JOHN MAEDA                                                                                     >2005 UNOFFICIAL BIO

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, THE MEDIA LAB
E. RUDGE AND NANCY ALLEN PROFESSOR OF MEDIA ARTS AND SCIENCES
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
THE MEDIA LAB
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS    U.S.A.

 

 


John Maeda is a world-renowned graphic designer, visual artist, and computer scientist at the MIT Media Lab, and is a founding voice for “simplicity” in the digital age. He was announced as the next President of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) starting June 2, 2008. 

Named by Esquire magazine as one of the 21 most important people for the twenty-first century, Maeda first made his mark by redefining the use of electronic media as a tool for expression for people of all ages and skills. He is the recipient of the highest career honors for design in the United States, Japan, and Germany and serves on the board of trustees for the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. A faculty member at the Media Lab since 1996, Maeda holds the E. Rudge and Nancy Allen Professorship of Media Arts and Sciences, and is the Lab's Associate Director of Research. He has had major exhibits of his work in Paris, London, New York, and Tokyo, and has written several books on his philosophy of “humanizing technology” through his perspective on the digital arts including The Laws of Simplicity (MIT Press) published in 14 languages.

Maeda received both his BS and MS degrees from MIT, and earned his PhD in design from Tsukuba University Institute of Art and Design in Japan. In May 2003, he received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and completed his MBA in May of 2006. Maeda is a sought-after lecturer on “simplicity” at major universities and boardrooms throughout the world.

Major Career Awards

  • 2005 Germany's Raymond Loewy Foundation Prize
  • 2002 Japan's Mainichi Design Prize
  • 2001 United States' Smithsonian Institution's National Design Award
  • 2000 DaimlerChrysler Design Prize
  • 2001 Design Management Institute Muriel Cooper Prize

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2005 'John Maeda: N A T U R E + Eye'm Hungry' Fondation Cartier, Paris
  • 2003 ‘John Maeda: F00D,’ Cristinerose Gallery, New York
  • 2001 ‘John Maeda: Towards Post Digital,’ NTT Inter-Communication Center, Tokyo
  • 2000 ‘Post-Digital,’ Cristinerose Gallery, New York
  • 2000 'maeda@media,’ California Institute of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco
  • 2000 'maeda@media,' Institute of Contemporary Art, London
  • 1999 ‘one-line.com,’ Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo
  • 1996 ‘John Maeda: Paper and Computer', Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo and Dai Nippon Duo Dojima Gallery, Osaka
  • 1995 ‘Deconstructing Cyberspace,’ Axis Gallery Annex, Tokyo
  • 1995 ‘Design Machines,’ Axis Gallery, Tokyo

Group Exhibitions

  • 2001 ‘Workspheres,’ Museum of Modern Art, New York
  • 2001 ‘010101: Art in Technological Times,’ San Francisco MoMA
  • 2000 ‘Design Triennale,’ Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
  • 1999 ‘Organic Computation,’ New York Art Director’s Club
  • 1996 ‘NHK Heart Exhibition,’ Bunkamura Gallery, Tokyo

Design Honors

  • 2004 Fast Company Magazine 20 Masters of Design
  • 2001 Köln Designer of the Year
  • 2001 ResFest Magazine 10 To Watch
  • 2000 American Association of Publishers, Best Book in Computer Science
  • 1999 Esquire Magazine 21 Geniuses
  • 1999 Yahoo 15 Master Graphic Designers
  • 1998 New York Art Director’s Club, Gold Prize
  • 1998 ID Magazine, Gold Prize
  • 1998 Japan Ministry of Culture, Interactive Prize
  • 1998 Tokyo Type Director’s Club, Interactive Prize
  • 1996 Tokyo Type Director’s Club, Gold Prize
  • 1995 Multimedia Association of Japan Grand Prix, Interactive Prize

Publications

  • 2004 ‘Creative Code’, Thames and Hudson
  • 2000 ‘maeda@media,’ Thames and Hudson / Rizzoli / Bangert Verlag
  • 1999 ‘Design By Numbers,’ MIT Press
  • 1998 ‘Tap, Type, Write,’ Digitalogue Co.
  • 1997 ‘12 o’clocks,’ Digitalogue Co.
  • 1996 ‘Flying Letters,’ Digitalogue Co.
  • 1995 ‘Reactive Square,’ Digitalogue Co.

Lectures

John Maeda has lectured on the topic of his work and philosophy at numerous academic, cultural, and industrial institutions including: Sony Design Center, Tokyo Type Director’s Club, Tokyo Design Center, Harvard University, Cooper-Union, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Princeton University, Basel University, American Institute of Graphic Arts Las Vegas Biennale, Intel Corporation, Comune di Milano, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Köln, Benetton Fabrica, Centre Pompidou, Carnegie Mellon University, Art Center College of Design, Walker Art Center, Rhode Island School of Design, University of California at Los Angeles, Vanguard Conferences, Ivrea Interaction Design Institute, University of Michigan, Royal College of Art, University of Minnesota, Japan Association of Graphic Designers, University of University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Toronto, Musashino University of Arts, Columbia University, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, University of Cincinatti, New York Art Director’s Club, Samsung Design Center, University of Ohio, Virginia Tech, University of Pennsylvania.

Press

Interviews with John Maeda and/or reviews have appeared in media that include: The New York Times, The Economist, Art Forum, The Observer, Fast Company, The San Francisco Gate, Eye, ID, The Boston Globe, Blueprint, Creative Review, Libération, The Washington Post, Le Monde, BBC, InterCommunication, Wired, Casabella, Brutus, Axis, Mainichi Shimbun, Brain, Interni, Design Week, POL Oxygen, Esquire, Shift, Interiors, Design Management Journal, Form, Better Homes and Gardens, Metropolis, Blackbook.

Website 

www.maedastudio.com

 

 


 

 

Copyright 2006, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and John Maeda.