Brandon Little, the design-industry veteran who has run Cranbrook Academy of Art on an interim basis since December, is now the Bloomfield Hills institution's permanent director.

The appointment, reported by Crain's Detroit Business on Thursday, Aug. 20, makes Little the academy's 12th non-interim director since architect Eliel Saarinen was first appointed in 1932. His full title is Maxine and Stuart Frankel Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Little succeeds Chris Whittey, who left Cranbrook in November 2025. The Cranbrook Educational Community Board of Trustees named Little interim director effective Dec. 1, 2025, and he served on the Academy's Board of Governors from 2024 to 2025 before stepping into the role.

Aimeclaire Roche, president of Cranbrook Educational Community, said Little earned the trust of students, faculty, staff, alumni and board members during his interim tenure. Denise Anton David, chair of the Academy's Board of Governors, said the appointment reflects the board's confidence in Little's collaborative leadership and decision-making over the past several months.

"The strength of Cranbrook Academy of Art has never been found in a single discipline or individual," Little said in a statement reported by DBusiness. "It's found in the conversations, collaborations, and creative risks that happen every day across our studios."

Little founded Artefkt Watches, an independent watch design and manufacturing venture that operates out of the Historic Milles Studio on Cranbrook's campus. Before that, he served as vice president, creative director and head of design at Bedrock Manufacturing and Shinola in Detroit, overseeing cross-category design for watches, eyewear and lifestyle products and partnering with brands including Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, All Saints and Filson.

Earlier in his career, Little spent eight years as senior vice president and chief creative officer at Fossil Group, directing creative teams across the United States, Switzerland and Hong Kong for a portfolio of 13 luxury brands. In 2004, he was one of the first Americans to study at the Creative Academy founded by the Richemont Group in Milan.

Cranbrook Academy of Art is a graduate-only program in architecture, design and fine art. Each year, up to 75 students are invited to study and live on the landmark Saarinen-designed campus, working across 10 disciplines that include architecture, ceramics, fiber, graphic design, industrial design and sculpture.