For the past nine years, Coca-Cola Design Director Alex Center has been working in-house creating the brand, tone, and slightly humorous jokes that people have come to associate with the beverage brand vitaminwater. Center will share his story, the things he’s learned working inside both a small and large organization and explain why he believes that the future of branding is in-house.

A ticket to the keynote is also good for the CDW Afterparty that follows!

About Alex:
Alex Center is a Brooklyn-based designer who 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 2013, he started sharing his story with speaking engagements at The Dieline Forum, AIGA INitiative, 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. In 2015, he became a columnist for HOW Magazine, writing about the expanding landscape of In-House design. In 2016, he joined the AIGA In-house Initiative Steering committee, working to address the unique opportunities and challenges faced by the in-house community. Today, he leads the strategy and design vision for 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, editing instagrams for far too long and searching for the freshest prosciutto in New York City.

About Interbrand:
With a network of 29 offices in 22 countries, Interbrand, a global brand agency, believes that growth is achieved when an organization has a clear strategy and delivers exceptional customer experiences. Interbrand’s combination of strategy, creativity, and technology makes it uniquely capable of driving the growth of its clients’ brands and businesses. Publisher of the highly influential annual Best Global Brands ranking and Webby Award-winning brandchannel, Interbrand is part of the Omnicom Group Inc. network of agencies.