“Kevin Bethune’s Reimagining Design is the read we need right now” - Core77
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Simplicity
Design, Technology, Business, Life
The power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity: lessons from a Black professional's journey through corporate America.
Design offers so much more than an aesthetically pleasing logo or banner, a beautification add-on after the heavy lifting. In Reimagining Design, Kevin Bethune shows how design provides a unique angle on problem-solving—how it can be leveraged strategically to cultivate innovation and anchor multidisciplinary teamwork. As he does so, he describes his journey as a Black professional through corporate America, revealing the power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity. Bethune, who began as an engineer at Westinghouse, moved on to Nike (where he designed Air Jordans), and now works as a sought-after consultant on design and innovation, shows how design can transform both individual lives and organizations.
In Bethune's account, diversity, equity, and inclusion emerge as a recurring theme. He shows how, as we leverage design for innovation, we also need to consider the broader ecological implications of our decisions and acknowledge the threads of systemic injustice in order to realize positive change. His book is for anyone who has felt like the “other”—and also for allies who want to encourage anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-ageist behaviors in the workplace. Design transformation takes leadership—leaders who do not act as gatekeepers but, with agility and nimbleness, build teams that mirror the marketplace.
Design in harmony with other disciplines can be incredibly powerful; multidisciplinary team collaboration is the foundation of future innovation. With insight and compassion, Bethune provides a framework for bringing this about.
Impromptu Drive with Dr. John Maeda & Kevin Bethune - Reimagining Design
Kevin and Philip McKenzie had an intimate conversation about the book.
Eli Woolery & Aarron Walter speak with Kevin for the Design Better podcast.
Upcoming Events
Event photos: Roshon Bonner
Kevin’s book was gifted to The Parmigiano Reggiano Design Challenge 2022 judges
Oakland, CA book release party sponsored by Pave. Photo: Gordon Ching
Recap of the official launch week (March 15, 2022) for Reimagining Design
Signing books at Eso Won Books in historic Liemert Park Village
Reimagining Design is available in audio book format - via Audible, Audiobooks, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Google and Kobo
Reimagining Design - NYC Launch Event hosted by Gary Hustwit
Kevin attended the inaugural Fortt Knox dinner at NASDAQ Global HQ
Interested in planning a book event & signing with Kevin Bethune? Please tell us via the contact form at the bottom of this page.
LinkedIn BBD presents: Reimagining Design with Kevin Bethune - Aug. 18, 1PM PST
Upcoming events in early 2024:
NRECA / NEXT Conference - Palm Springs, CA 1/29
Reimagining Design soft-copy release - 2/6
Please keep checking back for future events!
Endorsements
“Kevin Bethune is a master of his craft, and Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation synthesizes his decades of professional and personal experiences into an informative and timely book that BIPOC creatives should study to shape the world through design.”
— Maurice Cherry, founder and host of Revision Path
“An innovative and deeply personal book that is chock-full of insight and actionable content. Bethune’s emphasis on ‘strategic’ design thinking, combined with his ability to balance his corporate and engineering knowledge with design, will unlock value for many readers, from new grads to the C-suite.”
— Annie Jean-Baptiste, author, Building for Everyone and founder, Equity Army
“With vulnerability, clarity, and actionable insights, Kevin Bethune answers important questions for increasing diversity and inclusion in design: What does it mean to be a Black man succeeding in design? What can you learn from him to help others succeed?”
— Dori Tunstall, Dean of Design, OCAD University
“Nuclear engineer, sneaker designer, professional disrupter, and lots more ... to say that Kevin Bethune has had a radically varied career path would be an understatement. Driven by optimism, curiosity and a passion for blurring boundaries, Kevin is a role model for the next generation of design pioneers. This book is required reading for anyone hoping to envision a new future for design.”
— Gary Hustwit, filmmaker, Helvetica, Objectified, Rams
“Kevin G. Bethune, founder of the aptly named dreams • design + life, is author one of the most compelling and engaging, inspirational and aspirational volumes of these fluid times. "Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation" (part of the Simplicity, Design, Technology, Business, Life series edited by John Maeda for MIT Press) is a guide to the future(s) of design. It is built on the foundation of a professional memoir and soars from there. I found much to learn from Bethune, indeed too much for this brief post. So, instead of summarizing the book, I asked Bethune to discuss some hot-button concerns.”
— Steven Heller, PRINT Magazine
22 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2022.
— Next Big Idea Club
12 design and architecture books to get excited about in 2022. (Elissaveta M. Brandon, December 31, 2021)
— Fast Company
The MIT Press - “Our Best-sellers of 2022”
Kevin G. Bethune
Kevin Bethune is the Founder & Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a "think tank" that delivers design & innovation services using a human-centered approach. Kevin's background spans engineering, business and design in equal proportion over his 25+ year career, positioning him to help brands deliver meaningful innovations to enrich people's lives.
His work represents creative problem-solving that brings multidisciplinary teams together to see the future through an open aperture, and a deep industrial design approach to inform and influence desirable, feasible and business-viable design outcomes.
Kevin began his career as a mechanical engineer in the nuclear power industry. This chapter gave him deep product experience working with high performing teams across 14 nuclear reactor upgrade campaigns. After his MBA, Kevin joined Nike, Inc. in a business capacity, but quickly navigated to the Global Footwear product engine to drive advanced digital product creation capabilities, discovering the world of design in the process. After solidifying his creative foundation through further studies at ArtCenter College of Design, Kevin co-founded distinct design & innovation capabilities at two Tier 1 management consulting firms in Booz & Co. and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As Vice President of Strategic Design at BCG Digital Ventures, he led a large cohort of designers that would influence and shape every corporate venture spun out from the incubator. Kevin left BCG Digital Ventures to carve his own path under the banner of dreams • design + life, focusing on unlocking human potential through strategic design, industrial design and the building of new ecologies.
Kevin also serves as a Board Trustee for ArtCenter College of Design and the Board Chair for the Design Management Institute (DMI).
Kevin Bethune, author of Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation
2021 Fortt Knox Conversation with Jon Fortt
2020 In Your Shoes Podcast with Mauro Porcini
2020 CX Report - LinkedIn Livestream with Dr. John Maeda
2017 TED@BCG - The 4 Superpowers of Design
Contact:
Media, PR, book event & bulk order inquiries
Inquiries for speaking engagements for Kevin Bethune are handled by his speaker’s bureau, BrightSight Speakers. Please contact: Tom@brightsightspeakers.com