feature / alumni / spatial-experience-design
March 03, 2026
By ArtCenter Staff
Images courtesy of Eight Inc.

Influential Designer and Former ArtCenter Trustee Tim Kobe Passes Away at 69 

Alumnus, Eight Inc. founder and Apple Store visionary served on the College’s board for 20 years 

ArtCenter alumnus and former trustee Tim Kobe passed away on January 28, 2026, at the age of 69. The founder of strategic design firm Eight Inc., Kobe and his team were responsible for designing the iconic Apple Store experience and many high-profile human-centric and experiential spaces around the globe. 

A beloved member of the ArtCenter community, Kobe graduated with honors from the College in 1982 with a BS in Environmental Design. He served on ArtCenter’s board from 2005 to 2025. During his tenure as a trustee, he chaired the Academic Affairs Committee, lectured frequently at the College and mentored numerous ArtCenter students and alumni. In 2000, he established a scholarship in memory of a fellow alumnus.  

“Tim had a rigorous commitment to understanding human experience first and placing people at the center of his work,” said Karen Hofmann, president and CEO of ArtCenter. “He applied that same dedication to his lifelong commitment to ArtCenter. He was a dedicated advocate for the transformative role of design in our society and the power of a design education to change our world.” 

“Tim understood that design at its highest is not decoration, it is the shaping of experience itself,” said Prajna Murdaya, an ArtCenter trustee and who was working with Kobe as the co-founder of The Constellation, a network of creative hubs to connect creators with mentors, collaborators and communities. “As a trustee, Tim shaped ArtCenter’s curriculum and worked tirelessly to bridge students to the wider world of design and creative practice. He believed in this community deeply.” 

Kobe began his design career working in Los Angeles for Herb Rosenthal and Associates and the American Broadcasting Company. After graduating from ArtCenter, he went on to build an extraordinary career. He worked in New York for Murray Gelbert before joining The Burdick Group in 1982, the San Francisco-based design firm founded by ArtCenter alumnus Bruce Burdick (BPA 61). In 1987, he became a founding partner of West Office Design Associates, where he focused on museum and exhibition design and was responsible for the master planning of museum exhibitions throughout the U.S. and Asia.  

In 1989, he founded Eight Inc., a strategic design studio based on a transdisciplinary approach, that encompasses architecture (residential and commercial), exhibitions, interior, product and graphic design. Under his leadership, the company grew into an international design powerhouse with offices in Dubai, London, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.  

Through Eight Inc., Kobe collaborated with major global brands, including Apple, Coca-Cola Company, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Citibank, Coach, Knoll, Nike, North Face and Swatch.  

Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs hired Kobe and Eight Inc. to launch the company’s colorful new iMac line, which debuted in 1998. Reflecting on the moment, Kobe recalled in the preface to former ArtCenter President Lorne M. Buchman’s book Make to Know: From Spaces of Uncertainty to Creative Discovery (2021, Thames & Hudson), “We just put [the iMacs] all on a big light table at the MacWorld trade show, illuminated them, and let the stunning qualities of the product come through. [Jobs] recognized we weren’t about making shapes for the trade shows. It was, instead, about making the product the hero.” 

Guided by Kobe’s vision and leadership, the success of that launch began a long and fruitful relationship between Eight Inc. and Apple, whose crowning achievement was the launch of Apple’s game-changing retail stores. That collaboration began with a white paper, originally drafted in 1996 by Kobe for Jobs, which outlined a retail project that would allow Apple’s products to stand apart from its competitors and to communicate the company’s values to consumers. Apple debuted its retail stores in 2001 to huge success and has since expanded to hundreds of locations around the world. 

Beyond Kobe’s professional successes and accolades, what the designer may be most remembered for is his deep conviction that design should serve the human experience. Through his projects and leadership, he helped redefine how people interact with design, technology, and the spaces around them. 

“Tim knew how to put people at ease; even the most junior person in the room felt comfortable sharing and debating ideas with him,” said Linda A. Hill, professor at Harvard Business School, an ArtCenter Trustee and a member of Eight Inc.’s advisory board. “Sometimes I had to remind myself we were doing serious business when we worked together with clients; his smile and laughter were so infectious. But all the while, you could see his mind hard at work. Tim stretched my imagination and showed me how design is about creating experiences that capture our humanity.” 

In 2000, Kobe and his business partner Wilhelm Oehl (BS 94 Environmental Design) established an endowed scholarship at ArtCenter in memory of Akira Kimura (BS 80 Environmental Design), Kobe’s classmate and friend who passed away in 1997. 

“I think you have to be optimistic to be a good designer,” said Kobe in a 2022 interview with Kenny Lauer for Prime Movers Lab. “You have to believe that there are better ways to solve the problems that we have and the creativity, experimentation, observation—many of the tools that we are taught as designers help unlock opportunities that exist. I think if you’re pessimistic, it’s very difficult to create meaningful work, but it is important to be critical in your observations and recognize the outcomes that you’re looking to achieve.” 

Kobe’s legacy lives in the spaces he shaped, the students he mentored, and the values and commitment to design education he championed throughout his career. He will be deeply missed by the College and the entire ArtCenter community he so generously served.  

Our thoughts go out to Kobe’s family, friends and colleagues in the wake of his passing. 

Gifts in Kobe’s memory can be directed to the Eight Inc. Endowed Scholarship in Memory of Akira Kimura and Tim Kobe.