Great Minds Of Design

Patty Johnson has worked in South America, The Philippines, and South Africa, collaborating with indigenous groups in the creation of high-end design products that are sustainable in communities with low employment. For her current project, Patty travels to the devastated country of Haiti.

Trevor McIvor and his partners design buildings that take advantage of the innate heating and cooling characteristics of nature. From an off the grid “cottage” that requires no artificial cooling, to a green-roofed sound studio rising out of the earth, nature dictates the design flow.

Nicholas Kennedy works with the ghosts of printing’s past, by using salvaged equipment. His style of “anti-design” or “found design” insists that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you create. He suddenly makes the dying art of bookmaking seem very much alive.

Industrial designer Helen Kerr works on everything from soap pumps to geo-mapping the island of Manhattan. Her team uses materials that can be broken down at the end of an object’s life, so each piece can be put back into the recycling stream.