ABOUT

Ken has been connected to design education for almost the entirety of his career. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sunshine Coast and has lectured and run short courses at leading universities in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, South Africa, the United States and Mexico.

A regular speaker at design conferences in Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Uruguay, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Russia and Tehran.

Ken has also been a speaker at many business conferences advocating the use of design, the benefits of design and how design strategy impacts business
performance. Countries include Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Dubai, Argentina, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain and Russia.

“‘If we were to list the world’s ten most important, highest-impact business designers
– wellsprings of excellence, change agents, true industry leaders – Ken Cato must be
on our list, and pretty high on it too. (If that is a surprise to some of my American
colleagues, our insularity is to blame; while we have been largely preoccupied with
our domestic market, Ken and his partners have quietly salted Asia, the mid-east,
Europe and Latin America with beautifully designed corporate and brand identity
solutions.)“

Tony Spaeth (USA), independent corporate identity commentator
(from the foreword for ‘Recognise Me’, a book showcasing the
corporate and brand identity work of Cato Brand Partners)

During his career Ken Cato has been the;

• Director of Education of Alliance Graphique
  Internationale
• a member of the American Institute of Graphic Art, Icograda, Type
  Directors Club New York, Australian Type Directors Club, Australian Writers and Art Directors Association, Adelaide Type Directors Club, Industrial Design Council of Australia, The Australian Academy of Design, and the Young Presidents’ Organisation.
• an Honorary Fellow and Member of the Hall of Fame of the Design Institute of Australia
• an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute
• a Board Member of the Australian Centre for American Studies and The Museum of Modern Art at Heide
• and is the only international honorary member of the Russian Academy of Graphic Design.

A design career connected to education

In 1990, Ken started an annual design conference in Melbourne and established a foundation, with goals to promote design.

The four-day event regularly attracted 11,000 people and is widely regarded as the world’s best design conference. The event has featured 660 international designers, has provided 56 international travelling scholarships and has regularly scheduled major design exhibitions across all areas of the profession.

This carefully targeted event addressed the key needs and interests of specific audiences.

• The agIdeas Design Forum – 3 day design conference
• Business Advantage – breakfast seminar presenting the business case for design
• Design for Business – research conference and publication
• Design Futures – secondary school careers forum and expo
• Design Seeds – primary school design thinking workshop
A design career connected to education

 To secure Ken Cato for your next event, Contact Us today.