Barbara Kuhr and John Plunkett are American designers who are best known for their design of WIRED, a company they helped found in 1992. They describe themselves as ‘content-based problem solvers’, and work for both non-profits and business in a number of inter-related areas: Strategy, Branding and Publications; Signage & Exhibits; and Home and Interior Design. Their work includes projects for TED, the Louvre Museum, the Sundance Film Festival, WIRED, and Carnegie Hall.

Wired won three National Magazine Awards in its first four years, and the New York Times has named it one of “the century’s 50 greatest design hits”. In 1994 P+K helped lead the small team who created HotWired, the world’s first commercial website; and followed with several other early and influential sites, including Wired News and the search engine HotBot. These early efforts won the nation’s first National Information Infrastructure Award from then-VP Al Gore.

Before starting P+K, Barbara and John had the good fortune to work and learn from many of the century’s greatest designers, including Saul Bass, Colin Forbes of Pentagram, Louis Danziger and Deborah Sussman (John); and Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar (Barbara).

Plunkett + Kuhr’s work has been featured in Graphis, CA, ID and Eye magazines. In 2002 Plunkett + Kuhr were included in Richard Wurman’s book, “1000. Who’s Really Who – The 1,000 Most Creative Individuals in the USA.” Those chosen “were characterized by their work outside of the box. Their ideas, work and businesses represent various convergences between technology, entertainment, and design”.

John was born in 1952 and grew up in Virginia. He studied design at Parsons in NYC before completing his degree at CalArts in Los Angeles.

Barbara was born in Montana in 1954 and holds a degree in design from Montana State University.

contact:
John Plunkett: john@plunkettkuhr.com
Barbara Kuhr: barbara@plunkettkuhr.com