Jury Alumni

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  Christopher Specce

  Independent Designer & Professor, Rhode Island School of Design

  2018 Furniture & Lighting Jury Member

  Christopher Specce is a designer and teacher working in Providence, Rhode Island. His practice spans from commercially oriented product design to creating experimental, one a kind of objects. In addition to serving as associate professor in the Department of Furniture Design at Rhode Island School of Design, his professional experiences include projects across the furniture and consumer product industries. Prior to joining the full-time faculty at RISD, he was lead designer at the consultancy Observatory, where he contributed to projects for clients including Herman Miller and P&G.
  
  With a belief that designed objects make an important contribution to culture, he explores the various ways that designers can embed objects with meaning. His studio practice features extensive use of digital design and fabrication tools alongside hands-on work with materials to create works that are at once mundane, delightful, modest, and forthright.

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  Ramon Tejada

  Independent Designer & Assistant Professor, Rhode Island School of Design

  2019 Design Education Initiative Jury Member

  Ramon Tejada is an independent Dominican/American designer and teacher based in Providence. He works in a hybrid design/teaching practice that focuses on collaborative design practices. His recent design research interest lies in the areas of disruption of the Design Canon, inclusivity, diversity, collaboration and the expansion and openings of design narratives and languages beyond the “traditional” Westernized paradigm of design. He received an MFA in Graphic Design from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and an MFA in Performance Arts from Bennington College.

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  Chi-An De Leo

  Creative Director & Co-Founder, Rice Creative

  2018 Packaging Jury Captain

  Chi-An is a Creative Director and Co-founder of Rice Creative, a Vietnam based brand consultancy. As a true multicultural individual, with an Italian father and French-Vietnamese mother, Chi-An speaks 4 languages and has lived in 5 countries including a major stint of 10 years in the UK. Wanting to get back to his Vietnamese roots, he made the move back to the country where he spent the early years of his childhood. Chi-An worked at Lowe Vietnam and helped them set up the branding department. After a few years in Advertising he felt it was time to make a move back to Branding & Design and co-founded Rice Creative in 2011. Having won multiple international awards with Rice, such as Red Dot, Pentawards, A’Design, Graphis, The Dieline, and Type Directors Club to name a few, Chi-An was invited to take part in the world's most renowned creative awards in London, D&AD. He sat as part of the Branding Jury together with the creative directors of Apple & Moving Brands, judging some of the best work the world had to offer.
  

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  Brian Kane

  Professor, RISD

  2017 Open Design Jury Member

  Brian Kane was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1965 and currently lives and works in Cambridge, MA. He received a BFA in Painting from RISD in 1987, where he also teaches. His sculpture, interactive, and video work has shown in many museum and gallery exhibitions, and Kane’s pioneering real time video sampling techniques was influential to a generation of media artists. He was a founding member of the video art group EBN, and a primary collaborator with RadioValve.com and Amorphic Robot Works.
  
  Recent exhibitions and festivals include Nuit Blanche (Toronto), MACBA (Barcelona), HDADD+ (MFA Boston), #11.Art (Museo Nacional do Complexo Cultural da Republica, Brazil), Memery (MASS MoCA), People in Space (Shanghai World Expo), Late at Tate (Tate Britain), Big Chill (U.K.), MediaLive (Boulder MoCA), and a 2010 solo show at Murphy and Dine, New York, NY. His latest work "Healing Tool" is a disappearing billboard, and can be see here: http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/exclusive-photos-billboards-make-interstates-into-art-galleries

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  Kaitlyn Benoit

  Design Director, Rivian Automotive

  2023 Lifestyle Accessories Jury Member

  Kaitlyn started her career at KitchenAid small appliances where she focused on building out the ecosystem around the Stand Mixer including attachments and specialty bowls. From there, she headed to Smart Design, taking a user-centered approach to work for clients like OXO, Gatorade, Leesa, Merck, Shark, Ziploc, Frabill, Tropicana, and Caboodles. Most recently, she led the ID team at Rivian Automotive where she and her team expanded the vehicle’s ecosystem through a suite of Adventure Products, Chargers, and vehicle accessories.
  
  When she’s not designing, you can find her exploring art museums and local running trails, seeking out the perfect cup of coffee, or whipping up a new piece of clothing for her next adventure.
  
  Kaitlyn holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Notre Dame. She is currently taking time off to travel.
  

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  Dr. Yoko Akama

  Senior Lecturer in Communication Design, RMIT University

  2015 Strategy & Research Jury Member

  Dr. Yoko Akama is a Senior Lecturer in design in the School of Media and Communication and Research Leader of the Design Research Institute at RMIT University, Australia. Her Japanese heritage has embedded a Zen-informed reflective practice in human-centered design. Her design research practice is entangled in social 'wicked problems', to strengthen adaptive capacity for disaster resilience in Australia and Japan, and to contribute towards the efforts of Indigenous Nations enact their self-determination and governance. Trained as a communication designer, visualization features strongly in her work to catalyze meaning-making, learning and dialogue through participatory interactions. Yoko is a leader and founder of two prominent design networks – Service Design Network and Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability Lab- in Melbourne, Australia. These are fostering a community of practice among academia, business, government and community organizations to share and create knowledge on human-centered design applications.She is a recipient of British Council Design Research Award (2008); a Finalist in the Victorian Premier's Design Award (2012); and two Good Design Australia Awards (2014), which has led to invitations for collaboration and guest lectures at several national and international institutions in the UK, US, Europe and Japan.

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  Danielle Chen

  Staff Product Designer, Ro

  2021 Design Education Initiative Jury Member

  Danielle is a full-stack and mission-driven product designer passionate about creating products that are inclusive and accessible for all. As a recognized thought leader, she has spoken at a number of distinguished conferences including SXSW, Interaction Design Conference and International Design Conference, covering topics from design, cultures, technology and anything in between. She writes a newsletter called "Designing Culture“ dissecting how technology has changed our human cultures. She holds a Master’s in Integrated Product Design from University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in Product Design from Drexel University.
  
  When she’s not doing design-related work (which is rare), you can find her leveling up her improv skills, going for hikes and making her next sourdough bread.

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  Roanne Adams

  Founder, RoAndCo

  2016 Visual Communication Jury Member

  Roanne Adams is the Chief Creative Director and Founder of RoAndCo Studio. Established in 2006, RoAndCo serves as a visual thought leader for a range of forward-thinking fashion, beauty and lifestyle clients. Acting as both a strategic and creative resource for clients at every step of the branding experience, RoAndCo’s services include branding, art direction and interactive design.
  
  Roanne’s fresh, iconic and forward approach has been recognized throughout the design community and has garnered such honors as PRINT magazine’s “New Visual Artist (20 under 30),” ADC Young Guns 9, as well as one of six of the city’s most “outstanding up-and-coming design professionals” named by T Magazine. A current member of AIGA/NY’s Board of Directors, Roanne lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

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  Alex Lobos

  Graduate Director, Industrial Design, Rochester Institute of Technology

  2021 Design Education Initiative Jury Member

  Alex explores design, technology, sustainability and emotional attachment as means to elevate quality of life. He is Professor and Graduate Director of Industrial Design at Rochester Institute of Technology, and Research Fellow Emeritus at Autodesk. At RIT, Alex leads a top-ranking program focused in interdisciplinary collaboration, accessible technology and applied design research. Alex and his students have partnered with Autodesk, AT&T, Colgate-Palmolive, General Electric, Makerbot, Stryker, Staples and Unilever, in projects covering digital fabrication, sustainable behaviors, learning futures, generative design, and everyday living. Alex holds a MFA from University of Notre Dame and a BID from Universidad Rafael Landivar.

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  Nu Goteh

  Principal, Room for Magic

  2024 Visual Communication Jury Member

  Nu Goteh is a multi-disciplinary creative & designer who works in audio, visual, and written mediums. He is the co-founder of the strategy and design studio, Room for Magic, and co-founder and creative director of partner publication, Deem Journal. Nu’s practice is informed by his love for counter/subculture(s), his background as a Liberian-born refugee, and a lifelong dedication to building platforms that enable communities to engage in shared experiences.

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  Nu Goteh

  Principal, Room for Magic

  2024 Branding & Identity Jury Member

  Nu Goteh is a multi-disciplinary creative & designer who works in audio, visual, and written mediums. He is the co-founder of the strategy and design studio, Room for Magic, and co-founder and creative director of partner publication, Deem Journal. Nu’s practice is informed by his love for counter/subculture(s), his background as a Liberian-born refugee, and a lifelong dedication to building platforms that enable communities to engage in shared experiences.

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  Rebecca Hui

  Founder, Roots Studio

  2020 Design for Social Impact Jury Captain

  Rebecca is a designer and social entrepreneur who has spent nearly a decade elevating the brilliance of overlooked artists to the global limelight. She started Roots Studio, which digitizes indigenous art into an online library for licensing into fashion and home, with returns of 5 - 20x the status quo price. Her work has ranged from turning heritage tattoos into animations, to producing thousands of notebooks from a scroll painting tradition with fewer than 7 artists left. She has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, Echoing Green Fellow, a US Department of State Innovation Delegate, and an Unreasonable Group Fellow. Her work has been written in PBS, TechCrunch, WGSN, MIT Technology Review, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. Rebecca also advises on cultural restoration for post disaster regions and mapping technology with the World Bank and the United Nations. She started her journey as a Fulbright Scholar and National Geographic Explorer on the project, "The Secret Life of Urban Animals".

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  Ross Lovegrove

  Principal, Ross Lovegrove, LTD

  2024 Tools Jury Member

  Born 1958, Ross Lovegrove graduated from Manchester Polytechnic with 1st Class BA Hons Industrial design in 1980 and took a Master of Design at the Royal College of Art, London in 1983. In the early 80’s worked as a designer for Frog Design in West Germany on tech projects for companies like Sony and Apple; he later moved to Paris as a consultant to Knoll International, for which he created the highly successful Alessandri Office System.
  
  Invited to join the Atelier de Nimes in 1984, alongside Jean Nouvel and Phillipe Stark, he consulted amongst others: Cacharel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Dupont. Returning to London in 1986 he has since worked on projects for Airbus Industries, Kartell, Ceccotti, Cappellini, Moroso, Luceplan, Driade, Peugeot, Apple, Issey Miyake, Vitra, Motorola, Biomega, LVMH, Narciso Rodriguez, Yamagiwa, Tag Heuer, Swarovski, Herman Miller, Artemide, Renault, Japan Airlines, Toyo Ito Architects, Kenzo, Valextra, GH Mumm, LG, F1, Samsung and KEF.
  
  Winner of numerous international awards his work has been extensively published and exhibited internationally including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Guggenheim Museum NY, Axis Centre Japan, Pompidou Centre, Paris and the Design Museum, London, when in 1993 he curated the first permanent Design collection. His work is held in permanent collections of various design museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA), the Design Museum in London, the Vitra Design Museum, in Basel, the Die Neue Sammlung, in Munich and the Centre Pompidou, in Paris.
  

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  Ross Lovegrove

  Principal, Ross Lovegrove, LTD

  2024 Lifestyle Accessories Jury Member

  Born 1958, Ross Lovegrove graduated from Manchester Polytechnic with 1st Class BA Hons Industrial design in 1980 and took a Master of Design at the Royal College of Art, London in 1983. In the early 80’s worked as a designer for Frog Design in West Germany on tech projects for companies like Sony and Apple; he later moved to Paris as a consultant to Knoll International, for which he created the highly successful Alessandri Office System.
  
  Invited to join the Atelier de Nimes in 1984, alongside Jean Nouvel and Phillipe Stark, he consulted amongst others: Cacharel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Dupont. Returning to London in 1986 he has since worked on projects for Airbus Industries, Kartell, Ceccotti, Cappellini, Moroso, Luceplan, Driade, Peugeot, Apple, Issey Miyake, Vitra, Motorola, Biomega, LVMH, Narciso Rodriguez, Yamagiwa, Tag Heuer, Swarovski, Herman Miller, Artemide, Renault, Japan Airlines, Toyo Ito Architects, Kenzo, Valextra, GH Mumm, LG, F1, Samsung and KEF.
  
  Winner of numerous international awards his work has been extensively published and exhibited internationally including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Guggenheim Museum NY, Axis Centre Japan, Pompidou Centre, Paris and the Design Museum, London, when in 1993 he curated the first permanent Design collection. His work is held in permanent collections of various design museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA), the Design Museum in London, the Vitra Design Museum, in Basel, the Die Neue Sammlung, in Munich and the Centre Pompidou, in Paris.

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  Veronica Ranner

  Designer | Artist | Ph.D. Candidate, Royal College of Art

  2021 Speculative Design Jury Member

  Veronica Ranner is an artist, designer and researcher, working transdisciplinary on the intersections of design, science and emerging technologies. With a background in industrial design and design interactions, her research focuses on the burgeoning domain of bio-digitality and encompasses advanced biomaterials (smart materials), biomedical product and interface design as well as the development of experimental methods towards constructive-collective modes of futuring (see Polyphonic Futures).
  
  Veronica has 10+ years experience of working internationally across science, education, art institutions and industry via funded projects, commissions and collaborations. She is a frequently invited lecturer and exhibits her work internationally, including at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, China Technology Museum in Beijing, the National Museum Sweden in Stockholm, the V&A London, the Design Museum Gent, at Martha Herford, and the Futurium in Berlin. She currently completes her PhD at the Royal College of Art.

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  Teal Triggs

  Associate Dean of the School of Communication, Royal College of Art

  2015 Visual Communication Jury Member

  Teal Triggs, is a Professor of Graphic Design and Associate Dean, School of Communication, Royal College of Art, London. As a graphic design historian, critic and educator she has lectured and broadcast widely and her writings have appeared in numerous edited books and international design publications. Her research has focused primarily on design pedagogy, self-publishing, and feminism. Teal is also Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Communication Design (Bloomsbury/ico-D) and co-editor of Visual Communication (Sage) and Associate Editor of Design Issues (MIT Press). She is currently co-editing a new book The Graphic Design Reader (Bloomsbury). Her previous books include: Fanzines and, The Typographic Experiment: Radical Innovations in Contemporary Type Design, both published by Thames & Hudson. She is a Fellow of the International Society of Typographic Designers, the Royal College of Art and the Royal Society of Arts.