John Maeda (born 1966) is a Vice President of Design and Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft. He is an American
technologist and
designer
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans.
In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
whose work explores where business, design, and technology merge to make space for the "humanist technologist."
Previously, Maeda served as is Chief Technology Officer of
Everbridge
Everbridge, Inc. is an American enterprise software company that offers applications which provide information about critical events to help with personal safety and business continuity. Formerly known as 3n Global and the National Notification ...
from October 2020 through October 2022. President of
Rhode Island School of Design
The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
(RISD) from June 2008 until December 2013. Before that he was a research professor at the
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, growing out of MIT's Architecture Machine Group in the School of Architecture. Its research does not restrict to fixed academic disciplines, but draws from ...
leading advancements in computational design, low-code/no-code, and creative commerce.
Early life and education
John Maeda was born in 1966 in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, where his father owned a tofu factory.
Maeda studied
Computer Science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, where he became fascinated with the work of
Paul Rand
Paul Rand (born Peretz Rosenbaum; August 15, 1914 – November 26, 1996) was an American art director and graphic designer, best known for his corporate Logotype, logo designs, including the logos for IBM, United Parcel Service, UPS, Enron, Morn ...
and
Muriel Cooper
Muriel Cooper (1925 – May 26, 1994) was a pioneering book designer, digital designer, researcher, and educator. She was the first design director of the MIT Press, instilling a Bauhaus-influenced design style into its many publications. She move ...
. Cooper was a director of MIT's Visible Language Workshop. After completing his bachelor's and master's degrees at MIT, Maeda completed his Ph.D. in design at
Tsukuba University
is a public research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It is a top 10 Designated National University, and was ranked Type A by the Japanese government as part of the Top Global University Project.
The university has 28 college cl ...
's Institute of Art and Design in Japan.
He also has a M.B.A. from
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
.
Career
As an artist, Maeda’s early work redefined the use of electronic media as a tool for expression by combining computer programming with traditional artistic technique, laying the groundwork for interactive motion graphics on the web. He has exhibited in one-man shows in London, New York and Paris. His work is in the permanent collections of the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
, the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...
and the
Cartier Foundation
The Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, known simply as the Fondation Cartier, is a contemporary art museum located at 261 boulevard Raspail in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement of the France, French capital, Paris.
H ...
in Paris.
He is formerly Executive Vice President, Chief Experience Officer at Publicis Sapient where he developed the LEAD (Light, Ethical, Accessible, Dataful) doctrine for technology products and services. Prior to that he was Global Head, Computational Design and Inclusion at
Automattic
Automattic Inc. is an American global distributed company which was founded in August 2005 and is most notable for WordPress.com (a freemium blogging service), as well as its contributions to WordPress (an open source blogging software). The co ...
where he sought to address the
diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
gap in tech by exploring how inclusion could be a key ingredient for success in the technology industry. Before that he was Design Partner at
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Kleiner Perkins, formerly Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), is an American venture capital firm which specializes in investing in incubation, early stage and growth companies. Since its founding in 1972, the firm has backed entrepreneurs ...
(KPCB) where he advised startups on the business impact of design and continues as a Strategic Advisor. He also served on the Board of Directors of consumer electronics company
Sonos
SONOS, short for "silicon–oxide–nitride–oxide–silicon", more precisely, " polycrystalline silicon"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon nitride"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon",
is a cross sectional structure of MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconduc ...
and global advertising firm
Wieden+Kennedy
Wieden+Kennedy (W+K; earlier styled ''Wieden & Kennedy'') is an American independent global advertising agency best known for its work for Nike, Inc., Nike. Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy (advertising), David Kennedy, and headquartered ...
.
He was a professor at the
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, growing out of MIT's Architecture Machine Group in the School of Architecture. Its research does not restrict to fixed academic disciplines, but draws from ...
for 12 years where he fostered a community of designers who could code and engineers who could design called the Aesthetics + Computation Group,
[ and then created the Physical Language Workshop with Henry Holtzman. Shortly after the launch of the Design By Numbers project to teach artists and designers how to code, he helped to accelerate the Scratch language project in an NSF proposal with outreach across the digital divide. He resigned from MIT in 2008 to become the President of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), just as the ]global financial crisis
Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003
* ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007
* ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989
* ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015
* Bruno ...
of 2007-09 took hold.
In 2011, RISD's faculty majority passed a vote of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
in Maeda.
He survived the vote,
and subsequently led RISD to be recognized by the business community as number one in the world while shepherding the national STEAM
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
movement,
feeling that "art and design are poised to transform our economy in the 21st century like science and technology did in the last century."
For his work in advancing STEAM education, Maeda was recognized with a Tribeca Film Festival Disruptor Award and the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy Center. Maeda resigned from his RISD presidency at the end of 2013 and joined KPCB.
Around the same time he also joined eBay's Design Advisory Board as chairman.
In 2014 and 2015, he guest curated and hosted PopTech: REBELLION and PopTech: HYBRID.
In 2015 he published his first ''Design In Tech Report'' to connect the investing world with the world of design and technology. A 2nd ''Design in Tech Report'' was published in 2016 and later in 2017, a 3rd ''Design In Tech Report'' was published.
From 2019 until 2020, he was an Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Publicis Sapient where he helped businesses bridge strategy and engineering with computational design.
Awards
In 1999, he was named one of the 21 most important people in the 21st century by ''Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
''. In 2001, he received the National Design Award
The American National Design Awards, founded in 2000, are funded and awarded by Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New Y ...
for Communication Design in the United States and Japan's Mainichi Design Prize
The , originally the ''New Japan Design Competition'', is an annual award given to outstanding Japanese designers. The award, founded in 1952, is sponsored by Japanese newspaper ''Mainichi Shimbun''. It is considered Japan's most prestigious award ...
.
In 2009, he was inducted into the New York Art Director’s Club Hall of Fame, and he received the AIGA Medal
Following is a list of AIGA medalists who have been awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal.
On its website, AIGA says "The medal of the AIGA, the most distinguished in the field, is awarded to individuals in recognition of their ex ...
in 2010. He is a trustee of the Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum.
Honorary doctorates awarded by Drexel University (2017), Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...
(2014), Maryland Institute College of Art
The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of t ...
s (2003).
Personal life
Maeda is married to Kris Maeda and together they have five daughters. Kris and John Maeda worked together on the design consultancy, MAEDASTUDIO.
Bibliography
*
* ''Redesigning Leadership (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)'', MIT Press, 2011
* ''The Laws of Simplicity'', MIT Press, 2006.
* ''Creative Code'', Thames and Hudson, 2004.
* ''maeda@media'', Thames and Hudson / Rizzoli / Bangert Verlag, 2000.
* ''Design By Numbers'', MIT Press, 1999.
* ''Tap, Type, Write'', Digitalogue Co., 1998.
* ''12 o’clocks'', Digitalogue Co., 1997.
* ''Flying Letters'', Digitalogue Co., 1996.
* ''Reactive Square'', Digitalogue Co., 1995.
See also
* Software art
Software art is a work of art where the creation of software, or concepts from software, play an important role; for example software applications which were created by artists and which were intended as artworks. As an artistic discipline software ...
* Internet art
* List of presidents of the Rhode Island School of Design
The following is a list of presidents of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
References
{{Authority control
Presidents
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a colleg ...
References
External links
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) site
2015 KPCB #DesignInTech Report site
*
*
"How art, technology and design inform creative leaders" (TEDGlobal 2012)
*
"Designing for simplicity" (TED2007)
Creative Leadership blog
The Laws of Simplicity site
Maedastudio site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maeda, John
1966 births
Living people
American graphic designers
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
National Design Award winners
Artists from Seattle
University of Tsukuba alumni
MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni
American academics of Japanese descent
Kleiner Perkins people
American people of Japanese descent
American businesspeople
MIT Media Lab people
Presidents of the Rhode Island School of Design
AIGA medalists
Scientific American people