Charles L. Owen was Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Design where he conducted research and taught until 2010 in the MDes, MDM, and PhD Design graduate programs.
He joined the IIT faculty in 1965 following studies for degrees in chemistry and product design, additional studies in city planning and computer science, and four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Then he worked in the fields of product design, design planning, computer-supported design, design methodology and design theory—directing the product design program for 20 years, founding and directing the Design Processes Laboratory for 14 years, publishing the Design Processes Newsletter for 10 years, and teaching, conducting research and consulting (in the last 20 years with the U.S. Air Force, Doblin, Steelcase, Kohler Company, Protohaus DTB, and the New Zealand government). He has acted as advisor to several universities in the U.S. and abroad and served on the advisory boards of the journals: Visible Language (U.S.), Design Recherche (France), Design Studies (U.K.), ARCOS (Brazil), Asia Design Journal (Korea), Journal of Design Excellence (Malaysia), Journal of Design Research, and the Wiley International Book Series on Design.
Professor Owen has written a number of computer programs for business and institutional applications, has published widely (over 150 papers, articles, book chapters and books), has served on international juries, and has been an invited lecturer at over 200 institutions in the US and abroad. Among the many awards his students have won are two Grand Prizes in the Japan Design Foundation’s International Design Competition, the Grand Prize in Sony Corporation’s International Design Vision Competition, and the 1991 Grand Award in the Environmental Technology category of Popular Science’s “The Year’s 100 Greatest Achievements in Science and Technology.” In 1990 he was the recipient of the American Center for Design’s Education Award for his contributions to design history, theory, and practice. In 1995 he was honored at IIT with recognition as Distinguished Professor of Design. In 1997 he was elected Honorary Member of the Japanese Society for the Science of Design, the first in its 44-year history. In 1999 the Institute of Design honored his work by establishing an endowed chair for design research in his name, and he was named one of 36 “IIT People of the Millennium” for his contributions. In 2007 he was named Honorary Fellow by the International Design Research Society.
He is an international consultant to industry, institutions, and government on concept development and structured planning. His latest book, Structured Planning: Advanced Planning for Business, Institutions and Government, was published in 2007.
Awards and media mentions: Owen_awards
Related Projects:
Future Living
Related Courses:
Structured Planning Workshop
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Design Methods Model
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The Power of Abstraction
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Passing the Torch
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Awards and Competitions: What They Can Do and How They Can Do It
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Managing Complexity in Design: The Role of Interactive Computer-Supported Methods
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Chicago Bauhaus: Past, Present, and Future
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Evolutionary Structured Planning: A Computer-Supported Methodology for the Conceptual Planning Process
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Future Living: Blending Human Aspirations with Environmental Realities—Questions and Answers
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Goals and Definition
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Another Look at Quality
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Bottom-up, Top-down
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Capturing Ideas
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Context for Creativity
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Covering User Needs
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A Critical Role for Design Technology
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Design, Advanced Planning, and Product Development
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Design Education and Research for the 21st Century
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Design Research: Building the Knowledge Base
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Design Thinking: Driving Innovation
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Design Thinking: Notes on Its Nature and Use
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Design Thinking: What It Is, Why It Is Different, Where It Has New Value
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Education for Design, Design for Education
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Evaluation of Complex Systems
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First Things First
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Insight and Ideas
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International Design Institutes
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Organizing for Innovation
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Product Integrity by Design
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Reflections on Design: Process for Change
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Reforming the Development Process
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Responsible Design. Achieving Living Excellence: Implications, Warnings and a Call to Action
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Shaping Complex Ideas
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Societal Responsibilities: Growing the Role of Design
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Structured Planning: Advanced Planning for Business, Institutions and Government
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Structured Planning: Access To Justice
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The Systems Viewpoint
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Using the Tools of Structure
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The Value of Relationships
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What Is Design? Some Questions and Answers
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Design For The Hypernanotech Age, KEER2012 Keynote
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Aquatecture: Crossroads in the Sea pdf
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Aquatecture: Floating Fields pdf
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Aquatecture: Mobile Offshore Industry pdf
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Aquatecture: Patterned Energy pdf
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Future Living Report
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Future Living System Map
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Project Phoenix: Floating wetlands
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Project Phoenix: Moon Base
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Project Phoenix: Solar Power Satellite
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Project Phoenix: Rectenna
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Aquatecture: Patterned Energy
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Aquatecture: Mobile Offshore Industry
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Aquatecture: Floating Fields
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Aquatecture: Crossroads in the Sea
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Nanoplastics pdf
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Nanoplastics: AquaRoom
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Nanoplastics: ExploreRoom
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Nanoplastics: Food preparation space
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Nanoplastics: GeoPlane
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Nanoplastics: PADScreens
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Nanoplastics: Sculptor
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Aerotecture: Aerial visual presentations
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Aerotecture: Engines
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Aerotecture: Suttle pod delivery
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Aerotecture: Pod temperature recording
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Aerotecture pdf
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Aerotecture: AeroCarrier over Chicago
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Access to Justice: Systems Diagram
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Access to Justice report
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Project Infusion: report
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Project Infusion: Presentation
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Project Infusion: System outline
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HealthNet: Applications Report
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HealthNet: Systems diagram
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Design Thinking: EPDS Report
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Design Thinking: EPDS Appendices
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Design Thinking: EPDS Presentation
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 2 HC Infrastructure Report
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 2 HC Infrastructure Appendices
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 2 HC Infrastructure System elements
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 2 HC Infrastructure Rollout
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 2 HC Infrastructure Smart Meter
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 3 Responsive Transport Appendices
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 3 Responsive Transport Vertically Layered Thruways
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 3 Responsive Transport Rollout
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 4 Featured Environment Rollout
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Chicago Vision of the Future: 3 Responsive Transport Report
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