The Kids Think Design Collaborative

The Kids Design Collaborative consists of three areas of study:  

1. DESIGN DOSSIERS®, a series of books on design for kids 9+ developed in conjunction with Paintbox Press

2. KIDSTHINKDESIGN.ORG, a website that promotes design thinking and provides a showcase for kids' original projects

3. KIDS DESIGN LAB, a school and museum initiative to connect kids with creative professionals

I had the chance to take a look at KidsThinkDesign and was impressed at how kids in grades 5-9 will enjoy navigating the site. I chose book design, and was then brought to a page where there was a biography about a book designer, with these sub tabs at the top: book arts, meet a designer, think like a designer and design a project. Students can learn about printing, design, (lots of online tools) and how designers see the world.

Book Cover Designer Chip Kidd Talks About His Work

Do your students judge a book by its cover? Do you? Book designer Chip Kidd's TED presentation is very funny and if you are a page-sniffer (that new book smell..) you'll really enjoy this talk. If you would like to see a sampling of Chip's artwork, TIME did a spread on The Book Jacket Art of Chip Kidd here.

“Much is to be gained by eBooks: ease, convenience, portability. But something is definitely lost: tradition, a sensual experience, the comfort of thingy-ness — a little bit of humanity"  -Chip Kidd