The first ever Design Mind Award is granted jointly to Michael and Katherine McCoy. The McCoys lecture on design theory and design education at conferences around the world, and their writings and work have been widely published and exhibited. They have taught at institutions such as the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the Royal College of Art in London. Collectively, they have received more than 200 awards for their work in graphic, product, furniture, signage, exhibition, and interior design, as well as numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Kansas City Art Institute, for their pioneering, multidisciplinary design-education methods.