President, Rhode Island School of Design

World-renowned artist, graphic designer, computer scientist and now RISD president whose career reflects his philosophy of humanizing technology. For more than a decade, he has worked to integrate technology, education and the arts into a 21st-century synthesis of creativity and innovation. In September, 2008 he was inaugurated as the Rhode Island School of Design's 16th president. He was also named one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century by Esquire magazine. In 2001 he earned the National Design Award in the US; in 2002, the Mainichi Design Prize in Japan; and in 2005, the Raymond Loewy Foundation Prize in Germany. His book, The Laws of Simplicity, proposes ten laws for simplifying complex systems in business and life.