Designers get all the attention for their sleek products and creative innovations, and that goes for some of the most influential designers of all time, young professionals in the field, and even those that haven't even reached their 30th birthdays. But what about the people moving the design discourse and community forward? What about the people designers look to for inspiration, thought leadership, and insight? These people are the unsung heroes of design education, discourse, and community who bring design to life through film, theater, radio, and writing. They celebrate design everyday, and whether they're critical or praising, they show their admiration and love for the craft through everything they do.
Here we look at 15 Big Names in Design Who Are Revolutionizing the Game, whether that’s the format, the criteria, or what we consider design in general. Check out our list, and see who might just inspire you.
Alice Twemlow
Chair, Design Criticism Department, School of Visual Arts
As chair and co-founder of the SVA MFA Design Criticism program and MA Design Research program, Alice Twemlow has turned design thinking into an official (and accredited) academic pursuit. Twemlow has contributed to many publications, including Design Observer, Eye, Design & Culture, and The New York Times Magazine. Her championing of design thinking has elevated the quality of design discourse.
Ralph Caplan
Writer
Ralph Caplan is an influential author and design advocate. His 50 plus year tenure in the design community has given him a lifetime on insights on design, but thankfully none of them are pretentious. He is thoughtful and inclusive, and he removes the boundaries of design to show how everything you care about (no matter how much you don’t think you cared about design) is determined by design.
David Kelley
Founder, IDEO
A founder of IDEO, one of the most prestigious design firms in the world, David Kelley has made a name for himself as not only a design innovator, but a design thinker. Kelley has used his place in the design community to promote his view on “creative confidence,” the idea that everyone has the power to be creative. Although this belief may not sit well with everyone, the sentiment is progressive and inclusive, which is exactly what the design world needs now.
Gary Hustwit
Filmmaker
As an independent filmmaker, Gary Hustwit has brought design criticism to life and to an audience who might not have otherwise been interested in the topic. Through his trilogy of design-centric films, including Helvetic, Objectified and Urbanized, Hustwit explores various areas of design, from graphic design to architecture, bringing an otherwise seemingly foreign community to the forefront of culture.
Michael Bierut
Partner, Pentagram Design
Not only is Michael Bierut an icon in the design creating community, he also uses his expertise to teach others on design through both writing and education. As a frequent contributor to Design Observer, Bierut propels the conversations about what design is by making unusual connections.
Steve Heller
Art Director and Author
Seen as a master of design thinking, Steve Heller has had his hand in all aspects of design, from writing to teaching to curating. He has authored, co-authored and/or edited more than 100 books on design and popular culture. His lifelong dedication to design has inspired and motivated others to raise their own bars on what design thinking can be.
Kurt Andersen
Author and Host, “Studio 360”
Kurt Andersen, most famous for his show “Studio 360” on NPR, discusses design through a pop culture lens. His work spans from TV and radio to publications and even theatre. By crossing various media, Andersen is able to convey his insightful thoughts on art and design in a way that is accessible to everyone.
Akiko Busch
Author
Akiko Busch is a true creative writer, but with an eye always on design. Her beautiful prose elevates design thinking to an almost classical level. She finds the beauty in everyday objects and inspires her readers to do the same.
Paola Antonelli
Senior Curator of the Department of Architecture & Design and Director of R&D, The Museum of Modern Art
Moving from architecture to curating, Paola Antonelli is a powerhouse in the design community. Her praise or criticism of work can make or break a designer. As the Senior Curator of the Architect and Design department at MoMA, Antonelli pushes her audiences to think more broadly and intently about design and its cultural implications.
Karrie Jacobs
Contributing Editor, Metropolis and Travel + Leisure
Karrie Jacobs is a design writer. She has published books and collaborated with a few publications like Metropolis and Travel + Leisure. However, Jacobs’ most influential mark on design is Dwell, the magazine where she was the founding editor-in-chief. Jacobs always reminds students and audiences to look around and to look up. Exploring your surroundings is the best way to learn about your environment and how design fits into it.
Adam Harrison Levy
Film Producer and Director
Adam Harrison Levy brings design criticism and theory to the masses through film. His works for the BBC, including Selling the Sixties, Close Up, and David Ogilvy: Original Mad Man, has brought a new life to historic design and sparked interest with audiences who might not have been exposed to it otherwise.
Jessica Helfand
Creative Director, The Design Observer Group
Jessica Helfand and her late husband, William Drenttel, founded the pinnacle of design thinking, Design Observer. Before the publication, design writing wasn’t a tangible or communal entity. After Design Observer people realized they could find the design in everything.
Julie Lasky
Design Journalist
Julie Lasky has been in the design community for years. She has garnered acclaim for her books on numerous topics, from borrowed forms to the designer Art Chantry. But her most impactful work in the community has been Change Observer, a sub-blog of Design Observer that highlights changes, progress, and innovation in architectural design.
Alexandra Lange
Writer and Loeb Fellow 2013-2014, Harvard Graduate School of Design
As a teacher and writer, Lange has traversed the world of design thinking. She writes honest constructive criticism, the kind that only comes from love and admiration, like a proud friend. Her thoughtful examinations and always thought-provoking content choices lift her up to a level of design thinkers many people can only aspire to.
Tina Roth Eisenberg
Founder, CreativeMornings, Studiomates, and Tattly
Tina Roth Eisenberg is best known for her blog SwissMiss. Before Tumblr was a common Internet pastime, Eisenberg was curating beautiful products and images in order to entertain and educate audiences and design enthusiasts. In addition to SwissMiss, Eisenberg also founded Tattly and CreativeMornings, which are just more ways she’s spreading quality design to the masses.
