Product Design

David Kelley & IDEO

David Kelley may be the prototype for the twenty-first-century Renaissance man. With IDEO, the international design and engineering consultancy he founded in 1991, Kelley has cultivated a multidisciplinary hothouse, just at the moment when design demands new hybrids of expertise. Sought after by Fortune 500 companies around the world, IDEO generates more than its share of cool products, including the Palm V, the Leap Chair, and the Polaroid I-Zone. Research and prototyping are the keys to IDEO’s process. IDEO’s designers, cultural anthropologists, and cognitive psychologists work together to create solutions consumers can use. They pride themselves on making an art out of innovation. Under Kelley’s chairmanship the company is reinventing itself and expanding its role far beyond traditional design. IDEO now participates in the full life-cycle of its products by being an active stakeholder with equity in their sales.