Championing the future of design for all.

Lyanne Dubon-Aguilar is a designer and creative director specializing in brand identity at Etsy in Brooklyn, NY. At Etsy, she leads a team of designers in creating brand experiences that foster creativity, community, and Etsy’s mission to Keep Commerce Human. Her projects include the launch of Etsy Studio, the Etsy IPO, and Etsy Wholesale. Originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Lyanne has worked across a range of disciplines for The Museum of Modern Art, Pentagram, and Local Projects. Lyanne holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from The School of Visual Arts where she teaches as an adjunct faculty member.

Archie Bell, II spent much of his childhood memorizing commercial jingles and replicating the wit of cartoonist Gary Larson. Since then, he has been inspired by visual artists like Romare
Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, and Kara Walker as well as graphic storytellers Aaron Douglas, George Lois, Saul Bass, Barbara Kruger, and Emory Douglas – all brilliant minds who
mastered the art of weaving meaning into a single, magnificent visual. Still a fan of stories told simply, Archie leads Spotify Advertising’s Creative Studio as its Global Director.

The first ten years of Archie’s career began as a silent madman at advertising agencies such as Publicis, Y&R, BBDO, and Arnold NYC — crafting ads and driving business results for iconic brands. Prior to Spotify, Archie spent 12 years in media – building two of the most inventive branded content studios in the industry, One X Studios at Urban One, LLC and the Content Innovation Agency at NBCUniversal.

As an award-winning, multidisciplinary creative with degrees in graphic design, advertising and brand strategy from Howard University, The Portfolio Center and School of Visual Arts (respectively), Archie continues to look for fresh, unexpected ways to illuminate truth and beauty. Outside of directing art + sound, absorbing pop culture and perfecting his sports analogies, he enjoys spending time with his family at their Brooklyn home.

Ashley Brimsted is the Brand Initiatives Lead at IBM. She oversees the quality and consistency of branded artifacts produced internally for IBM, supporting project teams in creating and expanding their branding and visual identity. Ashley grew up in England and graduated from the University of Reading with a BA in Typography and Graphic Communication. In 2018, she moved to New York City, where she now lives, works, and creates.

Sarah Williams is Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Beardwood&Co, a branding agency based in New York City. She believes courageous creativity leads to big ideas that have the power to make the world more equitable, healthier, and more sustainable. By setting the vision for a multi-disciplinary design team at Beardwood&Co., she delivers award-winning work that brings strategy and innovation to life. Sarah has led branding and creative for clients such as Hyatt Hotels, Danone, Sperry, Hill’s, S’well Bottle, Honest Tea, Sabra, Eos, and Enterprise Community Partners. Sarah began her career at Landor Associates and graduated from Western Michigan University with BFA in Graphic Design.

Katie Henderson is the founder of Hondo Creative, a dynamic creative studio that partners with clients and agencies to develop strategy-led design for environments, advertising, and branding. Her work has spanned rebrands for international companies; immersive experiences for award winning entertainment properties; and political campaigns for progressive candidates.

Previous to going out on her own, she cut her teeth at agencies like Pentagram and Huge. She holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Rochester Institute of Technology and a M.F.A. in Design Criticism from The School of Visual Arts. She is also the co-author of Typography Referenced from Rockport Publishers and has taught design at RIT.

When not designing, you can usually find her photographing, illustrating, or down an internet rabbit hole of useless knowledge.

Ashlyn Stewart Cavitt is a multidisciplinary designer currently working at The New York Times. She recently graduated with an MFA from SVA’s Designer as Author and Entrepreneur program. Her thesis project focused on how design and data visualization could provide financial literacy to students taking out loans for college. Ashlyn is passionate about collaborating with companies using design to bring new products to market and do good in the world. She has worked with emerging brands like Dig Inn, July Air Conditioners, and Zuul Kitchens to create design systems that communicate brand goals and connect meaningfully with customers.

Dave Rodriguez is a designer and creative director with over 20 years of experience working across several industries, including publishing, music, and media. He currently serves as Global Design Lead for Bloomberg Media Studios. In this role, he oversees the design and development of all creative executions including animation, digital experiences, documentary video, branded spaces, digital product design, and visual branding systems produced by Bloomberg’s multidisciplinary design teams across the U.S., APAC and EMEA.

A native New Yorker, he holds a BFA in Computer Art from School of Visual Arts in NYC and a Masters Degree in Communication Design from Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London, UK. Prior to joining Bloomberg he served as Creative Director for Agenda NYC, a boutique design agency located in Hell’s Kitchen and as Art Director for the Knitting Factory in NYC and LA.

Troy Vasilakis is a designer, a lover of typography and conversations — despite stuttering — and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

A ’20 pandemic graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology, he’s currently a designer at WØRKS in New York City. Previously he’s worked in the luxury fashion industry at Tibi, helped develop and design a webspace for FIT’s Graphic Design program, worked with the incredibly talented and mindful team at ThoughtMatter, spoken to younger students as part of a panel at FIT, and designed TEDx events for his previous universities. Troy’s work has been awarded by the Type Directors Club and Graphis, recognized by Cargo and AIGA NY, and received FIT’s Graphic Design Departmental Medal in honor of his achievements, leadership, and overall contributions to the community/major at FIT.

In his free time, you’ll find him endlessly researching, tinkering with a new gadget, or sitting in the middle of a park.

Jessica Moon is an Associate Program Director focused on shaping curriculum and learning paths in continuing education for UI/UX design. Previously, Jessica was a practicing designer with nearly 15 years of experience, spanning across industries from print through digital, working in multi-disciplinary studios, agencies and product companies. Early on in her career, Jessica also took on managing and mentorship roles and helped build teams. She is a life-long student who aims to share her collective experiences and learnings as well as build and be a part of various communities that thrive on the practice of people first.

Kate Fisher is a design strategist and service designer for an equitable and responsive public sector. Kate is currently at the Lab at OPM, a federal government team that uses design research and participatory methods to strengthen government services. Before joining the Lab, Kate worked to design policy, services, and processes with the United Nations, New York City public agencies, and various nonprofits. Kate holds a MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons, a MS in Urban Policy at CUNY, and a BFA in Design from Columbia Chicago.

Nicole Motta (she/her/hers) is an Art Director based in NYC with over 8+ years of experience working in art direction and creative production in the photo, design, tech, music, and publishing industries. She is currently an Art Director at Meta, Facebook App, and was previously at Apple and Selman. She is a Peruvian-American creative, passionate about the intersectionality between tech, design, visual communications, and the future of the photographic medium; while focusing on pushing the boundaries of visual literacy by continuing to amplify voices for more representation for the underrepresented creatives and communities.

Nicole has a BFA in Photography & Imaging from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology from NYU Stern School of Business, and a certificate in Art Direction with Droga5’s D5in10 advertising program.

Raven Mo is a New York-based designer committed to pushing the boundary of typography while building a diverse, bold and inclusive future. Her work focuses on the intricate social relations and infrastructures built by type. Raven is eager to learn about how people with various political and cultural identities utilize design to brand and inform. As a creative system builder who experiments with interdisciplinary principles, Raven loves exploring unfamiliar territories, constantly challenging and nuancing her creative process with a systematic approach to produce rich and robust works. Previously, Raven worked at VSA Partners, MATTE Projects, and Elevate Brands. Raven holds a BFA in Visual Communication Design at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently attending School of Visual Arts’ MFA Design program.

Born and raised in Mexico, Aldo Juraidini Zorrilla is a Brooklyn-based product designer at Studio Rodrigo. At Rodrigo, his primary focus is working with early-stage startups, tech companies, and mission driven organizations to help bring products to life—through concept, strategy, and visual design. Over the last four and a half years, Aldo has worked with a wide range of clients in industries like fintech, healthcare, media, and the nonprofit sector.

A proud immigrant, Aldo moved to New York City in 2008 to study graphic design and like so many before him, the magnetism, vibrance, and inclusivity of the design community has made the city feel like home ever since.

Ana is a New York City-based designer + creative director. She has worked with companies like Afropunk, Droga5, Chase, Apple, Hennessy, the Africa Center, and the Poetry Foundation to champion, uplift, and amplify marginalized voices and stories.

Ana holds a Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts and is a graduate of Virginia State University, where she earned her BFA in Design, minor in Photography. To her, visual problem solving is such a welcomed challenge. Combining strategy, branding, and rising, she creates solutions that are thoughtful, inclusive, and inspiring. Since college, she has designed at Cassandra, a strategy agency studying young consumers, Afropunk, the music festival, Droga5, the advertising agency, and Apple. Outside of full time work, she’s passionate about building brands for minority and women-owned businesses, groups that are often overlooked and underrepresented.

Creative endeavors aside, Ana enjoys hosting friends, making cocktails, trying new restaurants, going to art museums, exploring the city, buying more books than she has time to read, and naps with her goldendoodle.

Cameron King is an advocate for collaborative communities and is obsessed with branding. As the son of a creative director and dad to three NYC art students, design runs in the family. After graduating with a BFA in Graphic Design, he directed photoshoots and helped design Martha Stewart Living magazine, earning multiple awards from the Society of Publication Designers. Currently as VP of Creative at CASE, Cameron pushes the creative team, hosts weekly inspiration share-outs, and co-creates with global megabrands and small start-ups to produce strategy-driven, award-winning, visually rich design solutions. Clients include: e.l.f. Beauty, Havaianas, Disney, Pepsi, Herman Miller, Johnson & Johnson, Bloomingdale’s, W Hotels, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sheraton, Estée Lauder Companies, and Shiseido. You can usually find him getting inspired by a long run in Central Park.

Carolyn Thomas is a Canadian graphic designer based in New York. Currently, she holds the Graphic Design lead position at The Frick Collection, where her work focuses on developing the visual identity system and institution-wide graphic design program. Previously, she worked as a freelance graphic designer in Berlin, Germany, as well as for studios Pure+Applied, Pentagram Design, and Office of Luke Bulman. Carolyn graduated from Parsons School of Design (BFA, Communication Design) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (MSc, Culture & Society). She is passionate about maps and interested in issues of spatiality and identity design.

Ella Dobson is an animator/director with a love for storytelling, creative problem solving and design systems thinking. She’s a New Zealander who spent the first chapter of her career working with agencies, studios, production companies and media across Auckland, Sydney, Los Angeles and now New York City. Her work has been recognized by D&AD, Cannes Lions, The One Club, Motionographer, AGDA, AI-AP, Best Awards and TAAFI. She holds a Bachelor of Design majoring in Communication Design from Auckland University of Technology, where she spent a year studying abroad at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.

I’m Heather-Mariah, an incessant maker of things, from typography to photography. My work is an eclectic blend of vernacular & historical type, traditional graphic design and sensorial photography. I’m the founder of Studio HMVD, an award-winning agency that delights in expressive visual identities and photographic campaigns, all with a strategic approach. Prior to Studio HMVD, I designed at various agencies and brands, including TODA, School House, M·A·C Cosmetics and Prophet. I hold a BA in Design and Printmaking from Western Washington University, and have completed continuing education courses through Type @ Cooper and SVA. Outside of the studio, you can usually find me browsing vintage stores, pointing out interesting typography, or on my way to Brighton Beach on a summer Friday.

Justin Wong is an art director, designer, and typographer from New York City. He specializes in crafting memorable brand identity systems and campaign creative with a range of clients and agency partners. He holds a dual concentration BFA with Honors in Advertising and Design from the School of Visual Arts. Cultivated in the bustling culture and collectivist spirit of New York City, Justin’s approach to design is rooted in a profound appreciation for the arts and a careful attention to detail. Passionate about building purposeful brands and making people smile, Justin strives to craft insight-backed and provocative work, bringing fresh perspectives and strong, rationale-driven design to every project. His work helps corporations, startups, and individuals define impactful brand experiences.

Justin’s work has been internationally exhibited, covered, and awarded by various organizations like the One Club for Creativity, the Type Directors Club, Print Magazine, Time Out, Graphis, NBC, D&AD, and Communication Arts, among others. Recent clients include Hennessy, the NBA, Facebook, General Electric, Ray-Ban, Meta Reality Labs, and Google Android. Justin also serves on the AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship jury.

Naeiri is an independent brand consultant who helps industry leaders create and manage the brands of the future. She has spent the last decade as a brand strategist at world-leading advertising and branding agencies, including Anomaly, Rethink, and Interbrand. Naeiri has worked with a wide range of clients from cultural powerhouses like The Ritz-Carlton and Beats by Dre to industry-specific titans like Thomson Reuters and Prudential. At Interbrand, Naeiri led Breakthrough Brands, a leading report on North America’s top 30 emerging brands, and served on its global luxury think tank.

A first-generation immigrant who has lived in Toronto, Los Angeles, and now New York, Naeiri brings an international outlook to her strategic work. Naeiri was trained in design thinking and methodologies at OCAD University in Toronto.

Nika Simovich Fisher is a graphic designer, writer, and educator based in New York. She is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design, and the director of the AAS program. Her research explores how design and identity overlap and highlights underreported voices in internet and design history. She has written stories ranging from the digitization of the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet during the Yugoslav Wars to the impact AI has had on spirituality for publications including The New York Times, Eye on Design, and WIRED. She also runs Labud, a design studio specializing in strategy, branding, and web design for clients across fashion, art, and tech. Instagram: @labud.nyc

Paulina Alvarado Serrano is a Latinx strategist and cultural pulse-finder currently at Champions Design. Prior to joining Champions, she forecasted trends at Nordstrom, and launched licensed brands at a global skateboarding retailer. Paulina has her Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts—the first and longest lasting program of its kind—and holds an undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of Washington where she rowed crew for the Division I NCAA team.

You can find Paulina at the pool.

Ramy Nagy (he/him) is a Creative Director and founder of Madeo Studio, a strategic creative partner to nonprofits & socially-focused brands. Ramy leads a multidisciplinary team of strategists, designers, project managers, and engineers. He advises and works closely with clients on branding, websites, campaigns, and strategic communications. Some of these clients include the Equal Justice Initiative, the Innocence Project, STOP Tobacco, Define American, Echoing Green, MIT, Long Wharf Theatre, and Robin Hood Foundation. Madeo’s work has been recognized by the Webby Awards; winning and honored for Best Nonprofit Website on multiple occasions, and by the Shorty Awards among others.

Ramy is a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts, Sandbox, IxDA, AIGA, and previously the Communications Committee of the Seeds of Peace Board of Directors. He has been a judge himself on the Anthem Awards, the new gold standard for celebrating work and organizations making an impact. Ramy is a graduate of Bard College. He currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son and is originally from Cairo, Egypt.