Stephen Doyle Stephen Doyle’s unique ability to give words a deeper meaning in graphic form results in an intelligent, provocative body of work for clients including The New York Times, AIGA, Vanity Fair magazine, and publisher Alfred A. Knopf. Notable projects include branding, packaging, and in-store presentations of Martha Stewart Everyday in Kmart and new...

Rodarte Rodarte was founded in Pasadena, CA, in 2005 by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. Named the 2009 Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Rodarte was the first American designer to receive the prestigious Swiss Textiles Award in 2008. The Mulleavys’ meticulous designs meld strong color with unusual...

Lisa Strausfeld Interaction designer Lisa Strausfeld is an expert at visualizing information, whose trailblazing work lies at the intersection of physical and virtual space. As a partner at Pentagram, she specializes in digital information-design projects ranging from software prototypes and Web sites to interpretive displays and large-scale media installations for a range of civic, cultural,...

William Sofield Known for his unique take on modernism, William Sofield believes that design must not only look good but live well. His holistic approach, grounded on craft and materials, creates highly original, compelling, and welcoming spaces. He founded Studio Sofield in 1996 as an interdisciplinary design collective, integrating landscape, residential, retail, corporate, hospitality, and...

James Corner Field Operations Established in 1998, James Corner Field Operations is a leading landscape-architecture and urban-design practice based in New York City. With the cross-disciplinary backgrounds of its thirty professionals, including in landscape architecture, urban design, architecture, and communication art, the firm creates high-quality design solutions for cities, landscapes, and public spaces. The practice...

Smart Design Founded in 1980, Smart Design is a multidisciplinary design consultancy led by Principals Davin Stowell and Tom Dair. Smart Design uses insight and innovation to develop consumer products that meet peoples’ needs, answer market demands, and solve critical manufacturing challenges. Projects are designed with a focus on connecting with the end user and...

Braille Alphabet Bracelet In 2010, the People’s Design Award winner was the Braille Alphabet Bracelet, designed by Leslie Ligon of At First Sight Braille Jewelry. The bracelet features the entire alphabet in Braille on the front and print in the back. Ligon, the mother of a blind son, created the line of functional Braille jewelry...

Matthew Carter Over the last fifty years, Matthew Carter has designed some of the most recognizable typefaces used today. His experience with typographic technologies ranges from hand-cut punches to computer fonts. After a long association with the Linotype companies, he cofounded Bitstream, a digital type foundry, in 1981. He is now a Principal of Carter...

Steven Heller Steven Heller is the author and editor of over 130 books on graphic design, satiric art, and popular culture. Lying at the intersection of editorial design, design history and criticism, and design education, Heller’s work has focused on building foundations for exploring and preserving design as a social and cultural force. Heller cofounded...

Knoll Knoll’s history is the history of modern design in America. In 1938, Hans Knoll founded the company based on the conviction that good design enriches our lives. In 1943, he was joined by his wife, Florence, founder of the Planning Unit, a consultancy devoted to office interiors—the first of its kind, and revolutionary for...

Architecture Research Office Architecture Research Office is a New York–based firm led by Stephen Cassell, Adam Yarinsky, and Kim Yao. Its work spans from strategic planning to architecture and urban design. Since 1993, the firm has worked with leading universities, cultural institutions, global corporations, government agencies, international fashion labels, and nonprofit organizations, utilizing research and...

Rick Valicenti Rick Valicenti’s graphics bristle with innovation, imagination, curiosity, and craft. He has been a leading presence in design as a practitioner, an educator, and a mentor. In 1988, he founded Thirst, a Chicago-based design collaborative devoted to art, function, and real human presence. The firm has received numerous awards for its self-initiated and...

J. Mendel J. Mendel is a fifth-generation luxury brand established on the principles of high quality, style, and craftsmanship. Applying his unique skills and design aesthetic, Gilles Mendel transformed the company from a luxury furrier into a full-fledged fashion house with the launch of its ready-to-wear collection in 2002. His penchant for maintaining the highest...

Ben Fry Drawing on a background in graphic design and computer science, Ben Fry pursues a long-held fascination with visualizing data. As Principal of Fathom Information Design in Boston, Fry develops software, printed works, installations, and books that depict and explain topics from the human genome to baseball salaries to the evolution of text documents....

Shelton, Mindel & Associates Established in 1978, Shelton, Mindel & Associates is a leader in architectural, interior, and product solutions for corporate, cultural, academic, retail, and other clients. Founding partners Peter L. Shelton and Lee F. Mindel have applied their passion for building unified environments to the firm’s portfolio of projects, which includes the design...