Upcoming Event
Wednesday, November 19 2025
6:30–8:30 pm
Creative Co-ops
How It Actually Works
Wednesday, November 19 2025
6:30–8:30 pm
Creative Co-ops
How It Actually Works
Real stories from designers running worker-owned studios and making it sustainable.
For creatives who have traditionally worked as independent freelancers, at agencies and studios, or on in-house teams, the idea of a worker-owned practice might seem like a pipe dream. This panel brings together members from three different creative collectives, each approaching shared ownership in their own way, to share their perspectives on what it takes to make a creative co-op work.
Panelists include:
- Greg Mihalko, co-founder of Partner & Partners (graphic design, branding, editorial)
- Ramsey Nasser, co-founder of EMMA Technology Cooperative (game designer, computer scientist, educator)
- Hugh Frances, co-founder of garden3d (inventor, technical lead, writer)
Moderated by:
- Ritik Dholakia, founder of Studio Rodrigo
Together, they’ll discuss how shared ownership reshapes creative practice—from decision-making and sustainability to culture, labor, and the future of independent design work.
Fresh Dialogue Event Series
These events are critical discussions that focus on current events, issues of cultural relevance and emerging topics in the world of design.
Tickets
We are committed to keeping events accessible to all participants. Your ticket supports AIGA NY and costs associated with event production. If ticket cost is a barrier, please contact Stacey@aigany.org.
Schedule
- 6:30 pm Doors open & check-in
- 7:00 pm Event begins
- 8:30 pm Event ends
Tickets
- Non-members $30.00
- AIGA Members $25.00
The Auditorium, Alvin Johnson / J.M. Kaplan Hall
—
66 West 12th Street
New York, 10003
About the Studios
Partner & Partners
We are a worker-owned design practice focusing on print, exhibition, interactive, and identity work with clients and collaborators in art, architecture, government, and activism.
garden3d
We are a worker owned creative collective, innovating on everything from brands and IRL communities to IoT devices and cross platform apps. We share profit, open source everything, spin out new businesses, and invest in exciting ideas through financial and/or in-kind contributions.
By applying collectivist principles and egalitarian business structures, we build liberating, inclusive and empowering cultural institutions inside of late capitalism. A lot of us work out of Index NYC (and Post Office in Amsterdam and Lagori in Bengaluru), and you can join those spaces too.
Today, we’re interested in Environmentalism, Circular Solar, Activism, Carbon Drawdown, Regenerative Agriculture, Healthcare, Mesh Networking, Decentralization, Formless Computing and pretty much any other ideas that might incrementally improve the lives of all humans.
EMMA Technology Cooperative
Worker-owned means that EMMA is owned equally and managed democratically by its current and future members—the people actually doing the work.
Not laboring to enrich absentee shareholders means a healthier, more sustainable work environment for us and a focus on building great experiences for our clients.
We believe this model is the future of our industry and beyond. We’re committed to sharing our experience with others, so if you’re thinking of starting a coop of any kind we’d love to talk to you.
The Auditorium, Alvin Johnson / J.M. Kaplan Hall
—
66 West 12th Street
New York, 10003