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.

Named by Esquire magazine as one of the 21 most important people in the 21st century, Maeda first made his mark by redefining the use of electronic media as a tool of 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 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 codirects the Lab’s design-oriented Physical Language Workshop and its SIMPLICITY consortium. 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.

Maeda received both his BS and MS degrees from MIT and earned his Ph.D. 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. Maeda is a sought-after lecturer on “simplicity” at major universities and boardrooms throughout the world. He lives with his wife, Kris, and their four daughters, Saaya, Naoko, Rie, and Mika, in Lexington, Massachusetts.

CAPTIONS
1 The Reactive Square Unfolded­— Revealing the aspect of multiplicity inherent in the reactive dimension.

2 Cristinerose Gallery (2003) F00D Exhibition: Celebrating the theme of food in digital art.

3 Commute—Created for my F00D exhibition. Jello-brand gelatin used for the purpose of creating layers of color. I felt that many artists’ and designers’ use of layered colored plastics was a bit too toxic for my tastes. Jello comes in every color of the rainbow, and I made a Jello mold of true spectral perfection (except with incorrect spectral order). I wrote a program to correct the problem, and that result is gently overlaid.

4 Still from Linear Way (2005) presented at Fondation Cartier.

5 Still from Linear Way (2005) presented at Fondation Cartier.

6 Systematic Disorder—From SIMPLICITY.

7 John Maeda: Nature (2006)—Exhibition at Fondation Cartier.

8 Morisawa 6—Reaching the limits of a typography affliction, I created ten variants on the logotype of the Japanese type foundry Morisawa Company.

9 Technology (Ecology)—Poster for Ginza Graphic Gallery, Graphic Message for Ecology Exhibition.

10 Still from Linear Way (2005) presented at Fondation Cartier.

< Infinity—An eternal symbol revisited.

CHARLES HALL is the Executive Creative Director for The Office Of Brand Affairs, a collaboration between writers, art directors, and designers responsible for advertising, culture, and content. He is the brand architect behind recent campaigns such as Jazz @ Lincoln Center’s “Jazz is Killin’,” Marie Claire’s “More Than A Pretty Face,” Boost Mobile RockCorps’ “Got 2 Give 2 Get,” the NYC 2012 Olympic Bid Committee’s “Peace Is the Dream,” and Nike New York’s “Run Like The City.” He has won numerous awards as a writer and creative director at Chiat/Day, Wieden & Kennedy, Ogilvy & Mather, BBDO, and Amster Yard. His short film “Are You Cinderella?” was the Official Selection of the 2000 Toronto Film Festival, Best Short at Urban World 2000, FESPACO 2001 and sold to HBO. With the help of his wife and muse, he launched Fat Daddy Loves You Bath Couture, a luxurious collection of bath coats, beach coats, pool coats and spa coats he designs, tailored to fabulous men and women.

An advocate for women’s rights, he created the public awareness campaign THIS IS NOT AN INVITATION TO RAPE ME, which exhibited at UCLA’s Kershcoff Hall Gallery and was donated to the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women. He lives in Harlem with his wife and daughter.