Maaike Evers

Co-Founder, Mike & Maaike Maaike Evers, IDSA, co-founder of the experimental design studio Mike & Maaike in San Francisco has been named the International Design Excellence Awards Jury Chair for 2019. Born and bred in The Netherlands, Evers brings a progressively Dutch and uniquely female perspective to industrial design, inspired by the tradition of craft and potential of industry. Mike & Maaike was formed as a design laboratory where self-initiated and client projects are approached with the same level of passion and experimentation. Some highlights of her collaborations include Google’s first phone, Google’s first VR headset, the ATNMBL driverless car, the Windowseat Lounge and the Juxtaposed bookshelf. In 2011, Mike & Maaike was acquired by Google where Evers helped build the industrial design culture, collaborating with scientists and engineers to build new hardware experiences for IoT, mobile devices, wearables, health monitoring, autonomous systems, alternative power and VR. Recently, Mike & Maaike gained independence from Google to re-form its San Francisco studio. “I truly feel lucky to have the unique overview of this year’s state of our prolific culture and all the products and experiences it produces. I look forward to working with IDSA, the jurors and The Henry Ford to curate the incredible achievements of this year’s entries for the 39th annual IDEA competition.”—Maaike Evers, IDSA, IDEA 2019 Jury Chair Evers’ work has received over 40 international design awards and she is named on over 50 patents. She was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business.

Activities for Maaike

IDEA Jury Chair | 2019
Speaker | Women in Design Deep Dive | 2017

 

My Stories on Design Passion

At an early age Maaike Evers caught the bug of discovery by making things. She met Mike Simonian 22 years ago and from that moment on has worked alongside him in consultancies, corporations and in their garage.

When Mike and Maaike decided to start their own consultancy they wanted to do things differently. Rather than continuing to focus on technology clients, typical for the Silicon Valley, Simonian and Evers reinvented themselves, focusing on independent projects in a wide range of areas including furniture, soft goods, sculpture and jewelry.

These independent projects led to unique partnerships and a diverse body of work.

Evers will share stories of how her design passion and design energy have guided her in her journey.

IDEA Juror | 2010, 2011