Karim Rashid is one of the most significant cultural shapers in the world today. He is a leading figure in the fields of product, interior design, fashion, furniture, lighting and art, known for his uncanny ability to visually describe our contemporary culture with his democratic design sensibility.

The OCAD Professional Gallery will showcase a selection of Rashid’s more than 2000 designed objects that have been put into production, as well as custom-designed ceiling and wall treatments created especially for the gallery and the exhibition.

Born in Cairo, half Egyptian, half English, and raised in Canada, Karim now practices in New York. Designing for an impressive array of clients from Alessi to Georg Jensen, Umbra to Prada, Miyake to Method, Rashid is radically changing the aesthetics of product design and the very nature of consumer culture. In addition to his many designed and produced products, Rashid has successfully entered the realm of architecture and interiors as evidenced by the design of the Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel in Athens, which won a Sleep05 European Hotel Design Award. OCAD recognized Rashid’s extraordinary career with an Honorary Doctorate in 2006.
Other awards include the 2005 Honorary Doctorate from Corcoran College, 2005 Pratt Legends Award, 2004 A.D. Dunton Alumni Award of Distinction from Carlton University’s Alumni Association, 2002 ID Magazine Annual Design Review Best of Category, and 2003 best Retail Store in the USA. His work is in the permanent collections of major museums around the world, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Rashid has taught at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, the Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, and OCAD, and is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences globally. He has published several books; his most recent entitled Design Your Self is published by Regan Books.