John Maeda
In 1999, he was named one of the 21 most important people in the 21st century by Esquire. In 2001, he received the National Design Award for Communication Design in the United States and Japan’s Mainichi Design Prize. Maeda uses his background as an MIT engineer and organization executive to help inventors designers expand their fields. In 2006, Maeda published Laws of Simplicity, his best selling book to date, based on a research project to find ways for people to simplify their life in the face of growing complexity. His other books are Creative Code and Redesigning Leadership. He has co-authored a number of other books. While Maeda has been an exceptional designer and educator, his groundbreaking influence nationally and internationally may also be attributed to his writing. He contributes frequently to magazines and newspapers. He disected Apple’s design principles for the Huffington Post in 2009, and has done many more since then.
Maeda decided to get into computing to help his father with his tofu business. Later he went to MIT to study electrical engineering and computer science. He earned his masters degree in both fields. Then he moved to Japan and went to the University of Tsukuba to study art and design. He got his PhD in Design Science. He wrote a book on the subject titled Design By Numbers in 1999. Since 2008 Maeda has become known for being the new president of the Rhode Island School of Design. Over his career John has advised hundreds of companies. He is on the Board of Directors for Sonos and Wieden+Kennedy, and he is a member of Google’s Advanced Technology Board. It is said that Maeda has joined Rand as a influencial figure in the Design world. He uses his technological background to create simplicity, and clarity in design.
A designer is someone who constructs while he thinks, someone for whom planning and making go together.
- John Maeda