Caroline Kim is a designer and strategist with a multi-disciplinary approach to achieving business goals through empathy and user-centric design. She is currently Founder and Creative Director of Paperbox Projects, a consultancy that helps clients determine what should be designed, and how to make it meaningful to the customer. Paperbox also offers workshops in design thinking.
Caroline graduated cum laude with a Fine Arts major from Yale University, and holds a Master’s degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute. Her works spans everything from physical and digital products to experiences and environments.
At the internationally renowned design firm Rockwell Group, she worked as Senior Associate in the Product Design Studio before becoming Senior Strategist and Creative Director in the innovation LAB. For over a decade at Rockwell, she brought her creative leadership to a diverse portfolio of projects, from experience strategy and positioning, to design and production. Among other clients, she has worked with Bloomberg LLC, Meijer Stores, Knoll, Starwood Capital, Vornado Realty Trust, the Qatar Museums Authority, Riverdale Country School, Marriott International, IBM, and Disney.
As a highlight to her career, Caroline led strategy and industrial design for the Imagination Playground Initiative, a pro bono endeavor that produced a highly acclaimed innovation in playground design. When the project launched into a satellite business, she became Director of R&D and played a key role in growing the start-up into a thriving brand with a loyal international following.
Prior to Caroline’s work in the design industry, she worked at Viacom, in the editorial department for Scribner and the managing editorial group for Simon & Schuster. During her time there, she worked with world-class writers, agents, sales teams, and marketing experts, gaining invaluable insight into the process of bringing a creative product to mass market.
Speaking Engagements
AIANY, Panel speaker; Multiple engagements 2017-2018
BDNY Javits Center, Panel Speaker; Presentation on branding independent hotels 2016
University of Pennsylvania, Guest Lecturer; "Designing to Spark Creativity" 2015
MIT Media Lab, Guest Speaker; “Imagination Playground and Technology” 2015
Exhibits & Museums
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Served on judging panel for Collab Design Competition 2016
Philadelphia Center for Architecture, “How We Play” exhibit; Imagination Playground featured 2015
Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum; Stitched and Blanket wall covering designs acquired into permanent collection 2009
Awards and Recognition
The New York Times, front page featured Imagination Playground; Coverage by many other national media outlets including CNN, The New Yorker, and Fast Company 2007-2016
IDEA Awards Environment Design, Finalist; National Building Museum exhibit design 2013
CBS Sunday Morning, Live television interview on portable play units 2010
US Patent, Portable play unit (co-inventor); issued 2009