Ken Krayer

Ken Krayer is the Executive Director of Design West Michigan. As a unique extension of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, Design West Michigan acts as an on-going catalyst for the region’s design network, bringing in key design thinkers for public presentations and demonstrating the value of design through case studies, business and design interactions. Ken comes from a rich background of design and design management as well as art and design education. In addition to his position at Design West Michigan, he is also a faculty member at Kendall College of Art and Design in the Collaborative Design, Industrial Design and MA in Design programs. He consults in the area of product design and strategy. He serves on the board of directors for Creative Many. Creative Many is a statewide organization that develops creative people, creative places and the creative economy for a competitive Michigan through research, advocacy, professional practice and communications.

He has held positions as Chair of the Product Design Program at College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Director of Design for Haworth in Holland, Michigan, Director of Design for Details, a division of Steelcase in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was an exhibit designer for A + O Studio in San Francisco, California, and design intern at Studio Dumbar in Den Haag, Netherlands.

Ken received his masters degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Design, and his BS in Art Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Industrial Design Society of America, the Design Management Institute, Design West Michigan and is the founder of the Society for Experimental Form. His work is held in the permanent collections of The Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Erie Art Museum, and several private collections.

www.kenkrayer.com

http://www.designwestmichigan.com/