OUR TEAM IS

I am deeply interested in the commonalities that connect people and communities to their cultural identities, and apply these insights to develop strategies that are beyond multicultural -- instead, they are truly intercultural. For over 20 years, I’ve been a consultant, executive, and researcher, helping to link the social capital of organizations with business opportunities for growth. Being bilingual and bicultural gives me the ability to more easily recognize the common ground for successful innovation solutions. Nothing beats that moment when I'm interviewing a person and their eyes light up because they have a brilliant answer to one of my questions. That moment usually drives the innovation process later on.

PEOPLE ARE BORN EQUAL BUT THEY ARE ALSO BORN DIFFERENT.

ERICH FROMM

For the last 30 years, I’ve helped clients anticipate what their customers want, so they can meet them in the future with the experiences and relationships they desire. I’ve been an owner of a film production company, a partner and head of experience design at Cheskin (a ground-breaking innovation firm), VP of Brand Strategy at Added Value (WPP), and a founding professor of the Design Strategy MBA program at CCA. Over the years, I've found people increasingly mysterious, with ever-changing sensibilities as cultures and economies evolve. Delving into what they're becoming, and what it means for the companies that serve them, remains as fascinating and stimulating as when I started down this path decades ago.

IT'S ALWAYS TIME TO QUESTION WHAT HAS BECOME STANDARD AND ESTABLISHED.

DAVID BOWIE

As a designer and communicator with over 20 years of experience, I have a firm belief in the power of design strategy to deliver innovative and powerful outcomes. I’ve developed marketing and brand strategies with an eye on revenue growth for various socially conscious organizations. As a Partner and VP of Marketing at Cheskin, I developed design and brand strategies that reshaped the company’s offerings and positioning. I've collaborated with firms such as Fitch, Sapient, and various start-ups on groundbreaking innovation studies to open business opportunities. Inherent in my work is the goal of helping organizations maintain an outward focus, putting the needs and desires of constituents first. Design has the power to simplify the complex, awaken ideas, and compel action. It’s what excites me every day.

YOU CAN DESIGN AND CREATE, AND BUILD THE MOST WONDERFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD. BUT IT TAKES PEOPLE TO MAKE THE DREAM A REALITY.

WALT DISNEY

I design systems that connect people to knowledge and each other. For the past 25 years, I've helped make complex systems more understandable and usable for organizations in various industries. Besides consulting, I also teach, write, and produce a podcast. My background in architecture has given me insights into how designed environments can influence who we are and how we act. Today, some of our most important environments are made not of bricks, steel, and wood, but of information. I aim to help organizations become better stewards of these "information environments" — especially those that have a broad impact on their businesses and on society at large.

 

EVENTUALLY EVERYTHING CONNECTS — PEOPLE, IDEAS, OBJECTS. THE QUALITY OF THE CONNECTIONS IS THE KEY TO QUALITY PER SE.

CHARLES EAMES

For more than 30 years, I have focused on helping make companies smarter about their business. Through teams of design and development specialists, we create high-impact learning systems that affect how leaders engage themselves and their teams to change the culture and work processes; how project teams plan and implement major change initiatives; and how leaders and teams improve their internal and client-facing systems and processes. My teams have built solutions for leading companies in a wide range of industries, including utilities, temporary and permanent staffing, agriculture, insurance, financial services, hospitality, retail, transportation, computer hardware, semiconductors, software, telecommunications, distribution, non-profit, and music/entertainment

SOLUTIONS NEARLY ALWAYS COME FROM THE DIRECTION YOU LEAST EXPECT, WHICH MEANS THERE'S NO POINT TRYING TO LOOK IN THAT DIRECTION BECAUSE IT WON'T BE COMING FROM THERE.

DOUGLAS ADAMS