James Patten, a TED Fellow, imagines new ways for us to play with computers.

As a creative director at Ideo, Paul Bennett reminds us that design need not invoke grand gestures or sweeping statements to be successful, but instead can focus on the little things in life, the obvious, the overlooked.

Krista Donaldson is the CEO of D-Rev, a non-profit product development company improving the health and incomes of people around the world.

Rogier van der Heide creates architectural spaces with light.

Michael Bierut is a partner in the New York office of Pentagram, a founder of Design Observer and a teacher at Yale School of Art and Yale School of Management.

Skylar Tibbits is the founder and codirector of the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT and assistant professor of design research in the department of architecture.

Jinsop Lee is an industrial designer who believes that great design appeals to all five senses.

Paolo Cardini is a product designer who asks serious questions about how we live -- and answers them with whimsical and playful designs.

Could good design save the newspaper -- at least for now? Jacek Utko thinks so -- and his lively, engaging designs for European papers prove that it works.

Tim Brown is the CEO of the "innovation and design" firm IDEO -- taking an approach to design that digs deeper than the surface.

With a team of engineers, Paul Moller works on the Skycar, a combination car and jet, as well as the M200, a saucer-shaped hovering car. He also develops next-generation engines to power these and other amazing vehicles.

Cultivating the power of sustainable materials, Elora Hardy leads ​​Ibuku, creating​ ​​bespoke​ ​bamboo homes in her native Bali.

As a partner in seymourpowell, Richard Seymour designs idea-driven products -- from household goods to trains and motorcycles.

Rob Forbes founded Design Within Reach, the furniture company that brought high design to the general public.

Principal of the New York media design firm, Local Projects, Jake Barton creates interactive and digital exhibits for the likes of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art and Storycorps.

Don Norman studies how real people interact with design, exploring the gulf between what a designer intends and what a regular person actually wants. His work has resulted in some classic books, including "The Design of Everyday Things."

Maya Penn makes eco-friendly clothes and accessories, which she sells on a site she built -- and gives away a percent of the profits.

Anand Agarawala's job: to imagine and build the computers you'll use in 20 years.

Barcelona-based architect Xavier Vilalta works in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He adopts and updates traditional design principles to construct modern buildings that truly suit their environment.

Zach Kaplan is the CEO of Inventables, a company that collects and shows off new materials and new ideas (you can see their latest collection on Discovery Channel's new show, "Prototype This!").

Sinéad Burke amplifies voices and instigates curious conversations.

Bastian Schaefer and a team of designers at Airbus have been imagining the high-concept future of the jet airlplane -- in a future with less fuel and more passengers.

TED Fellow Anab Jain imagines and builds future worlds we can experience in the present moment. By creating new ways of seeing, being and acting, she inspires and challenges us to look critically at the decisions and choices we make today.

Kenneth Shinozuka designs smart products ... He's been doing so since he was in kindergarten.

A fascination with clean lines, modern materials and tiny houses made Christopher C. Deam the perfect designer to rethink the Airstream trailer right down to its aluminum skin.

David Merrill works on Siftables, tiny computer blocks that interact with each other to make networks (and music).

Gary Flake is a Technical Fellow at Microsoft, and the founder and director of Live Labs.

Once known for entertaining millions by creating special effects for Hollywood, theme parks and Broadway, Applied Minds cofounder Bran Ferren now solves impossible tech challenges with previously unimaginable inventions.

Timothy Prestero loves a flashy "concept car." But in his own work, he aims to design products for social impact, keeping users in mind.

Jessi Arrington is a color-loving designer based in Brooklyn.