Our Purpose

 

Essence is emotion is connection.

 

Beauty is commonly understood as an aesthetic quality—the way something captures our attention, sometimes without an identifiable reason why. Underneath that instinct, though, there is always a set of characteristics at work. Rooted in truth. Specific to the thing itself.

In the context of a brand, those characteristics come directly from the organization. Its beliefs. Its culture. Its purpose. When they’re identified and made perceivable, the brand becomes unmistakable.

That is the work we’ve devoted our practice to. Realizing the essence of our clients—with beauty, with precision, and with consequence.

Adele Park Head of Retail Design San Francisco, CA
Brand Experience: Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Calvin Klein, Dior, Hasbro, Jason Wu, Neiman Marcus, Natori, NEST Fragrances, Nordstrom, Ole Henriksen, Papyrus, QVC, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora, Simple Human, Target, TJMaxx, Ulta, Walmart Master’s, Interior Architecture, RISD Former Faculty at Boston Architectural College Ten+ years volunteer work, Habitat for Humanity
Anna Kern, PHD Head of Research New York City, NY
Brand Experience: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Northwell Health, Semmes Murphey, Catalyst Housing, Eli Lilly, Ipsen, Vertex, Heat Biologics, Validity, The Nature Conservancy, Oxfam America, The Conference Board Partner, The Brand Ecologist Adjunct Faculty, Sociology, Vermont State University Former, Research Fellow IGERT University of Kansas and HealthAware Boston College Member, The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
Becky Getz Head of Brand Integration Chicago, IL
Brand Experience: Northwell Health, Semmes Murphey, Amazon, Beam Suntory, Dove, Hertz, Kimberly Clark, Unilever Former Head of Global Brand Strategic Initiatives and Operations, Amazon Former Head of Customer Experience at Amazon AWS VP & Head of Operations, Design Experience, Capitol One Founder, Former Managing Director, Barrie D’Rozario DiLorenzo Former Managing Director, Agency Operations, Ogilvy Former SVP Global Client Lead/Director of Client Management, Ogilvy Member, 4As CX Council
Beth Almeida Cofounder + Design Director San Francisco, CA
Brand Experience: Northwell Health, Semmes Murphey, New England Baptist Hospital, GBH, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, +Rise, Matillion, MIT Seung Lab, GBH, Captains of Industry Multiple awards across several categories: Advertising, Design, Collateral, Identity, Posters, Websites Graduate of MassArt; Best in Show Winner; Kakehashi Creators Program, Japan
Jeff Monahan Founder + Principal Boston, MA
Brand Experience: Northwell Health, Semmes Murphey, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, New England Baptist Hospital, Atlas Venture, Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, Vera Wang, GMAC, Bang & Olufsen Graphis Annual Awards (multiple awards, multiple categories), Graphis 50 Best Branding Studios USA, Graphis 50 Best Design Studios USA, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award Nominee Cochair Jay Chiat Awards Inaugural CX Design Jury; Founding Member, 4As CX Council; Director, 4As Eastern Region Board; Former Board Chair, 4As New England Council; Former Board Cochair, 4As Foundation; Former Chair, Design Museum; Former Director, Luxury Marketing Council
Jesse Poe Head of User Experience New York City, NY
Florence, IT
Brand Experience: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Citibank, FT, Genentech, Pepsico, Mountain Dew, Kering, L’Oréal, Novartis, Microsoft, New York Life, Invesco, H&R Block, Bloomberg, Nuveen, MetLife, Beam Suntory, Keurig, Michelin, TD Ameritrade, Sunbrella, New York Review of Books, JPM Wealth, BNYM Wealth Co-Architected Havas’ Global CX team Former Director, Creative Strategy, Code & Theory Member, 4As CX Council Former Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Kauffman Foundation Global experience: Asia, Europe, Americas
Jörn Bühring, PHD Head of Design Foresight Melbourne, AU
Berlin, DE
Brand Experience: Bang & Olufsen, UBS, Bissell, Four Seasons Resorts, Toyota, BMW Former Assistant Professor, Design Foresight and Innovation, Hong Kong Polytechnic School of Design International speaker, author, and consultant about Design Foresight, Design Economies, Experience Design, and Innovation Global experience: Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Malaysia, United States
Marlene Cole Cofounder + Senior Designer Seattle, WA
Brand Experience: Semmes Murphey, Northwell Health, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, Harley Davidson, New England Baptist Hospital Multiple awards across several categories: Advertising, Design, Collateral, Identity, Posters, Websites Assistant Professor of Design, MassArt Director, 4As New England Council Graduate of MassArt; MassArt x Seoul Tech Design Exhibition, South Korea Graduate, 4As Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies
Ruston Spurlock Partner Washington, D.C.
Brand Experience: Northwell Health, Semmes Murphey, Johnson & Johnson, Colgate-Palmolive, AT&T, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Ericsson, Moët-Hennesy, Carlsberg, Gateway, Samsung, Microsoft, Nokia, InBev, Vonage Principal, Gray Global Advisors Cochair, 4As Foundation Former Mng Partner, J. Walter Thompson, Beijing Former Managing Director, Leo Burnett Moscow Former General Manager, Leo Burnett New York Master’s, Marketing, Thunderbird Global experience: Asia, Europe, United States
Tahlisha Williams Head of People Experience Atlanta, GA
Founder + CEO, Good Fruit Consulting LLC Former EVP, Talent, Equity, and Learning Solutions, 4A’s Former Chief Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Officer, North America, Wunderman Thompson Former HR Director, Wunderman Thompson Atlanta Former HR Business Partner, Cox Media Group Alumni, McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Academy Member, VML Inclusion Experience Advisory Council

Collective Client Experience

Beauty & Personal Care

  • Barefoot Scientist
  • Beneath Your Mask
  • Besame Cosmetics
  • Dove
  • Kat Von D
  • L’Oréal
  • Montkush
  • Ole Henriksen
  • Pipette
  • Revlon / Elizabeth Arden
  • Rose Inc
  • Sephora
  • Virtue

Design & Architecture

  • Design Museum
  • International Design Guild
  • Nicholaeff Architecture
  • TRIA

Education & Research

  • MIT Seung Lab
  • United Negro College Fund

Fashion & Apparel

  • Calvin Klein
  • Dior
  • Jason Wu
  • Karl Lagerfeld
  • Kering
  • Natori
  • Savvi
  • Tommy Bahama
  • Trina Turk
  • Vera Wang

 

Financial Services

  • Ameriprise
  • Atlas Venture
  • Bentall Kennedy
  • Bloomberg
  • BNYM Wealth
  • Capital One
  • Citibank
  • Invesco
  • J&W Seligman
  • JPM Wealth
  • MetLife
  • New York Life
  • Nuveen
  • Solamere Capital
  • TD Ameritrade
  • UBS

Food & Beverage

  • Beam Suntory
  • Carlsberg
  • Godiva
  • InBev
  • Klin Spirits
  • Moët-Hennesy
  • PepsiCo

Fragrance & Home Scent

  • NEST Fragrances
  • Slatkin & Co.
  • Thompson Ferrier

Luxury Retail & Department Stores

  • Bergdorf Goodman
  • Bloomingdale’s
  • Holt Renfrew
  • Lord & Taylor
  • Neiman Marcus
  • Nordstrom
  • Saks Fifth Avenue

 

Media & Publishing

  • FT
  • GBH
  • New York Review of Books

Nonprofit & Social Impact

  • Breast Cancer Research Foundation
  • Captains of Industry
  • Elton John AIDS Foundation
  • NEXT for Autism
  • Oxfam America
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • The Record Co.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Cure Alzheimer’s Fund
  • Eli Lilly
  • Genentech
  • Heat Biologics
  • Ipsen
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Kaiser Permanente Washington
  • Medisafe
  • New England Baptist Hospital
  • Northwell Health
  • Novartis
  • Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston
  • Semmes Murphey
  • Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
  • Vertex

Home & Lifestyle

  • Bang & Olufsen
  • Bissell
  • Crane & Co.
  • Papyrus
  • Simple Human
  • SpotOn
  • Wedgwood
  • William Arthur

 

Professional Services & Associations

  • Luxury Marketing Council
  • The Conference Board

Real Estate

  • Coldwell Banker
  • GMAC Home Services
  • The DeWolfe Companies

Retail & Consumer Goods

  • Amazon
  • Colgate-Palmolive
  • Hartmann
  • Kimberly Clark
  • Unilever

Technology

  • AT&T
  • Ericsson
  • Matillion
  • Microsoft
  • Samsung

Travel & Hospitality

  • Four Seasons Resorts
  • Hertz
  • Michelin

Transportation & Mobility

  • BMW
  • Harley Davidson
  • Kestrel Aircraft
  • Toyota

 

Recognition

Companies in the top-quartile of the McKinsey Design Index realize 32% higher revenue growth.

 

—The Business Value of Design, McKinsey & Company

 

  • AIGA (multiple)
  • Cannes Lions (multiple)
  • Clio Awards (multiple)
  • Davey Awards (multiple)
  • Effie Awards (multiple)
  • Emmy Awards (multiple)
  • FiFi Awards
  • Graphis Advertising (multiple)
  • Graphis BrandingUSA (multiple)
  • Graphis Design (multiple)
  • Graphis DesignersUSA (multiple)
  • Graphis Protest Posters
  • HOW Design
  • Lovely Package
  • PRSA (multiple)
  • REBRAND (multiple)
  • Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards (nominee)
  • Telly Awards (multiple)
  • The Ad Club (multiple)
  • The Art Directors Club
  • The Art of the Show
  • The Dieline
  • W3 Awards (multiple)