Co-President

Sara Frisk

sara@chicago.aiga.org

Sara Frisk believes everything can be made better through design. It’s this belief that fueled her transition to IDEO in 2006, with the goal of creating deeper impact on her clients’ brands and businesses. As a Portfolio Director for IDEO Chicago, she thrives on the complexity of how brand integrates with services, products, and digital design across various industries. Her award-winning work has helped such clients as the American Red Cross, Brooks Sports, Sherwin-Williams, Target, PNC Bank, Redbox, and Walgreens grow their brands and develop stronger, more meaningful customer relationships.

 

An excellence freak with a wicked sense of humor, Sara is an avid cyclist, sure-footed runner, and no-holds-barred color addict. A long-time vocal advocate for all-things Chicago design, she is honored to be AIGA Chicago’s president.

 

Co-President

Alisa Wolfson

alisa@chicago.aiga.org

Shortly after joining Leo Burnett in 2008, Alisa Wolfson founded the agency’s Department of Design, which she continues to guide and oversee as SVP, Director of Design. She has worked as a designer for over 15 years, with past and current clients including Crate & Barrel, Hallmark, Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola. She is also the design director at Lampo, a nonprofit organization that presents experimental sound art in Chicago.

 

In 2012 Alisa received the inaugural D&AD White Pencil for her work on Recipeace, a social movement that brings people of conflict together over food. Recipeace also recently won Best in Show at the One Show Design along with the first ever Gold Pencil awarded for Design for the Greater Good. She has been named one of 30 “Women to Watch” by Ad Age and recognized as “Fresh Talent” by AIGA Chicago. Her work has been acknowledged by D&AD, The One Show, The Clio’s, Cannes Lions, The Type Directors Club and Communication Arts. She also has pieces included in the Society of Typographic Art’s Chicago Design Archive.

 

Alisa spends much of her free time exploring Chicago with her five-year-old daughter and her husband.

 

Vice-President Outreach

Matt Terdich

matt@chicago.aiga.org

Matthew Terdich is a design director at Studio/lab, specializing in typography, information systems design and architectural graphics. Outside of Studio/lab he is a guest contributor for the international design magazine Neshan, as well as the Exhibition Director for the Chicago Design Museum. Matthew previously held a position as a senior designer at Morningstar Inc., where he was responsible for interaction design and architectural graphics and wayfinding for Morningstar’s global headquarters. His work has been recognized and exhibited by Print, AIGA 365, Index, The Type Directors Club, the Society of Typographic Arts, the Trvana Poster Triennale and the Centre Pompidou.

 

Matthew holds an MAS in Visual Communication from the Basel School of Design in Switzerland and an MFA and BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

 

Vice-President Programming

Sharlene King

sharlene@chicago.aiga.org

Although her career spans only 8 years, it’s covered everything from large agencies to small design boutiques, with roles like digital design lead, screen printer, font technician and corporate brand steward. She’s even handled an offset press while avoiding injury at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

 

Sharlene wants to see design education changed, so she volunteers at hackathons, gives talks and writes — a lot. She took home first place at Hacking Health in Toronto in 2012 and once spent hours explaining exo-planet exploration to 10-year-old girls. She’s talked about using InDesign for responsive design at Refresh Chicago and designing for big data at lunch-and-learns like Table Talks.

 

Like most designers, Sharlene is easily entertained by bikes, booze and mid-century modern furniture she usually can’t afford. Unlike most designers, she knows taxidermy and lockpicking.

 

Vice-President Member Experience

Mike Joosse

joosse@chicago.aiga.org

Mike Joosse has been, at various points in his life, an award-winning designer, an author, an AIGA Raleigh chapter president, an adjunct faculty member, a middling barista, and an excellent record store clerk. In 2013 he left a lifetime on the East Coast and a thrilling job with AIGA to move to Chicago and become VSA’s first Director of Communications. He’s proud to champion the narrative of a remarkable design and marketing firm through the serendipitous convergence of culture building, storytelling, social media, and great design.

 

Mike has lectured across the country to AIGA chapters, commencement ceremonies, students, and other assorted folk on community and design careers. He does rare projects and activities under the name Listening and Speaking. In his spare time, he serves on the AIGA Chicago board of directors, listens to music voraciously, and will give advice in exchange for restaurant recommendations.

 

Vice-President Communications

Mike Peart

mike@chicago.aiga.org

An avid value investor and reformed house DJ, Mike currently serves as Associate Partner and Executive Creative Director at VSA Partners—sweeping the floors, clipping the hedges, mowing the lawn and leading a team of writers/problem-solvers in Chicago and New York.

 

During his time at VSA, Mike has been known to spearhead creative and strategic output for companies like IBM, Converse, SRAM, Cole Haan and Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. He comes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Chicago.

 

Mentorship Chair

Monina Velarde

monina@chicago.aiga.org

Monina Velarde is an optimistic designer and art director currently at R/GA Chicago. She received her design education at the Kansas City Art Institute, where she majored in graphic design and art history. She is often inspired by layers of colors, geometric shapes and beautiful typography. Her work has been featured by AIGA, The New Yorker, The One Show and Parade Magazine.

 

Development Chair

Chris Force

chris@chicago.aiga.org

Chris Force is a publisher, author, and entrepreneur. He founded his company ALARM Press in 1995 to publish the punk rock magazine ALARM. In 2010 he launched the interdisciplinary design magazine Design Bureau to help inspire dialog across creative industries. He is the publisher of six other magazines, including Modern Weddings and Green Building & Design. Chris received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to being a music geek he enjoys motorcycles, swearing, vegetarian food, and Chinese ink painting.

 

Editorial Chair

Kevin Leahy

kevin@chicago.aiga.org

Bio coming soon.

 

Education Chair

David Sieren

david@chicago.aiga.org

@davidsieren

David divides his time nurturing a passion for brand communication and strategy with a love of analog process and Chicago’s vibrant art and design underground.

 

On 11.11.11, David founded Another Studio, a creative consultancy where he serves as Design Director. He is one of 7 partners in the Post Family, an independent studio / gallery / music venue / creative incubator. Engaging with the community through hands-on workshops, events, happenings and lectures, the Post Family regularly collaborates with corporate, arts, and academic institutions around the country. An adjunct faculty member at DePaul University and Chicago Portfolio School, David considers engagement in the educational field to be an essential part of his practice. His work has been recognized both locally and abroad by the likes of the BBC, Print, Communication Arts, HOW, the Chicago Design Museum and others.

 

Education Chair

Matt Wizinsky

matt@chicago.aiga.org

Equal parts nerd and rebel, Matt Wizinsky translates his discontent with the status quo through acts of design, research, education, and collaborative productions. His independent practice, Studio Junglecat, is a hub of investigative activities that include projects in communications, exhibitions, public interactions, social activism, and media experimentation. Much of his studio work examines methods for making places meaningful through visual languages, interactive communications, and questioning the traditional roles of author and audience. The studio was founded on the simple belief that passionately pursuing personal interests can lead to valuable ideas that might benefit others—including that grandest of others: society. He also holds a split appointment at the University of Illinois at Chicago as educator and researcher in the School of Design and at the UIC Innovation Center. His research explores new platforms for merging digital and physical worlds to create meaningful interactive experiences—ranging from the practical to the speculative. Then again, who really cares about these self-indulgent auto-bio-graphical statements? What really matters is what I dream to do: invent new words and games to play with my son, spend more time sailing Lake Michigan, become a film-maker, amuse and provoke social critique through design, and save the art of the aperitif from complete extinction.

 

Interactive Media Chair

Burton Rast

burton@chicago.aiga.org

Burton Rast works as an interaction and software designer at IDEO Chicago. He focuses on emerging technologies in the digital space and strives to empower his colleagues with both knowledge and tools to design for any and all platforms and devices.

 

With over 13 years of experience creating digital campaigns, applications and installations, Burton has produced device agnostic solutions across a host of industries including automotive, broadcast sports, wireless telecommunications and entertainment. His path previous to IDEO traversed a dot-com era startup, a Fortune 500 and the advertising industry.

 

Burton’s passion for new, connected technologies and solutions is only outdone by his love for travel. He has always wished he was as capable a photographer as he is a designer and developer. He throws a mean living room dance party, and once made omelets for the entire IDEO Chicago studio.

 

Membership Chair

Amy Guterman

amy@chicago.aiga.org

Amy believes design has the power to provoke thought and create positive change. Currently, she is a communication designer at gravitytank, where she collaborates on multidisciplinary teams to help clients define new products and experiences. She worked on teams to redesign patient health records with the VA and immunization records with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—recognized internationally through IxDA, FastCo and Wired.

 

Before joining gravitytank, Amy founded Knowtify, a startup focused on making complex information clear for the common good. She also puts her passion for social change and design to work by serving on the EPIC Board of Directors.

 

Previously, Amy was the lead designer at a financial services company, where she honed her skills in information design by visualizing financial strategies. She received a BFA in visual communications from Washington University in St. Louis and completed a fellowship with Firebelly University.

 

Programming Chair

Laura Rafson

laura@chicago.aiga.org

@lrafson

Laura’s a graphic designer who grew up getting messy and finding inspiration in her parents’ art studios. She holds on to the idea that print is, in fact, not dead and after graduating from Indiana University worked first in publishing and later began designing for in-house design departments. As part of a marketing team, planning national sales meetings and tradeshows became another exciting opportunity. By day she creates marketing materials for large corporations and by night she’s a part of the CMYKittens, a group of local designers who create large-scale interactive installations for various art shows. In the meantime, she’s always up for a game of shuffleboard, would never miss a Kentucky Derby and likes to ski out west whenever she gets the chance.

 

Programming Chair

Valerie Craig

valerie@chicago.aiga.org

@valeriejcraig

Valerie Craig is a designer who is fueled by ideas, passion and people. She thrives on process, ideation, experimentation, execution and apparently lists. In addition, she loves the creative community, and is honored to be a part of such a rich group of people.

 

She has worked for a range of types of businesses from small to big. To diversify her skills, she ventured out on her own for a number of years, working with the most interesting clients near and far. Today, she is a Senior Designer at Acquity Group, a digital company that excels in ecommerce and digital marketing. In this role, she infuses the brand’s passion into pixels and paper, creating all things Acquity Group (and with a recent acquisition, some things Accenture Interactive).

 

Beyond the creative process she is a spectator of music, drinker of wine and lover of travel.

 

Director of Communications

Kelly Knaga

kel@chicago.aiga.org

@kellyknaga

Kelly is a designer, teacher, farmer, photographer and she is always up for a great adventure.  After spending time on both coasts she believes Chicago’s creative community is one of the best. Kelly thinks that the small everyday moments are more incredible than the every once-in-awhile spectacular moments. And she believes that ordinary people can make extraordinary differences in the world. She still thinks secret handshakes are cool too.

 

You can often find Kelly on an acre of land just outside of Chicago where she designs, paints and is building a small urban farm. When she’s not teaching at IU Northwest, Kelly is busy advocating for Chicago’s creative community and arts education through her work with the EPIC Board of Directors and as Content Director for the Hike Conference. Kelly also sits on the AIGA National Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. She is slowly fulfilling her dream of hiking and photographing every single U.S. National Park. Feel free to drop her a line and say hello!

 

Director of Operations

Morgan Walsh

morgan@chicago.aiga.org

Morgan Walsh is an administrator, curator, writer, and historian. Her interest in design ranges from graphic to industrial to work that sometimes seeps into the realm of craft, and in the ways design affects and influences interactions and relationships between people. Since moving to Chicago in 2009 she has organized multiple exhibitions, including the city of Chicago funded, Chicagoland, written for Core77, and presented independent research at the Textile Society of America’s annual conference. Morgan previously worked for The Art Institute of Chicago’s Architecture & Design Society and served as Assistant Director of Exhibitions at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) Sullivan Galleries. Morgan holds a BA in Art History from the University of Kansas, a mini-MBA in Non-profit Management from St. Thomas University and a dual-MA in Arts Administration, and Art History, Theory, and Criticism from SAIC.