‘Fantastic learning experience, very demanding and rewarding.’

This High Ground will give participants the opportunity to personally interact with several of the world’s top design strategists and educators:

Michael McCoy is recognized for his influential theories on how product form affects the quality of the user experience. A partner in McCoy&McCoy Associates and Fahnstrom/McCoy Design Consultants, he is Senior Lecturer at The Institute of Design of Illinois Institute of Technology. He was Co-Chair of the Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art for 24 years and a Visiting Professor at The Royal College of Art in London. His awards include the European Ergodesign Award, IDSA’s IDEAs, I.D. Magazine’s ‘Best of Category’, the IBD Product Design Award, The Hannover Fair Prize and, with Katherine, the American Center for Design Educators Award, the IDSA Education Award and the Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design.

Katherine McCoy is Senior Lecturer at Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design in Chicago, after co-chairing the Department of Design at Cranbrook Academy of Art for 24 years. She is a 1999 Medallist of the AIGA, an elected member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale, a Fellow and past president of the Industrial Designers Society of America, past president of the American Center for Design, and a former vice president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. She writes frequently on design criticism and history, coproduced a television documentary on Japanese design, and chaired the first Living Surfaces Conference on interactive communications design.

Sung-Gul Hwang is the Lead in Global Design Integration for Motorola. In this role he travels the world using advanced user observation techniques to help Motorola’s understanding of the use of mobile technology products by different cultures and sub-cultures. He graduated from IIT’s Institute of Design with a Masters degree focusing on human centered design methodologies and strategic design planning. His previous design experiences include Samsung and LG Electronics in Korea and Microsoft in the US.

Bill Moggridge has consulted and lectured extensively on designing human-centered electronic and physical user interfaces. At IDEO, which he co-founded in 1991, Bill Moggridge is responsible for developing and communicating new ideas about design, proposing new directions for the company and for international services. Bill has been a Visiting Professor at The Royal College of Art in London and a lecturer at the London Business School and Stanford University. To date, he has been recognized with 32 design awards. He is a Senior Fellow at The Royal College of Art in London and an Honorary Fellow of the London Institute.

Dr. Robert Blaich is recognized as one of the most influential global design strategists in the world. As Vice President of Design for Herman Miller he worked with that company’s major designers including Charles Eames and George Nelson in producing numerous design classics. As Managing Director of Design for Philips Electronics he established the Dutch electronics giant as a leader in design around the world. He was President of The International Congress of Societies of Industrial Design ( ICSID) and has authored (with his wife Jan) a seminal book on global design management. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Teague Inc.

Expand their vision about the future of design.

Enhance their design leadership skills.

Add to their collection of tools for designing compelling products.

Access effective strategies for design innovations and breakthroughs.

Develop communication skills in team design interaction.

Continue their professional education for career advancement.