Lance Rake

For over 40 years, I have been learning, practicing, and teaching industrial design, often at the same time.

Honored as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2015 and currently Professor of Industrial Design at the University of Kansas, I have also taught full-time at Auburn University and Carrington Technical Institute in Auckland, New Zealand. Additionally, I have taught short courses at Konstfackskolan in Stockholm and been a visiting professor at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Halmstad University in Sweden, and the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay in Mumbai, India.

My design research has been supported by private and public grants, and findings presented at national and international design conferences and institutions. For several years I have been using my experience as both teacher and practitioner of design to serve as an expert witness in design patent infringement and product liability cases. I was one of "133 Distinguished Industrial Design Professionals and Professors" to sign the Amicus Brief supporting Apple in its case against Samsung before the Supreme Court.

Working alone or in collaboration with other professionals, I have designed numerous commercial products, consumer products, aircraft and boat interiors, graphics, packaging, and exhibits. I was chosen by the editors at ID Magazine chose as one of the "Design 50". Recently, my research efforts have been focused toward using design to create sustainable craft-based enterprises in rural communities in the US, Africa, and India.