 In a 2007 interview, Nagode said the front end of the Avenger was inspired by a fond pair of the designer's Oakley sunglasses and the feeling they give him when he wore them.Nagode is the son of Larry and Denise Nagode, grew up in East Aurora, NY and graduated in 1998 from East Aurora High School.Nagode's father was also a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1974, and was a student of Viktor Schreckengost and is Senior Designer at Fisher-Price — where Ryan Nagode had also served a summer internship.