Mark Kingsley … received a personal lesson in branding from Ralph Lauren … traveled with the punk band Bad Religion … counts some of the greatest cultural institutions in the United States as his clients … co-owned an award-winning design studio for over 15 years … designed packages for musicians like John Coltrane, Jewel, Ethel, Yes, Phil Collins, and Pat Metheny … helped Central Park SummerStage become one of the premier events in New York City … was an author on SpeakUp, the first significant design blog … was at Ogilvy's Brand Innovation Group (BIG) during its height … worked at Landor as the global creative lead on the Citi account … knows the dark arts of corporate America … led the creative team for a credit card now found in millions of wallets across North America … licked a Jasper Johns painting … had Isabella Rossellini come to his rescue … performed in an avant-garde opera at Lincoln Center … is creative director at Lendoor … teaches in the Masters in Branding program at SVA … is creative lead at Malcontent.

TALK TOPIC

Creative Agonistes, Henry Ford, and reasons to call oneself Malcontent.

3 NOTEWORTHY READS

"Oh what an opportunity this was. It's been years since such an iconic company went through a rebrand, and perhaps even longer since such a rebrand came burdened with so many cultural and mythic repercussions."

My Kind of American Exceptionalism

"[It] has become another tic which has lost meaning through over- and unconsidered use."

Against Storytelling

"This is only the first of a long string of appropriations that Combs has used to build what he inaccurately calls his brand. Because in practice, this isn't a brand, but rather old-fashioned capitalist exploitation."

A Prisoner of His Own Revolution