Parsons School of Design - The New School

Harvard Business School

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

The New School

Canisius High School

Founder & CEO at Mirra

At Kei, I help teams to ask the right questions, consider the whole context of the problem, and create solutions that improve the system that they occupy. We use research, insights, design, and technology to create new brands, products, and services that people love.

Co-Founder & Orchestrator

Mister Jiu's LLC

Investor

In 2016, I founded Mirra, a SaaS platform aimed at democratizing XR creation. As Founder and CEO, I spearheaded the product vision, led interaction design, and managed a talented team of over 40 professionals dedicated to bringing this vision to life.

Mirra represents a paradigm shift in XR development, enabling anyone to create professional-quality AR and VR experiences without 3D expertise or coding skills. Our web-based editor allows users to drag and drop various media elements - images, audio, video, 360° content, and 3D models - to craft complex, interactive XR experiences easily. These creations are then cloud-hosted and accessible across AR, VR, and desktop platforms.

The impact of Mirra extends beyond its technological innovation. As noted by VR Scout, "What's most exciting about a development tool this easy to use is its potential to attract a whole new market previously intimidated by the complexity of the still-emerging technology." By lowering the barriers to entry, Mirra is paving the way for a new era of spatial computing and XR content creation.

We empowered organizations across various sectors - from education and entertainment to business and cultural institutions - to harness the power of XR technology, turning complex ideas into immersive, interactive realities.

Mirra

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

As Experience Design Chair on the AIGA board, I played a pivotal role in shaping the organization's approach to the rapidly evolving field of experience design. My responsibilities included:

- Advocating for the integration of experience design principles across various design disciplines represented within AIGA.
- Developing and curating educational content and resources to help AIGA members stay at the forefront of experience design practices.
- Organizing and participating in workshops, panels, and conferences focused on emerging trends and best practices in experience design.
- Collaborating with industry leaders to ensure AIGA's initiatives aligned with the current needs and future directions of the experience design field.
- Advising on the implications of technological advancements for the broader design community, particularly in areas like UX/UI, service design, and interactive media.

This position allowed me to leverage my extensive experience in strategic design to influence and guide the larger design community, ensuring that AIGA remained a relevant and valuable resource for designers navigating the complexities of experience design in an increasingly digital world.

AIGA San Francisco

Experience Design Chair

In 2012, I co-founded Matter Design Lab, a groundbreaking partnership between Method and Central Saint Martins, one of the world's leading design schools. This venture was the first product accelerator to take a design-centric, user experience-driven approach to innovation.

Our mission was to bridge the gap between academic creativity and market-ready products. We sourced ideas from Method employees, Central Saint Martins students, and our own staff, creating a diverse innovation ecosystem.

Key features:
- Design-Centric Approach: Focused on launching companies, products, and services with design and user experience at the forefront.
- Flexible Support: Acted as both execution partner and seed investor.
- Rigorous Vetting: Implemented an intensive selection process for ideas.
- Early Engagement: Willingness to work with projects at embryonic stages.

Notable projects included the Cyclops Activity Camera range for children, Inky Kids Sunscreen, Nomad Suitcase, and Amphi Wi-Fi Speaker.

The initiative gained support from industry leaders like Brent Hoberman (Lastminute.com co-founder) and Jane Rapley (head of CSM). As noted by the BBC, Matter Design Lab brought "Silicon Valley savvy into the classroom," addressing the confidence gap in bringing products to market quickly in the UK.

This venture not only produced innovative products but also served as a model for universities to leverage their talent pools more effectively in the face of decreasing government grants. It represented a new paradigm in design education and product development, showcasing the power of combining academic creativity with commercial expertise.

Matter Design Lab

Co-Founder & Chairman

As Co-Founder and President of Form, I established a specialized production and technology development firm that extended Method's design services. Form was strategically conceived to bridge the gap between high-level design concepts and their real-world implementation.

Our core offering focused on efficient web and print production, encompassing:

Digital Production:
   - Website implementation
   - Application development
   - Product demos
   - UI implementation and prototyping
   - Content management systems
   - Database design & optimization
   - Internationalization
   - Technical audits and website optimization

Print Production:
   - Production optimization
   - Print-ready mechanical art
   - Proofing
   - Design extension & layout

Project Management:
   - Requirements definition and project scoping
   - Web-based task tracking systems
   - QA & usability testing

Marketing Support:
   - Online and email marketing
   - SEO consulting

Form's expertise allowed clients to leverage our team for ongoing maintenance, content updates, and the critical task of translating design systems into fully realized products.

Our client roster included industry leaders such as Autodesk, EMC Insignia, McAfee, Reuters, Yahoo, TiVo, and cultural institutions like SFMOMA and the SF Film Festival. This diverse portfolio demonstrated our ability to adapt to various sectors and project requirements.

At its peak, Form employed 15-20 full-time staff, showcasing our capacity to handle significant projects while maintaining agility. The company's success and strategic alignment with Method's services made it an attractive asset. 

When Method was acquired in 2007, Form was spun off into a company called Solution Set, ensuring the continuity of its specialized services.

By establishing a production-focused counterpart to Method's design services, we were able to offer clients a more comprehensive, end-to-end solution for their digital and print needs.

Form

Co-Founder & President

In 1998, I founded Method from my San Francisco apartment, envisioning a design agency that would address customer experiences across multiple touch points. Under my leadership, Method grew into a global studio with over 100 employees across studios in San Francisco, New York, and London, generating more than $35 million in annual recurring revenue.

Method quickly established itself as one of the world's first and most technologically progressive integrated design agencies. We set industry standards for best practices in brand, product, and user experience design, consistently delivering innovative solutions for net-new products and services.

As CEO, I developed and implemented a groundbreaking strategy that seamlessly integrated brand, product, and service design. This approach allowed us to create cohesive, end-to-end experiences for our clients. I personally led our cross-functional teams, overseeing research, strategy, design, and technology to ensure exceptional delivery on complex projects.

Method's impact extended beyond our immediate work. We fostered a culture of innovation and excellence that produced numerous industry leaders. Many of our alumni have gone on to run some of the world's most innovative design and product organizations, further cementing Method's legacy in the design world.

Throughout Method's growth, we maintained our commitment to pushing the boundaries of design and technology, collaborating with some of the world's most renowned companies to create transformative solutions.

Method

At MetaDesign, a renowned international design firm, I played a pivotal role in establishing and expanding the company's digital practice during the early days of the internet boom.

Key Responsibilities and Achievements:

- Digital Practice Development: Transitioned from an initial design role to spearheading the creation and growth of MetaDesign's digital services offering.
- Product Strategy: Led strategic planning for digital products, helping clients navigate the emerging online landscape and identify opportunities for innovation.
- Interaction Design: Pioneered user-centric design approaches for web and software interfaces, setting new standards for digital user experiences.
- Business Development: Cultivated new client relationships and expanded existing ones, significantly contributing to the growth of MetaDesign's digital portfolio.
- Team Leadership: Assembled and mentored a team of designers and strategists, fostering a culture of creativity and technical excellence.
- Client Collaboration: Worked closely with high-profile clients to translate their brand identities and business objectives into effective digital solutions.

This role was instrumental in my career development, providing a foundation in digital strategy and design leadership that would inform my future entrepreneurial ventures.

MetaDesign

Director

As the fourth employee and initially the sole designer at Organic, I played a pivotal role in shaping the visual language of the early web during a transformative period in digital history.

Key Responsibilities and Achievements:
- Pioneering Web Design: Developed innovative design solutions within the constraints of early web technologies, including Netscape Navigator 1.0.
- Visual Language Creation: Established design patterns and best practices for web interfaces when industry standards were non-existent.
- Technical Innovation: Employed creative workarounds like spacer GIFs and embraced the limitations of early HTML to create visually appealing layouts.
- Client Education: Introduced clients to the potential of the World Wide Web, helping them understand how to leverage this new medium for their businesses.
- Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Worked closely with developers and strategists to push the boundaries of what was possible in web design and functionality.
- Rapid Skill Adaptation: Continuously evolved design techniques to keep pace with rapidly changing web technologies and user expectations.
- Brand Translation: Helped established brands adapt their visual identities for the digital space, bridging traditional design with new media.

This role at Organic provided a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of the digital revolution, laying the groundwork for my future career in digital strategy and design leadership.

Kevin Farnham