as key drivers of humn centered innovation in both business and civic life. The Continuum process has been fundamental in the identification and development of a wide range of breakthrough innovations-from consumer goods to bio-medical devices-exemplified by the ACL Automated Coagulation Analyzer, for Instrumentation Laboratory SpA; the Pump athletic insulet. Most recently Gianfranco led a team which developed the Nala Patient Chair and the Compass Patient Room System for Herman Miller. In 2007, Gianfranco received a Doctor of Arts degree "Honoris Causa" from North Carolina State University. In June of 2009, he was inducted as a Commander of the Order Merit of the Italian Republic. Gianfranco was invited as a speaker for Seoul Design Olympiad 2009, articulating the role of design in the issue of economic crisis, global warming, starvation, polarization.