- Together by Design
- Topics
- Design Leadership
Cheers & Tiers: From Chapter President to Design Champion, a Conversation with Frances Yllana
There’s something special about podcast conversations that flow so naturally you forget you’re recording. That's exactly what happened when Frances Yllana (pronounced: ill-ee-yana) joined Erik and me on the “Cheers & Tiers” podcast.
Cheers & Tiers: From Complainer to Creative Rebel, The Brian Singer Chronicles
You know you've found a kindred spirit when someone’s claim to fame includes getting death threats for his art. That’s Brian Singer for you—the man who photographed drivers on their phones and put them on billboards, just to see what would happen.
Cheers & Tiers: Building Ladders, Not Pedestals—Leadership Wisdom from Ashleigh Axios
With her impressive journey from AIGA DC volunteer to White House Creative Director to AIGA National Board President, Ashleigh offered insights that left me inspired and energized about the power of design leadership.
Cheers & Tiers: Skateboards, Pyramids, and Design Leadership with Elysia Syriac
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you mix skateboard art, human pyramids in bowling alleys, and a decade of design leadership, our latest Cheers & Tiers episode with the fabulous Elysia Syriac delivers all that and more!
Cheers & Tiers: 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.
Cheers & Tiers: 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 led creative programs and internal events for Amazon Design, I’ve learned firsthand that building mutual understanding requires intentional translation.
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.
