Design & Creativity Pioneers
visionaries who’ve reshaped the boundaries of aesthetics, function, innovation, and culture across various disciplines like product design, graphic design, architecture, fashion, and more.
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Alexander McQueen
British fashion designer and couturier.
17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010
Known for founding his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992 and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001.
Fields: Fashion
Awards: British Fashion Designer of the Year; Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Council of Fashion Designers of America International Designer of the Year 2004
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Anab Jain
Designer, futurist, filmmaker and educator.
b. 1976
Known for being the Co-founder of Superflux
Fields: Filmmaking, Interaction Design, Machine Intelligence
Awards: Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) award; Design Studio of the Year; Horizon 2020; IoT Launchpad Competition; Social Tech Social Change Competition; Grants for the Arts Awards; TED Conferences; UNESCO Digital Arts Award; Michael Moore Award; Geneva International Film Festival for Human Rights; Design for our Future Selves Awards; Innovation Award; Award of Excellence; International Design Competition
Bill Moggridge
English designer, author and educator.
25 June 1943 – 8 September 2012
Known for cofounded the design company IDEO and was director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.
Fields: Industrial Design, Design Engineering
Awards: AIGA Medal; honorary doctorate from CCA (California College of the Arts); Prince Philip Designers Prize; Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 at the National Design Awards
Bjarke Ingels
Danish architect, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).
b. 2 October 1974
Known for designing two housing complexes in Ørestad: VM Houses and Mountain Dwellings. In 2006 he founded Bjarke Ingels Group.
Fields: Architecture
Awards: 2001 and 2003 Henning Larsen Prize; 2002 Nykredit Architecture Prize; 2004 ar+d award; 2004 Golden Lion; 2006 Forum AID Award; 2007 Mies van der Rohe Award; 2008 Forum AID Award; 2009 ULI Award for Excellence; 2010 European Prize for Architecture; 2011 Dreyer Honorary Award; 2011 Danish Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize; 2011 French Academy of Architecture, Prix Delarue Award; 2011 The Wall Street Journal Architectural Innovator of the Year Award; 2012 American Institute of Architects Honor Award; 2013 Den Danske Lyspris; 2013 American Institute of Architects Honor Award; 2014 European Prize of Architecture Philippe Rotthier; 2014 Urban Land Institute, 40 Under 40 Award; 2015 Global Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction, Bronze; 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture; 2017 C.F. Hansen Medal; 2019 The National German Sustainability Award
Brenda Laurel
American interaction designer, video game designer, and researcher.
b. November 20, 1950
Known for Human-computer interaction, Interactive narrative, Cultural aspects of technology
Fields: Theatre & Performance, interaction design and user interface development, design research and immersive design
Awards: 2015 Trailblazer award at the IndieCade festival
David Carson
American graphic designer and design director.
b. September 8, 1955
Known for Grunge Typography & Deconstruction, Ray Gun Magazine
Fields: Sociology, Graphic Design
Awards: AIGA medal in 2014
Don Norman
American researcher, professor, and author.
b. December 25, 1935
Known for The Design of Everyday Things; Cognitive ergonomics; User-centered design
Fields: Cognitive science, Usability engineering
Awards: Rigo Award; Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science
Es Devlin
English artist and stage designer who works in a range of media, often mapping light and projecting film onto kinetic sculptural forms.
b. 24 September 1971
Known for her extensive work in the theatre.
Fields: English Literature, Fine Art, Theatre Design
Awards: 3 Olivier Awards; 1 Tony Award; Royal Designer for Industry
Frank Gehry
Canadian-American architect and designer.
b. February 28, 1929
Known for his postmodern designs and use of bold, unconventional forms and materials.
Fields: Architecture, City Planning
Awards: 1977: Arnold W. Brunner Prize; 1986: Distinguished Architect Award; 1989: Pritzker Architecture Prize; 1992: Praemium Imperiale; 1994: The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize; 1994: Thomas Jefferson Medal; 1995: American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award; 1995: Chrysler Award; 1998: National Medal of Arts; 1998: Inaugural Austrian Frederick Kiesler Prize; 1998: Gold Medal Award, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada; 1999: AIA Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects; 2000: Cooper–Hewitt National Design Award Lifetime Achievement; 2002: Companion of the Order of Canada (CC); 2004: Woodrow Wilson Award; 2007: Henry C. Turner Prize; 2012: Twenty-five Year Award, American Institute of Architects; 2014: Prince of Asturias Award; 2015: J. Paul Getty Medal; 2016: Harvard Arts Medal; 2016: Leonore and Walter Annenberg Award; 2016: Presidential Medal of Freedom; 2018: Neutra Medal; 2020: Paez Medal of Art, New York City (VAEA)
Iris van Herpen
Dutch fashion designer known for fusing technology with traditional haute couture craftsmanship.
b. June 5, 1984
Known for Tech-Infused Couture, Nature + Science Inspirations, Haute Couture as Performance
Fields: Fashion Design, Classical Ballet
Awards: ANDAM Grand Prix Award (2014); STARTS Prize, granted by the European Commission (2016); Johannes Vermeer Award, Dutch state prize for the arts (2017)
Issey Miyake
Japanese fashion designer.
22 April 1938 – 5 August 2022
Known for his technology-driven clothing designs, exhibitions and fragrances, such as L'eau d'Issey, which became his best-known product.
Fields: Graphic Design
Awards: Praemium Imperiale
James Turrell
American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement.
b. May 6, 1943
Known for Installation art
Fields: Psychology, Mathematics & Astronomy, Art (Studio Practice)
Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship for Fine Arts; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1984; National Medal of Arts in 2013; 2004, honorary doctorate by Haverford College.
Jessica Walsh
American designer, art director, illustrator and educator.
b. October 30, 1986
Known for Co-founder of &Walsh. Color, boldness, and social commentary.
Fields: Graphic Design
Awards: New Star of Design, Computer Arts, 2010; Society of Publication Designers award, 2010; Young Gun Award, Art Directors Club, 2011; New Visual Artist Award, Print magazine, 2011; The Envy Index: 25 Under 25, The L Magazine, 2011; Type Director's Club Award, Les Arts Décoratifs poster, 2012; Graphis, Design Annual 2012, Gold; 25 People Shaping the Future of Design, Complex, 2013; People to Watch, GD USA, 2013; Webby Award, Best Home/Welcome Page, Sagmeister & Walsh, 2014; Graphis, Photography Annual 2015, Gold; Forbes “30 Under 30: Art & Style” List, 2015
John Maeda
American designer, vice president of design and artificial intelligence at Microsoft.
b. 1966
Known for Bridging Design & Technology, Author of the acclaimed book The Laws of Simplicity (2006), Leadership in Design Thinking & Innovation, Design in Tech Reports, Creative Coding & Education
Fields: Computer Science, Design
Awards: National Design Award; Mainichi Design Prize; 2005 Lucky Strike Designer Award; 2009, New York Art Director’s Club Hall of Fame; AIGA Medal in 2010
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Lyndon Neri
Design visionary marrying architecture, product design, and storytelling into boundary-pushing work.
b. 1965
Known for founding Neri&Hu & Design Republic
Fields: Architecture
Awards: Wallpaper Designers of the Year (2014); Maison & Objet Asia Designers of the Year (2015); EDIDA Designers of the Year (2017); Interior Design Hall of Fame (2013); Recognized in Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Awards (2010); Design Vanguard (2009)
Marc Newson
Australian industrial designer, creative director, and artist who has worked in many industry sectors including furniture, product, and transportation design, luxury goods, fashion, and fine art.
b. 20 October 1963
Known for Lockheed Lounge
Fields: Jewelry Design and Sculpture
Awards: 2011: Lucky Strike Designer Award; 2012: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE); 2013: Philadelphia Museum of Art Collab Design Excellence Award; 2022: Honorary Doctorate by the Royal College of Art in London; 2023: Australian Design Prize in the Australian Good Design Awards.
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Massimo Vignelli
Italian designer who worked in several areas, including packaging, housewares, furniture, public signage, and showroom design.
January 10, 1931 – May 27, 2014
Known for NY subway map, American Airlines logo
Fields: Architecture
Awards: 1964 – Gran Premio Triennale di Milano; 1964, 1998 – Compasso d’Oro, Association for Industrial Design (ADI), Milan; 1973 – Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects (AIA); 1982 – New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame; 1983 – AIGA Gold Medal; 1985 – Presidential Design Award; 1988 – Interior Design Hall of Fame; 1991 – National Arts Club Gold Medal for Design; 1993 – New York State Governor’s Award; 1995 – Brooklyn Museum Design Award for Lifetime Achievement; 1996 – Honorary Royal Designer for Industry Award, Royal Society of Arts, London; 2003 – National Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Museum of Design at Cooper-Hewitt, New York; 2004 – Visionary Award from the Museum of Art and Design, New York; 2005 – Architecture Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, NY
Naoto Fukasawa
Japanese designer, author, and educator, working in the fields of product and furniture design.
b. 1956
Known for his product design work with the Japanese retail company Muji, as well as collaborations with companies such as Herman Miller, Alessi, B&B Italia, Emeco, Magis, and HAY.
Fields: Product Design
Awards: 1991 – IDEA Gold Award; 1994 – Red Dot Design Award; 1996 – iF Gold Award; 2003 – Mainichi Design Prize; 2005 – 5th Oribe Award; 2007 – Honorary Royal Designer for Industry (Royal Society of Arts), Product Design; 2014 – Good Design award; 2018 – Isamu Noguchi Award; 2024 – Design Excellence Award, Collab, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Neri Oxman
American-Israeli designer and former professor.
b. February 6, 1976
Known for art that combines design, biology, computing, and materials engineering.
Fields: Architectural Design
Awards: National Design Award (2018); Vilcek Prize (2014)
Paula Scher
American graphic designer, painter, and design educator.
b. October 6, 1948
Known for design firm Pentagram, which she joined in 1991.
Fields: Fine Arts
Awards: Art Directors Club Hall of Fame – 1998; Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design – 2000; AIGA Medal – 2001; School of Visual Arts – Master Series Award – 2002 for Make It Bigger; Type Directors Club Medal – 2006; Print's Regional Design Annual – 2011; National Design Award (Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian) – 2013
Rei Kawakubo
Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris.
b. 11 October 1942
Known for Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market.
Fields: Fine Arts, Literature, History of Aesthetics
Awards: Isamu Noguchi Award (2019); Excellence in Design Award, Harvard Graduate School of Design (2000); Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 1993); Honorary Doctorate, Royal College of Art, London (1997); Fashion Group International Award (1986); Compasso d’Oro Lifetime Achievement Award (2024); Isabella Blow Award (2017)
Rossana Hu
Architect and interior designer who works in China and was born and raised in Taiwan.
b. 1968
Known for Neri & Hu
Fields: Architecture
Awards: FRAME Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021; Dezeen Award; Architizer A+ Firm Award; EDIDA / Elle Décor International Designers of the Year, 2017; ICONIC Award, 2017 ; Maison & Objet Asia, 2015; Wallpaper Designer of the Year, 2014; Interior Design Hall of Fame, 2013; Emerging Architecture Award, 2010; Architectural Record – Design Vanguard, 2009; The Plan Award, 2018; Madrid Design Awards, 2020; Blueprint Overall Award, 2019; DNA Paris Design Awards
Stefan Sagmeister
Austrian graphic designer, storyteller, and typographer based in New York City.
b. August 6, 1962
Known for designing album covers for Lou Reed, OK Go, The Rolling Stones, David Byrne, Jay Z, Aerosmith, Talking Heads, Brian Eno and Pat Metheny.
Fields: Graphic Design
Awards: Grammy Award in 2005 and 2010; National Design Award 2005
Tadao Ando
Japanese architect. Self-taught, he is known for his unique integration of architecture and landscape.
b. 13 September 1941
Known for Row House, Sumiyoshi, 1979; Church of the Light, Osaka, 1989; Water Temple, Awaji, 1991; Rokko Housing I, II, III, Kobe, 1983-1999
Fields: Architecture, Interior Design
Awards: "Annual Prize Architectural Institute of Japan 1979; Cultural Design Prize 1983; Alvar Aalto Medal 1985; Gold Medal of Architecture 1989; Carlsberg Architectural Prize 1992; Japan Art Academy Prize 1993; Asahi Prize 1994; Pritzker Architecture Prize 1995; Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 1995; Praemium Imperiale 1996; Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 1997; Royal Gold Medal RIBA 1997, AIA Gold Medal 2002; Kyoto Prize 2002; Person of Cultural Merit 2003; UIA Gold Medal 2005; Order of Culture 2010; Neutra Medal 2012; Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy 2013; Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2013; Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur 2021; Compasso d'Oro 2024"
Thomas Heatherwick
English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio.
b. 17 February 1970
Known for The Rolling Bridge (2005); B of the Bang (2005); East Beach Cafe (2005); UK pavilion at Expo 2010; Longchamp store in SoHo; Olympics cauldron (2012); Zeitz MOCAA (2017); Vessel (2019)
Fields: 3D Design / Product Design, Design Products (Furniture, Architecture, Industrial Design)
Awards: Prince Philip Designers Prize (2006); London Design Medal (2010); Tokyo Design and Art Environmental Award (2010); RIBA Lubetkin Prize (2010); Compasso d'Oro (2014); Golden Plate Award (2019)
Virgil Abloh
American fashion designer and entrepreneur.
September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021
Known for Pyrex Vision, Off-White
Fields: Civil Engineering, Architecture
Awards: Grammy Award 2011, Urban Luxe Award 2017, International designer of the Year 2017
Zaha Hadid
Iraqi-born British architect, artist, and designer.
31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016
Known for Vitra Fire Station, MAXXI, Bridge Pavilion, Contemporary Arts Center, Heydar Aliyev Center, Riverside Museum
Fields: Mathematics, Architecture
Awards: 1982: Gold Medal Architectural Design;1994: Erich Schelling Architecture Award; 2002: Austrian State Prize for Architecture; 2003: European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture; 2003: Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire (CBE); 2004: Pritzker Prize; 2005: Austrian Decoration for Science and Art; 2005: German Architecture Prize; 2005: Designer of the Year Award; 2005: RIBA European Award; 2006: RIBA European Award; 2007: Thomas Jefferson Medal; 2008: RIBA European Award; 2009: Praemium Imperiale; 2010: RIBA European Award; 2012: Jane Drew Prize; 2013: 41st Winner of the Veuve Clicquot UK Business Woman Award