Biography
Kevin Henry is an associate professor of design and a visiting professor in the Fashion Studies program where he teaches in the product development track. He is a product and interaction designer and author. The second edition of his book Drawing for Product Designers should be released in 2019 and his lynda.com course Sketching for Product Design was released in 2015. Kevin is the recipient of numerous design awards including an IDEA from the Industrial Design Society of America, and a Good Design Award. He is currently working on a series of interactive books designed for the iPad for the learning company The Fourth Teacher L.L.C. which he set up in 2017. He has an MFA in industrial design from the University of Illinois @ Chicago and an MFA in time-based media from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas focused on painting, printmaking, and sculpture.
Instructional Areas
I teach a range of design and foundation courses including furniture construction, portfolio design, ideation sketching, and a variety of skills-based foundation courses generally focused on software (Adobe Creative Cloud). In the Fashion Studies program I will be teaching Fashion Design Studio II which focuses on a range of digital design tools and their integration into creative practice.
Creative Practice and Research Interests
My research interests vary broadly. I am a hands-on practicing designer with a love for exploring problems and opportunities directly through the materials and processes connected to product development. I am also a writer and researcher with an big interest in visual thinking, design cognition, and design for learning. I am currently very focused on designing 'learning experiences' that involve interaction design, media, writing, and illustration.
Degrees
B.F.A., Fine Arts-Sculpture University of Kansas 1981
M.F.A., Studio School of The Art Institute of Chicago 1985
M.F.A., Industrial Design University of Illinois-Chicago 1999