Michael Hendrix to headline third Appalachian Power of Design
Michael Hendrix, Boston director and associate partner at IDEO, a world leader in human-centered and design-led innovation, is the keynote lecturer for Appalachian State University’s Third Annual “Power of Design” event, “Little d, big D,” held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Helen A. Powers Grand Hall at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone.
The Power of Design brings together students, faculty and members of the professional community in all design disciplines such as architectural design, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and theater design. The lecture is open to all design professionals and the public and is free of charge.
“IDEO is a design powerhouse,” said Jeanne Mercer-Ballard, program coordinator and professor of Appalachian’s interior design program. “They are a global leader in innovation and human-centered design and are leading the market in the connection of design and business. We are honored to have Michael Hendrix of IDEO come share his experiences with our students.”
Hendrix will share his personal journey into design thinking with examples from his career and the IDEO portfolio. Some of IDEO’s clients include Procter & Gamble, Nokia, Intel, Converse, Lilly, Del Monte and Vodafone. Nominated by business leaders globally as one of the world¹s most innovative companies, IDEO employs over 500 staff in eight locations worldwide.
In addition to leading the Boston location, Hendrix provides guidance for brand strategy on projects ranging from counter-culture apparel to over-the-counter drugs to luxury home goods. Prior to IDEO he served for six years as chief brand officer and creative director of Tricycle, Inc., a sustainable design company he co-founded to reduce petroleum use and landfill waste in the commercial flooring industry. Under his direction Tricycle received multiple recognitions for sustainable design and thought leadership from Business Week, the Smithsonian Institute, the Prince of Denmark and the British House of Commons, as well as the professional design associations of AIGA, IIDA, AIA, ASID and IDSA.
Hendrix’s creativity has merited awards from all of the major American graphic design associations and publications including the One Show, Type Directors Club, Print, How and Communication Arts. Hendrix now gets to return the favor by serving as a juror for these competitions.
In 2008 Hendrix was selected as a Marshall Memorial Fellow, a trans-Atlantic fellowship of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, established to enrich Euro-American relations. In 2008 he was also named an AIGA Fellow, an honor acknowledging designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in the practice and conduct of graphic design within their local or regional design community and local AIGA chapter.
A native of Upper East Tennessee, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from the University of Tennessee. If he’s not designing he’s playing his vintage guitars and exploring New England with his wife and three children.
In addition to the lecture, Hendrix will lead a multidisciplinary workshop for design students. The cost for the workshop is $7. Those wishing to attend may contact Mercer-Ballard at 262-7832 or Marilyn Smith at 262-2220.
For more information about Hendrix, visit http://www.michaelhendrix.com/. For more information about Appalachian’s Power of Design visit http://www.faa.appstate.edu/powerofdesign/ or contact Mercer-Ballard at mercerja@appstate.edu.