Don’t get me wrong—Gehry’s buildings dazzle, the Eames’ chairs still turn heads, and Diane von Furstenberg’s wrap dress will forever be iconic. But what about the people who design the moments that make us feel alive?
Architects build walls. Experience designers know when to melt them.
Interior designers pick fabrics. Experience designers weave laughter, ritual, and awe into the air.
Fashion designers dress the body. Experience designers? They dress the soul.
When I Googled “world’s best experience designers,” seven of the top ten results were companies like IDEO, and the people listed were strangers. That’s a problem. Because the art of shaping experiences—those connective, transformative, and often invisible threads—is one of the most vital design forms of our time.
At MEA, I’m lucky to collaborate with two of the finest. My cofounder Christine Sperber has this uncanny ability to choreograph a workshop so it feels like a dance between provocation and grace. And Kari Cardinale, our Chief Content Officer, is pioneering digital intimacy, making online gatherings feel less like Zoom fatigue and more like a campfire you never want to leave.
A chair might cradle you for an evening. A well-designed experience can cradle your soul for a lifetime.
The 21st century belongs to Experience Designers. It’s time we start celebrating them as loudly as we do the architects and fashion icons—because they’re shaping the real architecture of our lives.
-Chip