Kelly Costello
Co-Founder of Panorama Innovation
Connect
Kelly Costello is a design coach and educator specializing in innovation, as well as a serial entrepreneur who has founded businesses in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She has been an Adjunct Faculty member of the Institute of Design (ID) since 1997, teaching design theory, methods, and practices. In addition to teaching at ID, Kelly is an Adjunct Faculty member of the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University (2017 to present) and teaches executives in the Certificate in Innovation and Design Thinking program in Monterrey and Mexico City, Mexico (2016 to present). She also has taught and currently mentors students in the CAP-X internship program of the School of the Art Institute in Chicago (2014 to present).
Kelly received a bachelor of fine arts degree with a double major in visual communication and cultural anthropology from the University of Memphis, and a master’s of design with a concentration in research methods, design processes, narrative media, and new technologies from ID.
Industry Experience
In 2011 Kelly co-founded the design consulting company Panorama Innovation, where she serves as CEO. There she oversees the business, manages teams, and collaborates with clients to develop new products, services, systems, or businesses. She also coaches companies on building innovation capabilities and creating sustainable business practices to continue developing human-centered offerings. Kelly also co-founded WIND, Women Initiating New Directions, a nonprofit that helps women reentering society after incarceration; she currently serves on the board and runs Designing Your Life workshops at Cook County Jail and Grace House. Working with Suzette Bross, another alumna of ID, Kelly helped found CPS Lives, a nonprofit that brings together artists, designers, and Chicago Public Schools to collaborate in different ways. Further, Kelly is Chief Innovation Officer of MH3, an online streaming platform with direct access to the ideas, insights, and inspiration of health and wellness experts. Before that, Kelly was Vice President of Design Research at Manifest (2016–17), Director of Design Research at Doblin (2006–11), and Director of Design Research and Strategy at Ignite USA (2002–2006).
Publications
Costello, Kelly, Roger Mader, and Jessie Gatto. 2008. “Designing Innovation into Organizations: The New Landscape of Design Management.” Aesthesis: the International Journal of Art and Aesthetics in Management and Organizational Life 2 (3): 135–143.