Zipeng Zhu is a Chinese-born designer, art director, illustrator and animator in New York City who wants to make every day a razzle-dazzle musical. His clients include Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Netflix, Viacom, The New Yorker, Fox, CNN, Refinery29, Chobani, and Samsung. After he graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, he has worked at Pentagram and Sagmeister & Walsh. He was one of the Art Directors Club Young Guns 13 winners and has been recognized as Print magazine’s New Visual Artist and The One Show Young Ones. His work has been exhibited all over the world including New York, Barcelona, Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai, and other major museums and institutions. He has recently started his own creative studio Dazzle to make everything dazzling.

Jeff is an artist, designer, and illustrator whose work is heavily influenced by his background in music, painting, and fun. In 2011, after working many years as a designer and art director at various studios and agencies around Dallas and NYC, he opened the doors of his own studio in Brooklyn. Since then he’s been working on a variety of projects including everything from small spot illustrations to full branding assignments. His work has attracted an impressive client list that includes Google, McDonald's, Nickelodeon, Ford, Nike, Diet Coke, The New York Times, and many others. He has received awards and accolades from the likes of Print Magazine, Communication Arts, The One Show, Type Director’s Club, and American Illustration.

Natasha is a Creative Director for Sony Music Entertainment, residing in NYC. She is a content creator, designer, videographer, editor, and photographer. She has created for fortune 500 brands like Pizza Hut, Sony Music, Jamba Juice, Samsung, Doritos, 7 Eleven and more. Throughout all of this corporate creative work, she spent her first 5 years producing AUSTERE. A fashion, art and music print magazine where she led a team of 30+ creatives to build 19 print issues. Natasha's main goal is to create captivating visual stories and identity for brands and musicians. Artist Uprising: Top 25 Most Influential Creatives of DFW - 2017.

Lily is a native Texan, designer, illustrator, printmaker and all around maker. She has a gift for problem solving and her passion for craftsmanship result in one-of-a kind solutions for logos, print collateral and packaging. After graduating from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Lily honed her skills in New York at Tsang Seymour and Bergdorf Goodman. She is currently Associate Creative Director at Banowetz + Co. in Dallas where she and her partner share a studio that is filled with paintings, presses, cacti and their dogs Leica and Wilma. Lily is also proud to serve as Co-Vice President for ICON11: The Illustration Conference.

Photography is about telling a story. Whether it be through one frame or a series of images, Tadd loves making photographs that speak about the subject. He's drawn to location choices that complement a subject yet recede enough to allow the subject to dominate the image.

Since growing up in Houston, TX in his father's printing company, he's always enjoyed the meticulous nature of my business. From operating an offset press at the age of 15, Tadd learned the importance of quality craftsmanship that has remained an important aspect throughout my life. What he truly loves about photography is both the technical and artistic sides. He feels it's the balance of both of these that create interesting images that resonate with the viewer.

In this day of digital media and our constant bombardment by visual clutter, it is so important to make imagery that tells a story in an elegant and unique way. Whether it's a still photograph or a motion video, Tadd enjoys making images that successfully communicate his client's vision.

44 Farms | AC Delco | Alcon | American Airlines | Amerisource Bergen | Apple | Atmos Energy | Chevrolet | Consilient Restaurant Group | D Magazine | Danner Footwear | Grapevine CVB | Harvard University | Lucchese Boots | New Balance Shoes | Oxxford Clothing Co. | Pecan Lodge BBQ | Quik Trip | Russell's Reserve Bourbon Whiskey | Sears Craftsman Tools | Southwest Airlines | Sprint | Standard Meat Corp. | The United Way | Titleist | Trinity Industries | USAA | USPS | Verizon | Walmart | Wild Turkey

Husani S. Oakley is the Chief Technology Officer

at GoldBean, an online investing platform that

helps people start their investment journey with

companies and brands they love, know, and buy.

During his time in #agencylife, he’s been the

Director of Creative Technology at Wieden + Kennedy,

VP Technology + Production at EVB, and Director

of Technology at Euro RSCG (Havas). He’s a

co-founder of Flavorpill Productions, Atlantico,

and Oakley + Partners.

Because he drinks entirely too much coffee, Husani

is also the Executive Producer and Creative Director

of Sessions In Dance, a modern dance company.

He lives in the NYC area with his partner and

their dog.

After giving marine biology a try in college, Susan decided to fall back on a more stable and lucrative profession: illustration. With her artist/writer husband Allen Crawford, they formed Plankton Art Company in 1999 

Susan's stylized, graceful forms are largely inspired by nature and mid-century modernism. She clients include Target, Warner Bros., Hershey, Chronicle Books, Knopf, Ride Snowboards, Hasbro, National Geographic Kids Magazine, Discovery Channel and The Smithsonian National Zoo. One of her most ambitious project was a series of 400 hand-rendered identification key illustrations of fish, plants and other undersea creatures for The American Museum of Natural History's Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, where these drawings are on permanent display. 

Susan's paintings, drawings and prints have been exhibited at numerous galleries, most notably Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea. She lives in a historic Quaker town in Central New Jersey, where she often goes on kayak trips in the Pine Barrens to look for tree frogs and orchids.

Duane King is a consultant and creative director based in Portland, Oregon who is focused on design, technology, and culture. Duane is an Executive Member of the IADAS, the Webby Awards judging body, and serves on the board of WorkOf and Designspeaks. In 2011, Fast Company selected him as one of the 50 Most Influential Designers in America.

Driven by curiosity, Duane’s work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, Fast Company, WIRED, The Guardian, Graphis, Industrial Designers Society of America, D&AD, The 100 Show, The Art Directors Club, TechCrunch, Engadget, The FWA, I.D. Magazine, Communication Arts, Creative Review, Computer Arts, IdN, Print and HOW Magazine.

Molly Dickson is a fashion photographer, director, gif-lover and Texas native. He photography and stop motion work often incorporates several mediums – combining photography with raw materials, manipulation, then further photography.   Some of her clients include: Ferragamo, Hewitt-Packard, Bumble, Forty Five Ten, David Sutherland, Bonobos, and FLAUNT.

“I just want the viewer to feel what I see.”

Canadianiborn Director/Photographer Stewart

Cohen is known for his subtle yet effective fashion

in which he directs people, and for the enthusiasm

and energy he brings to all assignments. His

visual approach is honest, resonant, authentic,

and cinematic. He moves seamlessly between

large-scale productions and smaller intimate ones,

keeping his visual acuity sharp.

Being on the road is a normal day for Stewart,

his projects have taken him to all seven

continents, including Antarctica. Agencies seek

him out because of his experience and energy

working internationally.

To date, he has won countless top industry

awards and has been profiled in Communication

Arts magazine and selected by Adweek as

Photographer of the Year.

Bryan Hynecek, from California, is VP of Design at Speck. Speck is a California born company and a leader in impeccable design, durability and style for iPhones, iPads, smartphones, laptops and e-readers. Bryan oversees all of the design processes taking a design from its very first concept right through to production.

On a day-to-day bases Bryan spends his time considering any of the limitations within a manufactures design and tries to bridge the gap between devices and the ways it will actually be used in everyday life. Bryan also experiments with ways in which Speck can inspire consumers to use their devices to make everyday tasks easier.

Bryan and the design team are constantly trying to evolve Speck’s products to differentiate them from the competition. They have to constantly meet the challenge of being innovative and different, while acting as quick as or quicker than everyone else to stay relevant.

“Solve the problem. Don’t decorate.”

DJ is a sixth-generation Texan. He studied graphic

design at Texas Tech University, where he was

honored as a distinguished alumni. DJ began his

graphic design career in 1981 working for Robert

A. Wilson Associates in Dallas. In 1987 he moved

to Austin, where he was the award-winning art

director of the nationally respected and critically

acclaimed Texas Monthly magazine. In January

2000 DJ joined Pentagram as a partner in the

Austin office. At Pentagram, DJ’s wide-ranging

expertise encompasses the design and redesign

of a variety of publications including magazines,

books, and catalogs. He and his team also

specialize in identity design, branding, packaging,

exhibitions, and website design. DJ’s work has

been widely published and has won countless

design awards. In 2010 the University of Texas

Press (UT Press) published Variations on a

Rectangle, a retrospective of DJ’s over 30-year

design career.

Christopher Simmons (born April 10, 1973) is a Canadian-born, San Francisco-based graphic designer, writer and educator. He served on the board of directors of the San Francisco chapter of the AIGA from 1996-1999, and again as president (2004-2006). On completion of Simmons' tenure in that position, mayor Gavin Newsom issued an official proclamation declaring San Francisco to be a city where "design makes a difference." Simmons is the principal creative director of the noted San Francisco design office, MINE(tm)

An art director by trade, it is easy to believe Eric once studied architecture when you look at the precision and craftsmanship of his work. As the Executive Creative Director of the Dallas office of Publicis Worldwide, North America, Eric leads a creative department that is well versed at winning new business pitches and has crafted effective, award-winning, integrated campaigns for global brands including Bridgestone of North America, BMW, PowerBar, Lake Austin Spa Resort, Chevrolet, PowerBar, CiCis Pizza, Beam Suntory (Hornitos Tequla and El Tesoro Tequila), TruGreen/Scotts Lawncare, and Nestlé Pure Life. Prior to that, Eric was Co-Founder/Co-Chief Creative Director of Rathbone Moncaleano Desir and a key creative leader at top agencies including Hal Riney & Partners, Foote, Cone and Belding and Leo Burnett. Eric pioneered one of the first campaigns to use digital and social media at the core of a multi-discipline ad launch for video game Mortal Kombat during the early days of the internet and has continued to use digital and social as a cornerstone of his creativity. He has won numerous awards for creativity and his work has been featured in several industry publications. He has also judged several award shows during his illustrious career.

James Bland has been showcasing his award-winning craftsmanship as a photographer for over 25 years. His zeal for capturing the essence of the people in front of the lens is evident in each of his pieces of work. He has earned numerous design and photography awards, and his portrait photography work has been showcased in exhibits and shows in Dallas and Washington D.C. His clients include advertising agencies, national and regional magazines, record companies, and corporate leaders.

“The Johnny Cash of AIGA,” English studied design

at Massachusetts College of Art. He began his career

in Boston working for a number of studios on

projects in communication design for Fortune 500

clients, broadcast design for ABC-TV’s Boston affiliate,

and creating museum exhibits for national

and international clients, before opening his own

studio in 1993.

He is the author of Designing Identity: Graphic

Design as a Business Strategy, a series of

industry-specific case studies providing insight

into the role design plays as part of a strategy for

success. English has picked up a stack of awards

that are sitting in boxes in his garage for work in

any number of given areas, and has been recognized

by the AIGA, the American

Center for Design, American Advertising

Federation, American Corporate Identity, the New

York Art Directors Club, the Broadcast Design

Association, the Society of Publication Designers,

International Typographic Design, Print,

Communication Arts, Graphis, I.D., HOW, and a

few others that have thrown him a bone.

New Mexico-born, Idaho-raised, and New York City-based, Cardon Webb studied under Paul Sahre at the School of Visual Arts before working first, with Louise Fili at her New York studio, and subsequently with John Gall at Vintage Books. Currently he is the Assoc. Art Director of Broadway Books at Crown. 

Cardon's thesis project, Cardon Copy, a visual exploration of self-distributed street fliers and tear-offs, was honored with a solo exhibition at the Type Directors Club highlighting his project. He is also the curator of several TDC shows and auctions, including Beautifully Banal, and Posters of Fortune. The renowned designers and artists who have collaborated with Cardon on the TDC shows are too many to list, but include: Niklaus Troxler, Carin Goldberg, James Victore, and Alex Trochut. 

Cardon had the privilege of working on-site with established contemporary artist David Salle on typographical explorations. His work at Vintage books has been praised by Design Bureau and Frame magazines, and his innovative designs for the complete works of Oliver Sacks were included in PRINT magazine's best book covers of 2011. 

In his non-existent spare time, Cardon recently completed a Post Graduate degree in Typeface Design from the Cooper Union (Type@Cooper). Outside of design Cardon enjoys rock climbing, skate and snowboarding, thrifting and raising his newly born daughter Cree and son Koos with his beautiful wife Kelly Sue.

Josh Boston is an American graphic designer, illustrator and creative director working across multiple disciplines to hopefully make stuff you feel in your tummy or at least nod your head. He has previously been an art director for Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Oregon as well as serving as a design lead at Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Boulder, Colorado. His work has been featured in various publications and he's been awarded by Cannes, Andy's, Adobe Site of the Day and apparently has an Appy award but is not sure if that's even a real thing. In 2015 he cofounded the brand design agency Briefcase with offices in San Diego, California and Portland, Oregon. He is tall, happy and lives in Portland, Oregon with his super cool wife.

John J. Custer is a born-n-bred Texas designer, and illustrator turned principal and founder of a very Dandy creative studio. Based in New York City, he focuses on developing optimistic and blunt solutions—with a dash of wit, for people, places, and things that give a damn.

Karen Kurycki is a designer/illustrator in Jacksonville, FL. Design is her passion and she loves to combine illustration with design in her commercial work. Karen has been experimenting with watercolor since her days at Kent State University, embracing its unpredictability and the surprises that can come out of using it. She decided to pursue a career as a full-time independent illustrator/designer after working for several years as an art director for boutique agencies in Jacksonville. She admits that in her view of the world she usually sees the humorous, the quirky, the slightly off "normal", which she tries to communicate through her design and illustration. Karen has worked with a number of national and international clients including The Washington Post, Nike, McDonald's, AT&T, Reebok, Choice Organic Teas, and Emirates Airline.

Karen has been actively involved with AIGA since 2004. She served as president of the Jacksonville AIGA chapter from 2011-2013, and is a strong proponent of volunteerism. During her role as Community Outreach Chair for AIGA Jacksonville, she was instrumental in starting Discover Design, a mentoring program for high school students that has been active for nine years. She has also served on the AIGA Chapter Advisory Council, the 2015 AIGA Medalist Committee and the National AIGA Get out the Vote Initiative. When she's not tirelessly working in her studio, you can find her making t-shirts for and attending every Jaguars home game (for the past 10 years), singing karaoke, or eating pizza.

A professional photographer now since the early ‘90s, Sebron's current focus is on editorial and advertising portraiture. He also creates conceptual images, anchored in just the right amount of truth; constantly searching for ways to bend reality in creative and subtle ways. He is known to capture the essence of his subject's personality and exposes the cleverness and beauty of the profound and the mundane. Sebron has also served as a freelance Art Director and Designer for local creative firms. This experience as a former art director, has allowed Sebron to bring his vast commercial art experience to his present work.

Ben is an American graphic designer living in Portland, Oregon where he leads the design studio Nonlinear. Previously, as one of the first communication designers to join Facebook’s team in California, his focus was on developing Facebook’s internal culture, voice and brand. Most notably, he cofounded the Facebook Analog Research Laboratory, an internal print studio and art program. Before Facebook, Ben, a graduate of the University of North Texas, worked for the design firm and screen printing shop The Decoder Ring in Austin, Texas. There he honed his skills working with a range of clients, designing packaging, merchandising and a lot of screen printed posters. He is also an alumnus and advisor of John Bielenberg’s experimental design education program, Project M, where he explores the role designers can play in encouraging social change.

Following a brief career as a copywriter for small agencies, Leo Santos left his native Brazil to pursue an Art Direction degree at the traditional Portfolio Center, in Atlanta. There, he earned the Grand Prize for best student portfolio in the country in the Mother Of All Portfolio Contests, held by Bates Worldwide. Since then, he's helped turn a small, under-the-radar agency in Lower Alabama into Agency Of The Year in their local chapter of the AAF, survived the weather in Detroit while helping on the often-parodied “Real Stories” campaign for OnStar, and finally made his was to Dallas for a stint with The Richards Group. Since 2006, Leo has been in the trenches for Doritos® and other Frito-Lay accounts at The Marketing Arm, the most awarded Promotional Agency in the country for the last four years straight.

With over 300 awards of excellence, she has

been recognized by virtually every organization

in the field of visual communication. She is the

recipient of design’s most honored awards:

the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

National Design Award and the AIGA Medal.

Her work has been published extensively, most

notably in Meggs’ History of Graphic Design.

Clients include Levi Strauss, Herman Miller,

Stanford University, SculptureCenter, and Design

Within Reach. Her work is part of many permanent

museum collections including the Museum of

Modern Art in New York (MoMA), the San Francisco

Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) and the

Smithsonian Museum. She has been honored with

solo design exhibitions at the SFMoMA and the

DDD Gallery in Japan.

She served on the National Board of Directors of

AIGA, is on the Accessions Board for Architecture

and Design at SFMoMA, and has been judging the

Webby Awards for over a decade.