2023 - Chicago ($8 each)

A retrospective on how two early discoveries — Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode (their music, packaging, and attitude) — informed a lifelong pursuit to blend music and with another passion, design, and how that has manifested in his client work as well as in his experimental exercises where the line is often blurred. PREVIEW

An impassioned reality check on the challenges faced by people of color across every step of their life, from education to founding their own businesses, accompanied by a selection of case studies that show how Shar and her team are empowering owners with meaningful branding. PREVIEW

A contagiously optimistic call to action to find and nurture our own communities — whether that be in school, at work, or even in conferences like Brand New — along with a reminder that we have a voice and with voice comes great responsibility: our work should be diverse, accessible, equitable, sustainable. PREVIEW

A celebration of being a small studio and embracing the flexibility (and challenges) that come with it as well as a rare praise for the constraints and restrictions we face constantly across projects and using them to find the limits and push them all while creating brands that love people and come across as genuinely caring about their audience. PREVIEW

A series of questions presented to challenge our preconceptions about branding (and life) based on an upbringing as an Iranian American immigrant supported by a series of insights like, among others, embracing our heritage, looking high and low for inspiration, and using our skills for the things we believe in. PREVIEW

A charming and honest acknowledgment of being young, making mistakes, learning on the job, and modeling parental advice based on one’s own experiences. This presentation also featured one of the best quotes from one of the unlikeliest of sources as a way of encouraging those that don’t yet fully believe in themselves or their potential. PREVIEW

A discerning conversation stemming from the publication of his new book, “Universal Principles of Branding”, on various aspects of branding, from its definition to its purpose to its (mis)understanding, while broaching other subjects as myriad as airlines, philosophy, and AI. PREVIEW

A poetic take on how strategy is key in developing responsive, responsible, and culturally-relevant design work, explained through the lens of an exercise learned from a tax accountant — The Core Values exercise — in order to learn what is important to people. PREVIEW (This video file is shared with Stephanie Falaschetti and Matt Tanaka)

A first-hand account of a project to redesign a non-alcoholic beer brand where the outcome was not the desired one but that makes a case for the reframing and rethinking of failure and rejection as something positive. PREVIEW (This video file is shared with Stephanie Falaschetti and Kristin Lueke)