About the Author

Christopher Simmons is a Canadian-born, San Francisco–based designer, writer, design advocate and educator. As principal and creative director of MINE™, Christopher designs and directs brand and communication design projects for clients ranging from Facebook, Microsoft, and Simon & Schuster, to the Nature Conservancy, SFMOMA and Obama for America. His work has been exhibited internationally at galleries and museums, including the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the Museum of Craft and Design; it is also included in the permanent design archives of the Denver Art Museum.

The author of four books, Christopher also lectures on design issues for colleges, universities and professional associations throught the United States, and frequently participates as a judge for major design competitions. When he is not writing about hamburgers, he contributes to various design publications and blogs (including his own)—but only when he has something to say. He is the author of four books, the most recent of which, Just Design, focuses on design for social change.

Christopher served as president of the San Francisco chapter of AIGA from 2004–2006. Among his enduring accomplishments in that role was the creation of San Francisco Design Week, and the introduction of the first public design-oriented lectures at the Apple Store. On completion of his tenure on AIGA’s board, then mayor Gavin Newsom issued an official proclamation declaring San Francisco to be a city where “design makes a difference.” He is currently serving a three-year term on AIGA’s national board of directors.

Christopher has been interviewed on design issues by National Public Radio, the New York Times and the CBS Evening News, and has appeared as a guest on 99% Invisible and Design Matters. In 2013 he was named one of “50 most influential designers working today.”

He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two boys.