Kara Johnson
Kara is a material scientist — almost. For the past decade, she has worked for IDEO in a multidisciplinary capacity, encouraging designers and clients to think differently about products. In doing so, Kara has evolved from material scientist to devotee of materials, quite literally anything that’s made of something. Her obsession has inspired the design of cameras, kitchen appliances, chairs, software packaging, printers, blue jeans, credit cards, beer bottles, and cars. Her next goal is to write children’s books in which each character is composed of a different material and reflects its properties: Sandy is made of glass, Stretch is a rubber band, etc. Kara holds a Ph.D. in materials engineering from the University of Cambridge. Before earning her doctoral degree, she worked at Arthur D. Little in the technology and product development group.
Topics Kara speaks on:
- Branded Experiences
- Consumer Experience Design
- Manufacturing
- Materials
Speaking engagements:
October 2003, Material Vision 2003, keynote
Published works:
2009, I Miss My Pencil, Chronicle Books
2002, Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design, Butterworth-Heinemann