KEN NAH

World Design Organization (WDO) Board of Directors

Red Dot Design Award Jury Member

Chairman, Design & Brand Committee of the Korea Consulting Association (KCA)

Professor, Hongik IDAS (Design Management)

ABOUT

KEN NAH is a designer and practitioner whose philosophy is grounded in empathy and a deep understanding of humans’ contexts and emotions. He carefully crafts user experiences and emotional flows, and realizes them as safe, dignified environments through rigorous ergonomic validation. By combining engineering thinking with creative insight, he develops actionable innovations that scale into organizational, urban, and policy-level strategies, yielding tangible impact. Alongside teaching at IDAS, Hongik University, and Dongseo University, he has served as Chief Designer for the City of Busan, General Director of the 2023 Gwangju Design Biennale, General Director of WDC Seoul, and a board member of the World Design Organization (WDO), working to advance design’s social impact and sustainable value. Through a wide range of activities—public-policy advising, exhibition curation, and regional collaboration—he stresses that design goes beyond problem-solving to generate deep insights and drive long-term change and sustained value.

EXPERIENCE

Endowed Chair Professor, Dongseo University (2024–Present)

•Appointed as an endowed/chair professor in the College of Design; engaged in industry-university collaboration, regional design programs, and public outreach.

Board Member, World Design Organization (WDO)  (2023-Present)

•Elected to the WDO Board to participate in international design governance and global design network activities.

Chief Designer, City of Busan (2023–Present)

•Provided strategic design leadership and policy advice for urban design, branding, and public space initiatives as the city’s chief design advisor.

General Director, Gwangju Design Biennale (2023)

•Responsible for overall curatorial vision, exhibition planning, and program leadership for the 2023 Biennale.

Non-executive Director, Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP)  (2019-2021)

•Served on the board, providing policy advice and oversight on national design promotion activities.

Professor, Design Management, International Design School for Advanced Studies (IDAS), Hongik University  (2000-2024)

•Faculty member in Design Management; teaching and research in design strategy and trend research; served as Director of the International Design Trend Center (IDTC)

General Director, World Design Capital (WDC) Seoul 2010 (2009-2010)

•Led the planning and execution of WDC Seoul programs as General Director

Awarded Geunjeong Pohjang (National Service Commendation), Korea Design Awards (21st) (2019)

QUOTE

“Designers can (and should) collaborate across disciplines — with executives, engineers, scientists, and artists.”

“Korean designers should broaden their perspective and consider both positive and negative (or less commercial) aspects.”

“In design we should, like engineers, build our ‘pie’ together—fostering a culture of collaboration that advances the whole industry.” 

PHILOSOPHY