Bryan Laffitte is an industrial designer, teaching courses involving drawing and modelmaking. He has published papers on the role of drawing in design, and the use of visualization in the team design process. In his professional practice, Laffitte is a conceptual designer for companies specializing in mechanical and robotic systems.

Laffitte taught industrial design at Arizona State University from 1986 to 1987 and at Carnegie Mellon University from 1988 to 1993 before joining the faculty at NC State University. He has served as a regional education chair and treasurer for IDSA and has worked as a consultant for Bally Design and Agnew Moyer Smith in Pittsburgh, and Machina Design in San Francisco.