Where
200 Kansas Street
San Francisco, CA 94101
When
November 14, 2023
5:15 pm – 7:30 pm
September 1, 2023 • Posted by Design Bay Area
Join us Tuesday, November 14th, 5:30pm at Design Within Reach to celebrate Clement Mok, the recipient of the 2023 Cooper Hewitt Design Award. Mingle with old friends and make new ones during the social hour and a not to be missed fireside chat between Clement and Shoshana Berger from IDEO. Ticket revenue benefits Design Bay Area and San Francisco Design Week.
SCHEDULE:
5:30pm: Wine and Small Bites/Socializing
6:30pm: Fireside Chat
7:00pm: Wine and Socializing
7:30pm: Event Ends
Special thanks to IDEO, Shoshana Berger , Design Within Reach San Francisco and Vinography.
About Clement Mok
(San Francisco, Calif., August 16, 2023)––Design Bay Area Co-Founder, and visionary designer Clement Mok has been selected to receive the prestigious 2023 National Design Award for Digital Design. Presented by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the National Design Award honors design innovation and national recognition of impact in design, and enrichment of daily life. The Digital Design award is given to an individual or firm for the innovative design of digital products, environments, systems, experiences and services.
One of the early pioneers of digital design, San Francisco-based Clement Mok is a visionary
entrepreneur and designer, whose eclectic career roles span from designer, digital innovator,
software publisher and developer, author, design patent holder, to restauranteur and serial
start-up entrepreneur. An early innovator in designing in digital media, Mok helped shape what
people know of today as experience design, information design, interaction design, interface
design and more.
In the early 80s he joined Apple, where he worked directly with Steve Jobs on the Macintosh
design team. As creative director at Apple, he made computers friendlier and more accessible
by designing all aspects of the Mac experience, including the original packaging design of the
original Macintosh launch materials MacPaint and MacWrite, manuals, as well as all Macintosh
as well as Apple corporate marketing campaigns. Since then, he founded multiple successful
design-related businesses, including Studio Archetype, CMCD and NetObjects.
His first step from his role as designer to entrepreneur came early in his career when he sold
Studio Archetype to management consulting company Sapient. He subsequently became a
successful entrepreneur in a space where very few designers were working in, or understood it.
His subsequent start-up companies were founded on a premise based on lessons he’d learned
while at Apple: being the first player out there doing the first thing, you get to set the bar.
He is currently founding partner of SUGARFISH, where he has applied his past career
experiences now changing how Americans think about traditional sushi. Partnering with
legendary sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa, he has taken its brand attribute (the chef dictates what
you order), and has repackaged it in a user-friendly version starting with the highest quality fish, presented in chic restaurant interiors designed by AD100 ? designers, and artful take out
packaging.
“We’re extremely proud of our organization’s co-founder Clement Mok receiving the coveted Cooper Hewitt 2023 National Design Award,” says Design Bay Area Co-Founder,
Dawn Zidonis.
“His extraordinary career demonstrates how he has built, from one venture to another, these successful entrepreneurial, creative endeavors. His legacy has redefined the way we interact with technology and has set new standards for innovation in the digital realm. As the recipient of the Cooper Hewitt 2023 National Design Award in Digital Design, Mok’s legacy is celebrated for its profound impact and transformative influence, touching the daily lives of billions of people.”
“I’m deeply honored to be acknowledged for my work in the digital space. As designers, we
have the unique privilege and responsibility to share the future through thoughtful and
impactful experiences,” says Clement Mok, co-founder, Design Bay Area; and president, AIGA
San Francisco. “Let us continue to push the boundaries of innovation, as we navigate the ever-
evolving landscape of digital design. I owe it to the Bay Area design community for giving me
the space and inspiration to innovate.”
In the spirit of innovation reminiscent of pioneers before him, Mok’s work exemplifies the
forward-thinking principles of design that have become synonymous with the Cooper Hewitt
National Design Awards. Mok’s commitment to marrying form and function in the digital sphere
is emblematic of the award’s essence, which seeks to celebrate designs that not only push
boundaries but also redefine entire industries.
Clement Mok’s transformative journey in digital design echoes the ethos of innovation and
creativity upheld by the Cooper Hewitt Awards. His trailblazing work has left an indelible mark
on the world of digital design, inspiring both current and future designers to harness the power
of technology to create meaningful and impactful experiences.
As the recipient of the Cooper Hewitt 2023 National Design Award, Mok’s legacy is solidified
amongst the ranks of esteemed designers who have profoundly impacted the way we engage
with the digital world. This recognition underscores his role as a thought leader in the realm of
digital design.
Award recipients in ten categories are selected by a multidisciplinary jury of practitioners,
educators and leaders from a wide range of design fields. Nominations are open to all and are
also solicited from experts from a wide range of design and related fields. The 2023 National
Design Awards jury was chaired by Dung Ngo, editor-in-chief, August Journal. The winners were
honored at an Awards celebration Thursday, Oct. 5 at Cooper Hewitt.
About Shoshana Berger
As global head of content at IDEO, Shoshana Berger has worked on design projects ranging from the end of life to modern Judaism to school lunch. She was a senior editor at WIRED, and has written for the New York Times, Fast Company, TIME, and Quartz. Shoshana co-founded the design magazine, ReadyMade, later turning it into a book, Ready Made: How to Make (Almost) Everything. She is also the coauthor, with Dr. BJ Miller, of A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death. She speaks frequently about design on podcasts and at events around the world, including Creative Mornings, Slush, and Techfestival. In 2018, she moved to Denmark for a year to work with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and learn why everyone is so happy up in the Nordics. She lives in Berkeley with her husband and above-average children.
About Design Bay Area
Design Bay Area is a platform dedicated to promoting design and amplifying the voices of the
California design community, and those in adjacent fields, to create economic opportunities by
fostering the local and international community. Design Bay Area was founded in 2021 by Alana
Washington, Clement Mok and Dawn Zidonis in memory of August de los Reyes who believed in
community and inclusivity. Design Bay Area produces events throughout the year, offers
resources and opportunities for the local and international design community and produces San
Francisco Design Week, an annual design festival that spans the Bay Area.
About Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Cooper Hewitt is America’s design museum. The National Design Awards was established in
2000 as a project of the White House Millennium Council. Inclusive, innovative and
experimental, the museum’s dynamic exhibitions, education programs, master’s program,
publications and online resources inspire, educate and empower people through design. An
integral part of the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum, education and
research complex—Cooper Hewitt is located on New York City’s Museum Mile in the
landmarked Carnegie Mansion. Steward of one of the world’s most diverse and comprehensive
design collections—over 215,000 objects that range from an ancient Egyptian faience cup
dating to about 1100 BC to contemporary 3D-printed objects and digital code—Cooper Hewitt
welcomes everyone to discover the importance of design and its power to change the world.