Ivy Ross, Google’s Chief Design Officer / 2024

New book presentation and a fireside chat with Ivy Ross, Google’s Chief Design Officer for Consumer Devices, in conversation with Helen Maria Nugent, Dean of Design at California College of the Arts. 

Ivy Ross shared her insights on neuroaesthetics, an emerging field in cognitive neuroscience that explores the biological foundations of aesthetic experiences and their potential to enhance health and wellness. She explained how this research influences the work of her design teams at Google and provided examples of the large-scale immersive experiences she has curated for Milan Design Week. These installations investigate how color, sound, form, and material affect both the body and the mind. 

Ross’s new book, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us (Random House, 2023), co-authored with Susan Magsamen, is a deep dive into neuroaesthetics.