Though decades apart in age, background, and experience, Henry Beer and Lauren Kelly both epitomize the forces shape-shifting the design landscape today.
Beer co-founded groundbreaking design firm CommArts in 1973 and led its award-winning projects for forty years. In 2010, his company was acquired by A/E firm Stantec and today, he is a principal in one of the firm’s most profitable sectors. Kelly, a 2008 design school graduate, has created a brand new business model at the intersection of design and technology, inventing cloud-based tools for streamlining the asset inventory and management process.
Beer and Kelly join a roster of CEOs and entrepreneurs that will share their unique experiences—and their secrets for reinventing and evolving their design practices—at SEGD’s Business of Design Summit February 19 in Denver.
Topics to be addressed include:
* Legacy and transition of ownership
* Innovative leadership structures
* Attracting and retaining next-gen talent
* Emerging business models
* Increasing company value through client services
* Evolving the design practice beyond design
“It’s an exciting time for design,” says Clive Roux, CEO of SEGD. “We know that businesses practicing environmental and experiential graphic design grew an average of 10 to 15 percent in 2014, and some as much as 30 percent. We’re seeing design entrepreneurs create new business models, and we’re seeing some companies consolidating while others are evolving in totally new directions using design thinking to explore opportunities up and down the value chain, from strategy to tools to support design processes.”
The Summit is a must for design business owners and partners looking for innovative ways to build, grow, and sustain their practices into the future. The day-long event is designed as a platform for design-focused owners/entrepreneurs of all generations and disciplines to compare best practices and strategies for evolving their businesses.
The workshop will be held at the Denver offices of Gensler. For complete program information and registration, visit https://segd.org//workshop/2015-business-of-design.
