Available NOW in all formats ...

Available NOW in all formats ...

Reimagining Design

Pub date: March 15, 2022 | Publisher: The MIT Press

Unlocking Strategic Innovation

With notable acclaim, Kevin Bethune eloquently tells a story about how design changed his life, and how he’s watched it transform organizations for the better.

Available NOW in hardcover, paperback, e-book and audio book:

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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, Eno

  • 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

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.

Gratifying impact.

Reimagining Design is still finding its way to new audiences all over the world. Enterprises, startups, institutions and professional communities have invested in the book for their teams and leadership. Special thanks to everyone who’s advocated to expand the readership of this book.