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John Maeda: Digital Media Design

Why  they are important:  Possibly one the the most influential designers of the century, Maeda’s personal and public works offer insight into not only what design is but what it should aspire to be.   

Biography: John Maeda is a world-renowned graphic designer, visual artist, and computer scientist at the MIT Media Lab, and is a founding voice for “simplicity” in the digital age. He was announced as the next President of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) starting June 2, 2008.  (http://plw.media.mit.edu)

Works: The Laws of Simplicity, Creative Code, ‘Design By Numbers

Edward Tufte: Information Design & Architecture

Why  they are important: This man was one of the most provacative thinkers in regards to information design and architecture, his work became the best example of how to relate data of any kind to graphics without distorting the data because of the imagrey.

Biography:Edward Tufte teaches statistics, graphic design, and political economy at Yale University. His books include The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Political Control of the Economy, Data Analysis for Politics and Policy, and Size and Democracy (with Robert A. Dahl). He has prepared evidence for several jury trials, and has worked on information design and statistical matters for IBM, The New York Times, Newsweek, Hewlett-Packard, CBS, NBC, the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, International Paper, and New Jersey Transit. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences. He founded Graphics Press in 1983. (http://www.usatt.org/rseguine/tufte/bio.html)

Works: Napolean March Diagram, “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information”

Eric Zimmerman: Game and Interactive Design

Why  they are important: A pioneer in game design practice and theory;  Zimmerman stands as a great example that great games have nothing to do with how good they look, but rather how much fun they are.

Biography: game designer and the co-founder and CEO of Gamelab, a computer game development company, which is known for the game Diner Dash. Each year Zimmerman hosts the Game Design Challenge at the Game Developers Conference. He is also the co-author of 4 books including Rules of Play with Katie Salen, which was published in November 2004. He has taught at universities including MIT, the University of Texas at Austin, Parsons School of Design, New York University, Rhode Island School of Design and School of Visual Arts.  Zimmerman is a director of the RE:PLAY series of events and activities on gaming that included an exhibition, conference and accompanying book. The first online game he helped create was a collaboration with Word.com called SiSSYFiGHT 2000.

Works: “The Rules of Play”, Diner Dash

Arjun Appadurai: Design Ethics

Why  they are important: Ethical design is something hard to come by.  With all of fields of design becoming more and more popular it is easy for designers to lose sight of what it means to design something properly.  Appadurai has written countless essays and books tackling the topic of what it truly means to design by ethical standards.  

Biography: Arjun Appadurai serves as Senior Advisor for Global Initiatives at The New School in New York City, where he also holds a Distinguished Professorship as the John Dewey Professor in the Social Sciences. Until recently, Arjun Appadurai was the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at The New School.  Appadurai is the founder and now the President of PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research), a non-profit organization based in and oriented to the city of Mumbai (India). (www.appadurai.com)

Works: “Fear of Small Numbers: An Essay on the Geography of Anger”, PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action and Research), PUBLIC CULTURE

Andy Switky: Design for Asian Markets

Why  are they important: With the rise of Asian populations, commerce, and design; many designers across the globe have adjusted their products and designs to find a place in this new booming marketplace.  Andy Switky is an expert of creating and innovating products and spaces for this market and is a great place to look for inspiration when it comes to designing for other cultures.

Biography: Andy Switky is an associate partner and the former founding manager of IDEO’s Shanghai office. For nearly 10 years, he has led IDEO’s manufacturing discipline, a group of engineers and scientists who inspire clients and designers with new ways of thinking about materials, processes, and mass production. During his tenure at IDEO, Andy has worked on and managed many types of programs, from traditional product development of consumer, industrial, and medical products, to rethinking teaching and learning in pharmaceutical manufacturing. When not recovering from intercontinental jet lag, he enjoys playing the trumpet and piano as well as long-distance road cycling. (http://www.ideo.com)

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Bill Moggridge: User Interface Design

Why  are they important: User interface design is easily one of the hardest fields to grasp for any designer, you have to juggle the task of being both functional and engaging and all the time remain human in your design efforts and results.  Bill Moggridge manages to do all three and shows his UI skills with expertise in his work.

Biography: Bill Moggridge founded his design firm in London in 1969, adding a second office in 1979 in Palo Alto, in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. He designed the first laptop computer, the GRiD Compass, and pioneered interaction design as a discipline. In 1991, he merged his company with those of David Kelley and Mike Nuttall to form IDEO. Bill has been active in design education throughout his career, notably as visiting professor in interaction design at the Royal College of Art in London, and consulting associate professor in the Design program at Stanford University. He is most interested in what people want, who they are, and how they interact with other people, things, and places. His book, Designing Interactions, is available from The MIT Press and was named one of the 10 Best Innovation and Design Books of 2006 by BusinessWeek.

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Roshi Givechi: Branded Experiences

Why  are they important: The lovely Roshi Givechi finds pleasure in designing branded experiences.  Ever wonder why you feel nostalgic walking into a McDonalds?  She’s the reason why.

Biography: Roshi Givechi is a design director and associate partner at IDEO. She leads IDEO’s storytelling discipline, a cross-functional push for deeper engagement with clients and other stakeholders through all forms of storytelling. With roots in communication, interaction, and new media design, Roshi works to explore and define how people interact with objects, space, services, and each other. She has co-taught cross-disciplinary design at the California College of the Arts, has designed websites at Microsoft and MSNBC, frequently speaks at conferences, and often coaches IDEO workshop clients on ways to innovate. (http://www.ideo.com)

Works: “Impact: Inspiring Graphic Design through Human Behaviors” , “The Saving Grace” Innovation 2007

Dana Cho: Environments Design

Why  are they important:  Designing spaces and environments is another way of thinking about user interface design.  Only envrionment design focuses on how a person interacts within a space, rather than how a user interacts with an object or graphical creation.  Dana Cho excels designing experiences, urban planning, and social interactions.

Biography: Dana Cho is an Associate Partner and leads a group of designers who are passionate about Design of Community and Branded Experiences in Palo Alto. Dana helps designers and clients think about the emotional experience between brand and consumer – as an avid consumer who cries easily, this feels quite right. She has led large-scale programs for Mayo Clinic, Nike, The Ritz-Carlton and Gap Inc., bringing together multi-disciplinary teams in a human-centered approach to healthcare, hospitality and retail customer experiences. Dana began her career in architecture and urban planning, with an undergraduate degree from MIT and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, where her thesis work was carried out under Rem Koolhaas. She has taught classes and lectured at California College of Arts. (http://www.ideo.com)

Works: “Going Off the Beaten Path for New Design Ideas”,  “From Plague to Paradigm: Designing Sustainable Retail Environments”