HOW Design Live Early Bird
HOW Design Live 2015 Keynote Speakers
HOW Design Live 2015, Chicago design events


Alex Center is a Brooklyn-based designer who currently works for the global beverage leader, The Coca-Cola Company. He grew up in the town of Oceanside NY, home to the world's second Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs. He once worked for the New York Knicks as a designer where he worked with both his childhood idol, John Starks and his nemesis Isiah Thomas. He has spent most of his professional hours being creative on behalf of the beverage brand vitaminwater. Over the years, he has designed packaging that has been in hands across the globe, created breakthrough marketing campaigns, launched innovative new products and once met rapper 50 Cent who told him “You must think you're pretty special.” He got nervous and instantly started sweating. In 2011, Alex was named one of the 200 Best Packaging Designers by Luerzers Archive. In 2012, he started sharing his story with speaking engagements at The Dieline Forum, HOW Design Live and as a guest on Debbie Millman's famous Design Matters podcast. In 2014, Alex was named a Person To Watch by GDUSA Magazine joining the likes of legendary past recipients like Milton Glaser, Primo Angeli, George Lois and Saul Bass. Today, he leads the design vision and strategy for global brands at Coca-Cola that include vitaminwater, smartwater & Powerade. In his personal time he enjoys rooting for New York sports teams that wear orange/blue, doing improv at the UCB Theatre and searching for the freshest prosciutto in New York City.


Sessions

The Future In-House

Tuesday, May 5 • 10:15 – 11:00 am


Industry studies have confirmed with hard facts what in-house managers have known to be true for years good design is good business.CEO's and executive leaders are now looking for ways to infuse design into every aspect of the brand experience by leveraging their in-house teams. For this reason, I believe this is the single most exciting time in designs history. This is our moment. This session will instruct in-house managers on how think more like a politician to seize this moment and to determine what traits to look for and cultivate in a designer characteristics that will bring even more credibility to their in-house team as a whole both internally and externally. It’s the in-house team that must become the guardians of the brand. Forget about fonts, color theory, composition and aesthetics, for now. This session will teach in-house managers how to build a team of thought leaders, not craftsmen. We must learn how to secure people on our teams that are concerned about how design can change lives and create value.

3 Main Take- Aways:
  1. Learn to build a team of thought leaders, not craftsmen
  2. Remove subjectivity and replace it with strategy
  3. Learn how you can become the brand