Jury Alumni

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  Petrula Vrontikis

  Creative Director, Vrontikis Design Office

  2017 Design Education Initiative Jury Captain

  Petrula Vrontikis is a leading influence in graphic design. Her current work includes research, writing, consulting, creating brand communication strategies, training, and coaching. She received an AIGA Fellows Award honoring her as an essential voice raising the understanding of design within the industry and among the business and cultural communities. She served as a national advisory board member of the AIGA and is frequently asked to serve on numerous local, national, and international design juries.
  
  She is creative director and owner of Vrontikis Design Office (@vrontikis and 35k.com) and a professor at Art Center College of Design, teaching graphic design, career development, and professional practice courses.
  
  Her professional practice gives her role as a teacher an important authenticity. She encourages students to explore their potential as designers and as a catalyst for change in the larger creative community.
  
  Petrula is an avid traveler and visual translator. It’s not unusual to find her scuba diving with giant manta rays, climbing a steep and rocky slope, or twisting her body like a pretzel in a yoga class.

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  Eric Martinez

  Partner, Designing Change Lead, VSA Partners

  2017 Strategy & Research Jury Member

  For more than a decade, Eric has worked at the intersection of change management, brand strategy and marketing activation. Guided by the belief that individuals and institutions do their best work when aligned around ethical stories, Eric is committed to building brands and organizations that genuinely serve people. Among his most prominent clients are IBM, Alibaba, NVIDIA, Chanel, Cole Haan, BP and Target. Eric recently founded and leads the Designing Change practice at VSA Partners, where he and a team of business strategists, creatives and facilitators help transformation leaders in Fortune 1000 companies to design their futures.
  
  Prior to his current role, Eric launched and led the Strategy Practice at VSA. To tackle the multifaceted challenges faced by multinational brands today, he built a team of strategists with expertise in branding, design thinking, technology, market and user research, and advertising. During this time, Eric also worked closely with his partners at VSA to transform the company’s New York office from a regional, boutique design firm into a full service branding and technology shop.
  
  With a BA in Comparative Literature and Philosophy from NYU and an MA from the University of Chicago, Eric’s background in philosophy and literature form the foundation of his approach to problem solving and opportunity creation. An Entrepreneurship Coach at NYU’s Leslie eLab, Eric is also a guest lecturer in Design Thinking at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

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  Dana Arnett

  CEO, VSA Partners

  2022 Visual Communication Jury Captain

  Dana is CEO of VSA Partners and a guiding force behind the firm's creation of brand programs, digital initiatives and design solutions for its diverse roster of world-class clients. His career has been steeped in design leadership, policymaking, business and brand consulting, and a long record of public service. He has been recognized internationally by multiple organizations for his contributions to design, including the Smithsonian Institute. Dana is past President of AIGA, a recipient of the AIGA Medal, an ID 40 recipient, DIFFA Unsung Hero recipient, a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale, a former board member of the Architecture & Design Society at the Art Institute of Chicago, and founding board member of Project &. In 2016, Arnett worked with the Obama Administration to brand and launch Spark, the first-ever government led global entrepreneurship initiative. In the spring of 2022, Dana and Kevin Bethune are pleased to be featured as season 11 co-hosts of the acclaimed podcast, The Design of Business, The Business of Design.

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  Dickon Isaacs

  Founder and Creative Director, We Design Clarity, LLC

  2020 Home & Living Jury Member

  Dickon Isaacs is the Founder + Creative Director of Clarity, www.wedesignclarity.com. Specializing in making sense of the complex, Dickon brings clarity to the abstract and unknown through innovative and commercially successful designs. He is an accomplished creative leader, combining his global corporate and consultancy experiences from Intuit, Motorola, and IDEO. Through deep experience, empathy and a fresh perspective, Clarity collaborates with speed to deliver design strategies, industrial design, and intuitive digital experiences. Current clients span a range of industries including FinTech, Home Automation, Sports + Leisure, and Precision Imaging.

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  Desirée Zamora García

  Product Design Manager, Webflow

  2022 Interaction Jury Member

  Desirée is a designer, speaker, and editor whose practice has spanned a diverse range of spaces in interaction design. She is driven by a desire to push the boundaries of interaction design in service of creative expression, and giving people agency over their own presence and opportunities on the web.
  
  Today she leads teams of product designers at Webflow, a no-code website publishing platform. Her editorial work enables designers to influence discussions about web technologies, standards, and frameworks. In 2013, her design of personal finance tools for funding a college education were the runner-up for the Core77 award in government. She also works as an editor at A List Apart

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  Nessim Higson

  Executive Creative Director, WeTransfer

  2021 Visual Communication Jury Captain

  Nessim Higson is the Executive Creative Director at WeTransfer, where he is in charge of the creative brand, identity, and visual language of the company. He was previously the Web Design Director for Squarespace helping oversee the continuing development of the platform and brand, and how it can be a leading force in championing creativity globally. He helped lead the charge on innovation within SQSP through helping establish their web concepts team and oversaw the rebrand of the company in 2019.
  
  Prior to joining Squarespace, Nessim lived and worked in Amsterdam for 6 years and has continued to run his independent studio IAAH / iamalwayshungry working with a range of clients such as Adidas, The Criterion Collection, DC Comics, TED, Google, and a wide range of global advertising and design agencies.
  
  Nessim is a firm believer that great communication can not only shift the economic marketplace but has a responsibility to contribute to the social fabric of society.

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  Diana Alcausin

  Associate Creative Director, WeTransfer Advertising Studio

  2021 Visual Communication Jury Member

  D Alcausin is the Associate Creative Director of the WeTransfer Advertising Studio.
  
  She leads a team of talented creatives who design award winning immersive, interactive digital ads viewed by a global audience of 60 million users a month. Collaborating with the world's leading brands, Diana oversees the advertising platform's evolution into a unique digital space at the forefront of creative innovation.
  
  With a grounding in commercial strategy, Diana bridges the gap between business and design with an approach that balances strategic creative execution with business goals.

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  Sebastien Greffe

  Creative Director, WeWantMore® Studio

  2024 Packaging Jury Member

  Sebastien Greffe is an award winning creative director at WeWantMore® Studio, renowned for a demonstrated history in brand- and packaging design, in both the design- and advertising industries, having worked for clients like Coca Cola, Heineken, Pioneer DJ, Microsoft, Cristal, Loop Earplugs and Neuhaus. With a keen eye for design and a strategic mindset, they have consistently delivered compelling creative solutions that not only resonate with target audiences but also drive substantial brand growth and recognition.

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  Dan Harden

  President, CEO & Principal Designer, Whipsaw

  2015 Commercial Equipment Jury Captain

  Dan is President, CEO, Principal Designer and cofounder of Whipsaw Inc., a highly acclaimed design firm in Silicon Valley, California. Whipsaw designs products and experiences for companies around the world, from Fortune 100’s to startups.
  
  Dan is a hands-on designer and directs the strategic and conceptual direction of most client accounts. Throughout his prolific career Dan has designed hundreds of highly successful products ranging from baby bottles to supercomputers. Fast Company magazine selected Dan as one of “The 100 Most Creative People in Business 2014”, calling him “design’s secret weapon”. Fast Company also ranked Whipsaw among the ‘Top 5 design firms in the world’ in 2009 and they featured Dan as a ‘Master of Design’ in 2005.
  
  Dan frequently lectures on design topics at universities and conferences, including being keynote at the Australia Design Forum; keynote at the Wuxi Design Conference ; keynote and Chairman of the IDSA National Conference Collideoscope (’02), and he was a United Nations Design Delegate to China in ’98. Prior to cofounding Whipsaw in 1999, Dan was the President of Frogdesign where he designed many notable products and led the company for ten years. Before joining Frogdesign in 1989 he was a lead designer at Henry Dreyfuss Associates. In the early eighties Dan interned with design master George Nelson. He also interned at Hewlett Packard and Richardson Smith (later became Fitch). Dan graduated from the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture and Art in 1982.

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  Minali Chatani

  Co-Founder & Head of Brand, Wild One

  2021 Personal Accessory Jury Captain

  Minali oversees Wild One’s creative identity and vision, as well as all marketing initiatives. Prior to Wild One, she was the Head of Brand Creative at sweetgreen, where she established and grew both the creative team and brand identity to its current stage. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design, earning her degree in Graphic Design. Growing up, Minali was a pet parent to fish, birds, guinea pigs, dogs, cats and at one point a whole series of bugs. She lives in Brooklyn with her Badass Animal Rescue foster pups, and cat, Otis.

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  Veronica Becchetti

  Co-Founder & Head of Production, Wild One

  2021 Personal Accessory Jury Captain

  Veronica oversees all aspects of product innovation, manufacturing and production at Wild One. Prior to joining the Wild One team, Veronica served as Director of Production at S’well, after joining as the company's 8th employee in 2014. Previously, she worked in manufacturing and product development at Target, William E. Connor and Gap. Veronica has a BFA in Retail Merchandising and Management from the University of Wisconsin - Stout, and lives in the East Village where she’s the proud aunt to many dogs.

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  Elle De Freitas

  Founder + CEO, Wonderkind

  2023 Packaging Jury Member

  Wonderkind is a marketing, design and photography studio built specifically for consumer brands!
  
  We are a team of 25 gals down in Austin, TX obsessed with brands and the experiences they give their consumers. We specialize in social strategy, content marketing, and design.
  
  We've worked with brands like Hippeas, Bulletproof, Torchy's, MOSH, Sunlife, Yasso, Minimalist Baker, Culina, and 200 more!
  

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  Dever Thomas

  Partner, Design, Work & Co

  2021 Interaction Jury Member

  Dever Thomas is a design partner at Work & Co in Copenhagen. She sets and executes create direction for some of the world’s most admired global companies including IKEA, Aesop, Céline, La Mer, YouTube, and Virgin America. In her role, she collaborates closely with other disciplines — technology, product management, strategy — to shape the final product. She is a thought leader on digital design, published in the Wall Street Journal and Business of Fashion, and her work has won awards from Fast Company, Communication Arts, Glossy, and the UX Awards.

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  Daniele Codega

  Design Director, Work & Co

  2019 Interaction Jury Captain

  Daniele Codega is a Design Director at Work & Co, a nearly 300-person technology and design company with offices in the US, Brazil and Europe. The company partners with Apple, Lyft, Epic Games, Equinox, Mailchimp and others to define and launch digital experiences people love using every day.
  
  Daniele’s known for working with clients on the strategic and systematic design of large-scale digital products. He has extensive experience working at the intersection of physical and digital, media, and luxury for companies such as Apple, Gucci, Samsung.
  
  Prior to Work & Co he was a Product Design Director at Elephant, leading design for various Apple projects. Earlier, he led digital product design for Gucci, Samsung, Reuters, and Huffington Post.

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  Folake Knudsen

  Product Designer, Workday

  2021 Consumer Technology Jury Member

  Folake Knudsen is a Product Designer at Workday in Copenhagen where she is focused on Peakon, a platform for measuring and improving employee engagement, inclusion, and growth.
  
  Previously, Knudsen has worked at Bang & Olufsen, where she was responsible for the consumer-facing mobile app and software/hardware interactions, BMW, helping to build its connected mobile app for its fleet of luxury vehicles.
  
  Knudsen previously earned a Master’s degree in Human-computer interaction from DePaul University.

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  Adam Lawrence

  Co-Founder, WorkPlayExperience

  2015 Service Design Jury Member

  Adam Lawrence is a change facilitator, stand-up comedian and professional actor with a background in psychology and the global automotive industry. For years he has been using expertise gained in the world of theater, film, music and storytelling to help organizations influence and impress their customers and partners. He has been a pioneer in the use of full-bodied development tools in service design, and in his focus on the dramatic arcs of experiences. Adam is co-founder of WorkPlayExperience, and co-initiator of the Global Service Jam - the world's biggest ever service design event (so far). Follow him on Twitter:@adamstjohn