Jon Racek is an award-winning designer and faculty member at Indiana University.  He founded and is the director of the Comprehensive Design program and teaches undergraduate Design Thinking courses as well as other design studios. 

Jon has given Design Thinking talks and led workshops to such organizations as GE Digital, Carlisle, Inc., Cook Group, National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.  He speaks regularly to audiences on design thinking, social entrepreneurship and innovation. 

Jon has won several awards for his design work including design awards from the Los Angeles and Vermont American Institute of Architects. His work has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Milan and Dubai. Jon was named one of “40 under 40” in the AEC Industry by Building Design + Construction magazine.  His work has appeared in over 40 domestic and international publications including The New York Times, Vogue and TIME Magazine.  His client list includes W Hotel, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Time Warner, Neiman Marcus, and the Disney Corporation. 

Jon is the founder of Play360, a nonprofit that trains organizations in the developing world to build their own learning resources, including playgrounds and classroom resources.  He has led community design workshops in over 20 countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Laos, Cambodia and Guatemala.  Jon also directs Printshop, a project to create a network of distributed manufacturing centers in Rwanda centered around 3d printing.  This project has led to the design and fabrication of a series of 3d printed prosthetic arms for adolescents throughout Rwanda.  

Jon is the co-founder of the Rural Placemaking Studio, an IU program that brings together university students, faculty, and rural Indiana communities to design creative projects that celebrate local identity and revitalize public spaces. Through collaborative, hands-on design work, the studio transforms community ideas into actionable plans that inspire connection, economic vitality, and lasting impact. 

In 2022, he received a prestigious Fulbright Scholar award where he taught and researched in Sri Lanka for 5 months.  He is also the recipient of the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award, which recognizes Indiana University faculty who have distinguished themselves through exemplary civically engaged scholarship and teaching, and the W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service, which honors faculty members and librarians who have proven to be deeply committed to serving the university, their profession, or the public.