When AIGA Legends Gather: A Chat with Mike Joosse
Mike Joosse, Group Studio Director of Brand Design at VML, shares how attending a record-breaking ten AIGA leadership retreats shaped his approach to creative community-building and design leadership. From volunteer to chapter president to national director, his AIGA experiences have become the blueprint for his current role connecting design professionals across the country.
Why “Do What You Love” Is Only Half the Story
Passion without a supportive environment is like having a Ferrari stuck in a mud pit. Performs great, goes nowhere. So here’s to finding not only work that you love, but work that loves you back.
A Whimsical Wander with David Jon Walker
Oh, what a delightful chat we had with the ever-moving, ever-creating David Jon Walker! While Erik and I settled into our virtual seats for this episode, David joined us fresh from his daily run in New Haven—the man literally never stops!
The Translation Layer
Business leaders and designers often speak entirely different languages—one talks KPIs and ROI, the other design systems and user journeys. Having lead creative programs and internal events for Amazon Design, I’ve learned firsthand that building mutual understanding requires intentional translation.
The Art of Creative Structure: A Coffee Shop Philosophy
Drawing from her journey from barista to digital events producer, Heather Lynn reveals how the perfect balance of reliable systems and creative freedom—much like in a well-run coffee shop—can elevate your work from functional to exceptional.
Archive
When AIGA Legends Gather: A Chat with Mike Joosse
Mike Joosse, Group Studio Director of Brand Design at VML, shares how attending a record-breaking ten AIGA leadership retreats shaped his approach to creative community-building and design leadership. From volunteer to chapter president to national director, his AIGA experiences have become the blueprint for his current role connecting design professionals across the country.
The Translation Layer
Business leaders and designers often speak entirely different languages—one talks KPIs and ROI, the other design systems and user journeys. Having lead creative programs and internal events for Amazon Design, I’ve learned firsthand that building mutual understanding requires intentional translation.
The Art of Creative Structure: A Coffee Shop Philosophy
Drawing from her journey from barista to digital events producer, Heather Lynn reveals how the perfect balance of reliable systems and creative freedom—much like in a well-run coffee shop—can elevate your work from functional to exceptional.
Cheers & Tiers: Paul Mendoza on Building Design Communities with Joy
This episode highlights Paul’s formative experiences at AIGA leadership retreats, particularly his first in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2015, and recounts his show-stopping karaoke performance that made him instantly recognizable among AIGA leadership.
The Failure Trophy: What Event Marketing Taught Me About Real Leadership
Forced to abandon our successful in-person Creative Jam playbook overnight, our team stood at the edge of pandemic uncertainty—until my mentor’s counterintuitive advice to “fail spectacularly” unlocked a journey of experimentation that would transform our events in ways we never imagined possible.
From Pyramids to Podcasts: Capturing Community Memories In Conversations
This article is a behind-the-scenes look at how Cheers & Tiers: Design Leadership Tales Retold came to life—a podcast where my co-host Erik Cargill and I celebrate the bonds, stories, and exciting, tangled adventures of design community leaders.