Kuan Cheng-Neng, born in 1954, earned a Master’s degree in Industrial Design (MID) from the Pratt Institute in New York.
Prof. Kuan is currently a full professor and the vice president of Shih-Chien University, Taipei, Taiwan. With the aim of developing a more advanced design curriculum in Taiwan, he founded the Department of Industrial Design, the first of its kind, at Shih-Chien University in 1992 with special emphasis on innovative design curriculum and approaches in Taiwan; he served as department chair until 1999. Moreover, Professor Kuan founded the School of Design (including 4 departments: industrial design, architecture, fashion and communications) in 1997 and had served as the dean from 1997 to 2004 and as the founding director of the Graduate Institute of Industrial Design (Master of Arts in Design) from 1998 to 2007. Professor Kuan had also held the position of 16th chairman of the Board of China Industrial Designers Association (CIDA), Taiwan. In 2007, the School of Design was listed as the Top 60 the Best Design School in the World by ‘Businessweek’ USA; in 2009, the Master program was awarded as the Top 30 World’s Best Design Programs by ‘Businessweek’ USA.
Prof. Kuan’s fields of expertise include design strategy and management, design theory, and design creation. Having published various books on design and over 180 research papers and design articles, he is an active member of design juries homeland and international as well as a consultant to major enterprises on product development and design strategy.
