Founder of IDEO: David M. Kelley

Founder Of IDEO
David M. Kelley
Personal life
Kelley was born in Barberton, Ohio. His brother is Tom Kelley, the general manager of IDEO and
author of The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation. He earned a bachelor's degree in
electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in 1973, where he was a member of the Sigma
Alpha Epsilon fraternity, He is married to Katharine C. Branscomb, a former CEO of IntelliCorp,
whom he met through mutual friend Steve Jobs.
Biography
David Kelley is the founder of Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, informally
known as the d.school, and the founder of the global design company, IDEO. As Stanford’s Donald
W. Whittier Professor in Mechanical Engineering, he has taught for more than 35 years and directed
the design program at Stanford for most of those years.
In 1978 Professor Kelley founded the design firm that became IDEO and, also that year, began his
teaching career at Stanford, receiving tenure in 1990. He also founded an early-stage venture capital
firm in 1984 called Onset, and was instrumental in starting a special effects firm called Edge
Innovations, which creates unique animatronics for the film industry.
His most enduring contributions are in human-centered design methodology and design thinking. He
is passionate about using design to help unlock creative confidence in everyone from students to
business executives. A frequent speaker on these topics, he and his brother Tom co-authored the New
York Times best-selling book Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All.
In addition to an election to the National Academy of Engineering, Professor Kelley’s work has been
recognized with numerous honors, including the Chrysler Design Award and the National Design
Award in Product Design from the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the
Robert Fletcher Award from Dartmouth, and the Edison Achievement Award for
Innovation. Preparing the design thinkers of tomorrow earned him the Sir Misha Black Medal for his
“distinguished contribution to design education.” And he holds honorary PhDs from the Thayer
School of Engineering at Dartmouth, his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, and Art Center
College ...
After earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Kelley worked as an
engineer at both Boeing and NCR. Drawn to design, he entered Stanford University in 1975, where he earned
his master’s degree in Engineering/Product Design. In 1978, he founded the design firm that would become
IDEO and, in that same year, began his teaching career at Stanford, receiving tenure in 1990. He also founded
an early-stage venture-capital firm in 1984 called Onset, and was instrumental in starting a special effects firm
called Edge Innovations, which creates unique Animatronics for the film industry.
Kelley was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2000. He holds honorary PhD's from both
the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth and Art Center College in Pasadena. He has been recognized
with numerous honors, including the Chrysler Design Award and the National Design Award in Product
Design from the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Robert Fletcher Award from
Dartmouth, and the Edison Achievement Award for Innovation. Preparing the design thinkers of tomorrow
earned him the Sir Misha Black Medal for his “distinguished contribution to design education.” In 2020,
Kelley was awarded the Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology
Education for formalizing the principles and curriculum of design thinking.
Awards
 PRIZE Gordon
 YEAR 2020
 CITATION For formalizing the principles and curriculum of “design thinking” to develop
innovative engineering leaders with empathy and creative confidence to generate high-impact
solutions.
 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education.
Contribution
1984
In 1984, he co-founded Onset Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. He also co-founded Edge
Innovations, the special-effects company responsible for the whales in the Free Willy movies, among
many other film credits. In 1991, Kelley merged DKD with three other design firms (Mike Nuttall's
Matrix Product Design in Palo Alto, ID TWO in San Francisco, and Moggridge Associates in
London, the latter two founded by Bill Moggridge) to create IDEO, which he ran as CEO until 2000.
2000
In 2000, he was honored with a Chrysler Design Award, and was elected to the National Academy of
Engineering for "affecting the practice of design."
2001
In 2001, the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum presented David Kelley and
IDEO with the National Design Award in Product Design.
2005
In 2005, he was recognized for his "distinguished contribution to design education" with the Sir
Misha Black Medal.
2009
In 2009, he was awarded the Edison Achievement Award for his "pioneering contributions to the
design of breakthrough products, services, and experiences for consumers, as well as his
development of an innovative culture that has broad impact."
2012
In 2012, Kelley spoke on building creative confidence at TED 2012. He had earlier spoken at TED
2002 on human-centered design.
2013
In 2013, David and his brother Tom Kelley published Creative Confidence, which a Forbes review
called "an empowering, compelling, relentlessly hopeful and optimistic read."
2019
In 2019, he was conferred an honorary Doctor of Science and Technology by his alma mater,
Carnegie Mellon University.
2020
In 2020, he received the Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology
Education from the National Academy of Engineering “for formalizing the principles and curriculum
of ‘design thinking’ to develop innovative engineering leaders with empathy and creative confidence
to generate high-impact solutions.”

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Founder Of IDEO

Education for formalizing the principles and curriculum of design thinking.

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