CHRISTOPHER SIMMONS

Bio
Named “one of the most influential designers working today” by Graphic Design USA, Christopher's work has been exhibited at institutions ranging from the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art to the International Design Biennial in Brno to the Smithsonian Institution. His commissioned work includes projects for the San Francisco Arts Commission and Obama for America, as well as various corporate commissions.

As principal/creative director of the San Francisco design office, MINE™, Christopher spends much of his time designing and directing brand and communication design projects for clients ranging from SFMOMA to Alice Waters and the Edible Schoolyard Project, to the pioneering cannabis confectioners Kiva Confections, to corporate clients such as Facebook and Microsoft, among others. Realizing that his commercial work relies heavily on the presentation and contextualization of the written word, he has increasingly turned to text-based art as means of cultural investigation. 

Christopher is a former adjunct professor at the California College of the arts, where he continues to sit on the senior thesis committee. He is the author of four books and writes the hamburger/design blog The Message is Medium Rare. From 2004–2006 he served as President of the San Francisco Chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design and was the founder of San Francisco Design Week—prompting then mayor Gavin Newsom to issue an official proclamation declaring San Francisco to be a city where “Design Makes a Difference.” He recently completed a three year term on AIGA’s national board.

Education
California College of the Arts (CCA).

Exhibitions & Collections
2017 Text Me, Museum of Design Atlanta
2017 No Borders, Brooklyn Navy Yard
2014 AIGA 25th Anniversary Exhibition, AIA Galleries
2013 Cause/Affect (AIGA San Francisco)
2013 La Boutique, San Francisco
2012 Shelter x Survival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Hirosima, Japan
2012 International Design Biennial, Brno
2011 Just Design, California College of the Arts
2010 Taipei Design Week
2009 San Francisco Graphic Design, Museum of Craft & Design, San Francisco
2009 National Design Gallery, NYC
2009 San Francisco Arts Commission
2009 Criteria, A+D Gallery, Chicago
2008, 2010 California Design Biennial, Pasadena Museum of California Art
2008 Mohawk Show  
2007 Denver Art Museum
2004 Four Walls (AIGA San Francisco) 
2004 Grown in California (AIGA SF, LA, SD) 
2003 The West Coast Show
2002 National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Board Involvement
Editorial Board, Design Observer (2017–Current)
AIGA National Board (2014-2017)
AIGA San Francisco Board (President, 2004–2006)

Teaching History
Lecturer, CCA (2001–2009)
Adjunct Professor, CCA (2009-2014)
Instructor, Academy of Art University, Graphic Design (2001-2004)

Selected Speaking Engagements
AIGA National Design Conference
HOW Design Conference, Boston
Art Directors Club, Washington DC
Sacramento Art Directors and Artists Club
Sacramento State University
San Jose State University
UC Santa Cruz
Western Art Directors Club
Brand New Conference
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Y Conference, San Diego
Museum of Craft and Design
Inspire, Vancouver, Canada
Design Thinkers, Toronto
Re:Design Conference, New York
Compostmodern, San Francisco
Cusp Conference, Chicago
AIGA Cincinnati
AIGA Honolulu
Dallas Society of Visual Communicators
Academy of Art University
Portfolio Center, Atlanta

Notable Interviews
CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, NPR, New York Times, 99% Invisible, Design Matters

Other Features
Applied Arts Magazine, BrandNew, Communication Arts, Coupe Magazine, Craft Magazine, Create Magazine, CTV, Designer ID, DesignBoom, Dwell.com, Dynamic Graphics, FastCompany, Gizmodo, GD USA, Grain Edit, HOW Magazine, Kern, Logolounge, Print Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, STEP Magazine, Unbeige.