Michael Graves is a world-renowned vanguard of architecture and design whose models for domestic products sold at Target stores nationwide have helped to make him a household name.  

Mr. Graves had a childhood interest in drawing and painting that has stayed with him throughout his career in architecture and graphic, interior and product design. He received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati, and his master’s degree in architecture from Harvard University.

In 1960, Mr. Graves received the Prix de Rome fellowship of the American Academy in Rome, where he spent two years studying painting and drawing. His drawings and models are in the collections of such notable institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Berlin Museum.

Mr. Graves’ more than 350 building designs delight people across the globe, and range in style from the Swan and Dolphin resorts at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., to the NCAA Headquarters and Hall of Champions here in Indianapolis, as well as the Indianapolis Art Center.

Mr. Graves received the 1999 National Medal of Arts (a Presidential Award) and the 2001 Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Graves currently resides in Princeton, N.J. He is the Robert Schirmer Professor, Emeritus, at Princeton University, where he taught for 40 years. He also frequently served as a visiting professor to top universities across the country.

Today, he is a Principal at Michael Graves & Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. Mr. Graves Target product designs beautifully combine function and innovation. His philosophy is simple: “Good design should be accessible to all.”