The practice
About
Kenny Arnold Design is a circular economy strategy and design studio based in San Diego. I work with product and sustainability teams to build circular thinking into how they operate.
Vision and method
Circular systems require behavior change, and play is the best way to engage people of all ages.
I design with play to activate participation — across workshops, products, public installations, and learning experiences. The approach was refined as an RCA graduate, where my thesis focused on tools for enabling creativity, and field-tested across toy design and social-impact projects: public litter-fishing game installations, toys for learning through play, and playgrounds designed by the kids who use them.
My strategy stems from innovation consulting with Fortune 100 organizations, most recently inside the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, working on circularity programs with some of the world's largest companies.
Recent recognition
Senior Service Design Manager, Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2023–2026)
Eco-Expert, iF Design Award (2024-25)
Play Everywhere Challenge winner — $50,000 grant for the Play Path, KABOOM! and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation (2021)
Waterside Gobbler featured in the Evening Standard (2019)
Approach
Three principles that shape the work.
Hands on, minds on
Circular strategy in isolation won't work. It needs to be connected to the system, grounded in the material, and anchored to a real design challenge. We work hands-on with the actual product to connect strategy to solutions.
Design with play
People don't change because they're told to — but if it's fun, they'll try. Play isn't just for kids; it's foundational to how we learn. Each activation draws on fifteen years of toy and game design, from escape rooms to playgrounds.
Serious fun
Play and rigor aren't opposites. Every engagement is built on the same foundation: structured, evidence-based, and mapped to the ISO 59000 family of standards. The fun gets people in the door — the rigor makes it stick.