James Wines James Wines is founder and president of SITE, a New York-based architectural studio chartered in 1970. Through his multidisciplinary practice, Wines develops site-specific structures that engage information about the environment, including buildings, public spaces, environmental art, landscapes, master plans, interiors, video productions, graphics, and product designs. This emphasis on context has attracted international...
Michael Sorkin Michael Sorkin is an architect and urbanist whose practice spans design, criticism, and teaching. He is the principal of Michael Sorkin Studio in New York, a global design practice focused on urbanism and green architecture; President of Terreform, a non-profit organization dedicated to research and intervention in issues of urban morphology, sustainability, and...
Janette Sadik-Khan Janette Sadik-Khan has served as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation since 2007. Internationally recognized for her expertise in transportation issues and progressive reform, public policy development, and innovative finance, Sadik-Khan has implemented an ambitious program to improve safety, mobility, and sustainability, and to ensure a state of good...
TED TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” It began in 1984 as a conference that bridged three worlds—technology, entertainment, design—and has since grown tremendously in scope and reach. In 2006, TED first released six talks online, for free. Now, with more than 1,400 published talks, TED marked a major milestone in...
Studio Gang Architects MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang is the founder of Studio Gang Architects, a Chicago-based collective of architects, designers, and thinkers practicing internationally. Gang uses architecture as a medium of active response to contemporary issues and their impact on human experience. Each project resonates with its specific site and culture while addressing larger global...
Paula Scher For four decades, Paula Scher has been at the forefront of graphic design. Iconic, smart, and accessible, her images have entered into the American vernacular. Known for her reimagining of typography as a communicative medium, she has said, “Words have meaning and type has feeling. When you put them together it’s spectacular.” Scher...
Behnaz Sarafpour Known for her modern elegance and innovative textiles, Iranian-born Behnaz Sarafpour debuted her collection in 2001. Sarafpour brought her classic and refined feminine style to the masses in 2006 by joining Target’s GO International line, the first designer to represent the United States in this campaign to merge high fashion and affordable prices....
Local Projects Founded by Jake Barton, Local Projects is a media design firm that specializes in work for museums and public spaces. Local Projects is creating all media for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and the Frank Gehry–designed Eisenhower Memorial. The firm is recognized as a...
Aidlin Darling Design With a shared interest in exploring design across a wide range of scales, programs, and disciplines, partners Joshua Aidlin and David Darling started Aidlin Darling Design around a woodshop in 1998. With an emphasis on designing for all of the senses, they have cultivated a diverse and collaborative studio that acts as...
